S17E03 | Alf Wilkins (Grimsby, Lincolnshire, 2001)

S17E03 | Alf Wilkins (Grimsby, Lincolnshire, 2001)

Released Thursday, 20th March 2025
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S17E03 | Alf Wilkins (Grimsby, Lincolnshire, 2001)

S17E03 | Alf Wilkins (Grimsby, Lincolnshire, 2001)

S17E03 | Alf Wilkins (Grimsby, Lincolnshire, 2001)

S17E03 | Alf Wilkins (Grimsby, Lincolnshire, 2001)

Thursday, 20th March 2025
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0:01

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punish yourself because your mother never showed

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you enough love as a child? Whoa,

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easy there. Easyable activation fees. activation

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fees. Disclaimer. This podcast contains

0:34

elements that may be alarming to

0:37

some listeners. The case discussed in

0:39

this episode is real and represents

0:41

the worst day in many people's

0:43

lives. While I strive for accuracy,

0:45

some details may vary depending on

0:48

the sources used. Due to

0:50

the nature of the content,

0:52

listener discretion is advised. You

0:55

are now listening to British

0:57

Murders. A True Crime Podcast

0:59

hosted by Stuart Blues.

1:14

Hello everyone and welcome

1:16

to British Murders with

1:18

Stuart Blues, a podcast

1:21

focusing exclusively on listener

1:23

suggested British murder cases.

1:25

This is the third episode

1:27

of season 17 and as always

1:29

we open with two icebreaker segments,

1:32

the jingles of which are

1:34

voiced by my daughter. The first is

1:36

this. True facts that will blow

1:38

your mind. Did you know?

1:40

that flying a kite in

1:42

a public place is technically

1:45

illegal in the UK under

1:47

section 54 of the Metropolitan

1:49

Police Act 1839. I love random

1:51

old laws like that. The

1:53

show's final opening icebreaker

1:56

segment is this. Random Quote of

1:58

the week. Don't be a... of opposition.

2:01

Remember, a kite rises

2:03

against, not with, the wind.

2:05

That was said by Hamilton,

2:07

right, maybe. This case was

2:09

requested by listener Helen Lucy.

2:11

We're in the Port Town of

2:14

Grimsby this week located in

2:16

the Yorkshire and the Humber

2:18

region of Lincolnshire. It is a

2:21

bit confusing. It's 70 miles

2:23

southeast of Hull. 34 miles

2:25

northwest of Skegness and 142

2:27

miles north of London. Here

2:29

are five quick fire facts

2:32

about Grimsbae. Number one,

2:34

during the 1950s Grimsbae was

2:36

the busiest fishing port in

2:38

the world with hundreds of

2:41

trawlers bringing in vast amounts

2:43

of fish daily. Its seafood

2:45

industry remained significant, supplying

2:47

around 70% of the

2:50

UK's fish processing sector.

2:52

Number two. According to legend,

2:54

Grimsby was founded by a

2:57

Danish fisherman named Grim, who

2:59

rescued a young prince and

3:01

settled in the area. The town's

3:03

name is believed to come

3:05

from Grimsby, meaning Grims Village

3:08

in Old Norse. Number three, the

3:10

Grimsby Dock Tower, standing at 309

3:12

feet or 94 meters, was built

3:15

in 1852 to provide water pressure

3:17

for the docks. Although it looks

3:19

like a lighthouse, it was never

3:22

used as one. but it remains

3:24

a famous landmark. Number four, Grimsby

3:26

is known for its

3:28

fish and chip heritage,

3:30

with its distinctive Grimsby

3:32

traditional smoked fish receiving

3:35

protected geographical indication status,

3:37

meaning it must be

3:39

produced using traditional local

3:41

methods. And number five, Antony

3:43

Burgess, the author of A Clockwork

3:45

Orange, once claimed that the fictional

3:48

Nadsat language in the book was

3:50

partially inspired by the unique dialect

3:53

and slang used in Grimsbe. According

3:55

to the 2021 census the population

3:57

of Grimsbe is 8 to 6

3:59

thousand. While researching Alfred Wilkins, the

4:01

man whose story I'm sharing in

4:04

this episode, I came across an

4:06

article that linked him to someone

4:08

about 95% sure was his son.

4:11

Before I go any further, I

4:13

want to be clear. I'm putting

4:15

myself on the line by making

4:17

this connection, because there's always a

4:20

chance I could be wrong, but

4:22

I'll explain why I believe it

4:24

to be accurate. That said, if

4:27

I am mistaken, I'll hold my

4:29

hands up and apologize in advance.

4:31

Now, during our main timeline, February

4:34

2001, Alfred, or Alf as it

4:36

was more commonly known, was 67

4:38

years old. A newspaper article I

4:40

found dated April 1980, mentioned an

4:43

Alf Wilkins who lived in Grimsby

4:45

and was 46 years old. Straight

4:47

away the name, specifically Alf, rather

4:50

than Alfred or Alpha, the age

4:52

and the location all match. But

4:54

what really caught my attention was

4:57

the accompanying photo. To me it

4:59

closely resembles a picture of Alf

5:01

that was released after his murder.

5:03

I shared both images side by

5:06

side in the private British Murders

5:08

Facebook group. There's a link in

5:10

the episode description if you want

5:13

to join, and asked the group

5:15

members for opinions. The response was

5:17

overwhelmingly in favour of these two

5:19

men being the same person. If

5:22

you'd like to see for yourself,

5:24

head over to the group, take

5:26

a look. Both photos show a

5:29

man wearing glasses of a similar

5:31

style with the same hair line,

5:33

same facial lines, and most notably

5:36

the same distinctive nose and mouth.

5:38

I'm going to continue the story

5:40

under the assumption that Alf, who

5:42

reports suggest was a father of

5:45

three, was indeed the father of

5:47

Stephen Wilkins, the person the 1980

5:49

report I'm alluding to focused on.

5:52

At the age of 17, Wilkins,

5:54

this is Stephen, was sent to

5:56

ramped and secure hospital in Nottinghamshire

5:59

after raping an... 80-year-old woman at

6:01

knife point. He spent almost a

6:03

decade at Rampton, a facility with

6:05

its own fair share of controversies,

6:08

and the eye color red mentioned

6:10

Alf and his wife, Aileen, Wilkins'

6:12

mother, suggesting that the drug treatment

6:15

their son underwent may have contributed

6:17

to his downfall, which I'll come

6:19

on to in just a moment.

6:22

That being said, the innocent woman

6:24

Wilkins attacked before being admitted to

6:26

Rampton, had nothing to do with

6:28

the facility. But that's an aside.

6:31

In June 1979, Wilkins was granted

6:33

two weeks of trial leave before

6:35

he could be officially discharged. With

6:38

nowhere else to go, he returned

6:40

to his parents' house and found

6:42

a job as a painter. For

6:45

most of those 14 days, he

6:47

appeared to be living a normal

6:49

law-abiding life, but on the very

6:51

last day of his leave, he

6:54

decided to call on 68-year-old Marie

6:56

Jensen, who reports suggest was a

6:58

distant relative of his. Wilkins asked

7:01

if he could stay the night,

7:03

but when Marie declined, he strangled

7:05

and raped her before setting her

7:07

house on fire. He then fled

7:10

to the Grimsby fish docks where

7:12

he stole a van and used

7:14

it as a getaway vehicle. Just

7:17

a day later, Wilkins turned up

7:19

at Baldwin Hospital in Nottinghamshire. Perhaps

7:21

that's where he was scheduled to

7:24

report to at the end of

7:26

his trial leave. While there, he

7:28

met a 17-year-old girl, a voluntary

7:30

patient, and quickly formed a relationship

7:33

with her. The teenager agreed to

7:35

travel to Scotland with Wilkins for

7:37

what she likely believed would be

7:40

a romantic getaway with her new

7:42

much older boyfriend. And for the

7:44

first few days, the trips seemed

7:47

to be going well. But just

7:49

four days after murdering Marie, Wilkins

7:51

stopped at a petrol station to

7:53

refuel the stolen van. The attendant

7:56

on duty that day... was 63

7:58

year old Sid Moit. Without hesitation

8:00

Wilkins stabbed Sid 10 times before

8:03

robbing the till of... 79 pounds,

8:05

roughly 381 pounds today when adjusted

8:07

for inflation. As Wilkins drove away,

8:10

his escape took an unexpected turn

8:12

when the van got a flat

8:14

tire, leaving the pair stranded. Soon

8:16

after, a concerned farmer spotted him

8:19

and the teenage girl acting suspiciously,

8:21

so they called the police. Officers

8:23

quickly arrived, prompting Wilkins to flee,

8:26

but his only option for escape

8:28

was the river tweet. Suffice to

8:30

say, he didn't get far before

8:33

surrendering and handing himself in. Wilkins

8:35

was charged with murder and sentenced

8:37

to life imprisonment in October 1979,

8:39

and on April 16th, 1980, two

8:42

more life sentences were added after

8:44

he was connected to Marie's murder

8:46

and rape. Wilkins later died on

8:49

April 4th, 2016 at St. John's

8:51

Hospice in Bedfordshire, just a month

8:53

after being diagnosed with cancer. It

8:55

was 63. The April 1980 article

8:58

featuring Alf was published following Wilkins'

9:00

second sentencing, and while it doesn't

9:02

add much to Alf's own story

9:05

or his murder, I found it

9:07

too interesting to omit. This is

9:09

a prime example of the limitations

9:12

independent podcasters face when researching cases.

9:14

We can only piece together the

9:16

available information, and sometimes that leads

9:18

us down unexpected paths. I must

9:21

reiterate that if I've incorrectly linked

9:23

Alf to the double murderer and

9:25

rapist Stephen Wilkins, I sincerely apologize.

9:28

To be honest, there isn't much

9:30

information available about Al's background other

9:32

than what I found about Stephen.

9:35

I did find out that he

9:37

was once a merchant seaman, a

9:39

tugboat captain by all accounts, who,

9:41

during our main timeline, lived alone

9:44

in a flat on Grimsby's Yarborough

9:46

estate, which has since been demolished.

9:48

In 2007 plans were put in

9:51

place to build 89 new homes

9:53

on what is now known as

9:55

the freshness green estate. Living with

9:58

Alf was his 12 year old

10:00

black Alsacean looker. At this point

10:02

I must insert a trigger warning

10:04

for any animal lovers listening. There's

10:07

a portion of this story you

10:09

may want to skip coming up

10:11

shortly. Now retired Alf was living

10:14

a quiet peaceful life on the

10:16

estate. For the most part he

10:18

got on well with those around

10:20

him. He enjoyed a drink as

10:23

many do. and often welcomed neighbors

10:25

into his home for a chat

10:27

and a couple of drinks. He

10:30

was well-liked and remained close to

10:32

his mom until she sadly passed

10:34

away in the mid-90s. Alf would

10:37

regularly cycle to visit her, she

10:39

lived about a mile from his

10:41

flat, and he were rarely seen

10:43

without his full suit, something that

10:46

made him easily recognizable in the

10:48

community. Although he mostly kept to

10:50

himself, Alf was good with the

10:53

neighborhood kids. and as he got

10:55

older his mobility became increasingly limited

10:57

leading to a number of physical

11:00

issues. If we rewind to the

11:02

summer of 2000, the UK was

11:04

in uproar over the murder of

11:06

eight-year-old Sarah Payne. Public outrage intensified

11:09

when the news of the world,

11:11

a former Sunday tabloid newspaper, launched

11:13

its controversial name and shame campaign

11:16

on July 23rd. The campaign aimed

11:18

to publicly identify known sex offenders

11:20

so that parents would be aware

11:23

of any living near them. While

11:25

some saw this as a way

11:27

to protect children critics slammed it

11:29

as irresponsible journalism. Some even called

11:32

it vile and despicable. Despite the

11:34

backlash a large portion of the

11:36

public saw it as an opportunity

11:39

to take matters into their own

11:41

hands. The campaign led to a

11:43

wave of misplaced attacks on innocent

11:46

people caught in the crossairs. Parents

11:48

dragged their kids to marches. Vigilante

11:50

roamed the streets. Before long, Alf

11:52

became the target of a tirade

11:55

of abuse after a young... girl,

11:57

whose age was reported as either

11:59

8 or 9, accused him of

12:02

molesting her. The girl was said

12:04

to have been a frequent visitor

12:06

to Alf's flat, and her father,

12:08

to his credit, did the right

12:11

thing by informing the police. But

12:13

as Alf stood trial for an

12:15

indecent assault charge in November 2000,

12:18

he was soon found not guilty

12:20

and was fully acquitted. Even the

12:22

girl's father reportedly said that the

12:25

evidence against Alf was weak. But

12:27

that wasn't enough for some of

12:29

the locals. To them, Alf was

12:31

a sex offender, a pedophile, and

12:34

they did their utmost to make

12:36

his life hell for the next

12:38

three months. He was harassed on

12:41

the street. People banged on his

12:43

windows and door. They covered the

12:45

flat with graffiti, referring to him

12:48

as a nonce or a pedo.

12:50

The former being a slang term

12:52

for the latter. On February 1st,

12:54

2001, the abuse Alf endured escalated

12:57

when two locals broke into his

12:59

own and physically attacked him. They

13:01

left him with a nasty gash

13:04

on his head that required hospital

13:06

treatment, an emotional trauma that, given

13:08

his age and mobility issues, must

13:11

have been devastating. By the early

13:13

hours of Friday February 9th 2001,

13:15

the relentless abuse Alfred suffered reached

13:17

its horrifying climax. There is some

13:20

confusion over the exact date, with

13:22

some sources quoting February 7th, others

13:24

saying the 21st, even the 31st

13:27

was mentioned, but the 9th seems

13:29

the most accurate. Alf's death was

13:31

reported the following day on February

13:33

10th and a 2003 Court of

13:36

Appeal document explicitly states February 9th

13:38

as the correct date, so we'll

13:40

go with that. The story will

13:43

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silhouettes, and thoughtfully crafts. And

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now, back to the story. Acting

15:21

under the cover of darkness as

15:24

they stood outside, Alf's killer poured

15:26

an accelerant, turpentine, through his letterbox

15:28

before setting it alight with a

15:30

match. Alf had little chance of

15:33

escape. The flat was poorly ventilated,

15:35

where most of the windows either

15:37

bordered up or otherwise sealed, perhaps

15:39

a direct result of the breaking

15:42

assault just over a week earlier.

15:44

Here's the bit where animal lovers

15:46

might want to skip ahead, so

15:49

feel free to do that now.

15:51

As the smoke quickly filled the

15:53

enclosed space, both Alf and his

15:55

beloved dog Lucky suffocated before the

15:58

flames could even reach them. Did

16:00

you know that most indoor fire

16:02

deaths are not caused by burns,

16:04

but by smoking elation? As fire

16:07

grows inside a building, it burns

16:09

oxygen. So the more a fire

16:11

burns, the more oxygen is removed

16:13

from a room, and the more

16:16

difficult it is to breathe. It

16:18

was actually a friend of alfs

16:20

who made the grim discovery at

16:22

around 6am, walking at the kitchen

16:25

to find both alve and lucky

16:27

lifeless inside. As if the fire

16:29

itself wasn't a clear enough message,

16:32

The word non's had been scrawled

16:34

onto a window, marking Alf as

16:36

a targeting death just as he

16:38

had been in life. The motive

16:41

were clear, misplaced vigilante justice for

16:43

a crime Alf didn't commit. A

16:45

post-mortem examination would later reveal the

16:47

full extent of his suffering, with

16:50

nine large bruises covering Alf's body.

16:52

Each one a painful reminder of

16:54

the brutal beating he'd endured just

16:56

days earlier. Forensic experts

16:59

noted that the pattern of some

17:01

of the bruises suggested they'd been

17:03

caused by jewellery, a significant clue

17:06

that would soon help detectives close

17:08

in on the people responsible. By

17:10

the time the weekend rolled around,

17:13

the fire that took Alf's life

17:15

had officially been declared a murder

17:17

investigation. It was clear from the

17:20

outset that the blaze had been

17:22

started deliberately and detectives wasted no

17:25

time in rounding up suspects. One

17:27

of the first people to come

17:29

forward was the father of the

17:32

young girl who had accused Alf

17:34

of indecently assaulting a month earlier.

17:36

Knowing full well that suspicion would

17:39

fall on him, he went straight

17:41

to the police before they even

17:43

had a chance to knock on

17:46

his door. He was eager to

17:48

provide his whereabouts on the morning

17:51

in question and distanced himself from

17:53

the crime. That same weekend, four

17:55

individuals were arrested in connection with

17:58

the fire. Gary Lawson. an unemployed

18:00

19-year-old and the godson of Ian

18:02

Lawless. 39, a pub cellaman who'd

18:05

once been friendly with Alf. Chantelle

18:07

Dea was the third arrested suspect.

18:09

This 16-year-old was Lawson's girlfriend. And

18:12

Dean Fairbanks, 18, who I believe

18:14

was likely at the time that

18:17

unnamed fourth suspect. The names of,

18:19

especially two of those suspects, Lawless

18:21

and Lawson, are similar. I appreciate

18:24

that. So I do apologize for

18:26

any confusion. I'll do my best

18:28

to tell the remainder of the

18:31

story. in as clear way as

18:33

possible. Lawson and Fairbanks both lived

18:35

near Alf's flat and were often

18:38

visited by Lawless and Day. Lawless

18:40

had known Alf personally having shared

18:42

drinks with him on occasion, but

18:45

any past acquaintance seemingly meant nothing

18:47

now. After his arrest, Lawson made

18:50

a chilling remark to detectives at

18:52

Humberside Police. He said, when it

18:54

became known Alf was dead, everyone

18:57

wanted to party. On

18:59

February 13th Lawson appeared in court

19:01

charge with murder while the other

19:03

three were released on police bail.

19:06

Two days later February 15th Lawless

19:08

was also charged with murder and

19:10

was due to appear before magistrates.

19:13

At first there was no clear

19:15

evidence directly linking either man to

19:17

the crime. No forensic proof. No

19:19

eyewitnesses placing them at the scene

19:22

when the fire was started. But

19:24

in the days that followed, Lawless's

19:26

own mouth became his worst enemy.

19:28

He repeatedly admitted his involvement to

19:31

anyone who would listen. He told

19:33

multiple people, including fellow pubgoers, a

19:35

taxi driver, and even a prisoner

19:37

he met while on remand, that

19:40

he'd acted as a lookout during

19:42

the attack. The day after the

19:44

fire, Lawless allegedly turned to a

19:47

friend and bragged, I told you

19:49

I would do him in, I

19:51

killed Alf. Despite these busts, he

19:53

never admitted to being anything more

19:56

than a lookout. And even those

19:58

he confessed to... weren't exactly convinced.

20:00

Lawless was known as a notorious

20:02

liar, someone who craved attention and

20:05

might well take credit for something

20:07

he had no parting. Lawson too

20:09

was said to have claimed responsibility

20:11

after the fact, but without solid

20:14

forensic evidence or an eyewitness placing

20:16

them at the scene, investigators had

20:18

their work out for them in

20:21

proving the two men's guilt beyond

20:23

mere words. Almost a year after

20:25

Alf's murder. The case finally reached

20:27

Hull Crown Court in January 2002

20:30

and it was Mr Justice Griggson

20:32

who oversaw the proceedings. Facing the

20:34

most serious charges were Lawson and

20:36

Lawless who were both accused of

20:39

murder. But they weren't the only

20:41

one standing trial. Day Lawson's 16-year-old

20:43

girlfriend was charged with conspiracy to

20:45

cause grievous bodily harm and inciting

20:48

Lawson to commit murder and arson.

20:50

Prosecutors alleged she had encouraged Lawson

20:52

to kill Alf and burn down

20:55

his home. Gary Fairbanks, the father

20:57

of Dean, was charged with incitement

20:59

to murder and both the father

21:01

and son pair were also charged

21:04

with incitement to cause grievous bodily

21:06

harm. One of the most damning

21:08

pieces of evidence against Day was

21:10

a disturbing diary entry she'd written

21:13

after Al's first attack, the home

21:15

assault, but before the fatal fire.

21:17

The prosecution labelled it as a

21:20

chilling blueprint for the murder. Day

21:22

wrote, Every time I hear Alf's

21:24

name, that's the nonce who lives

21:26

in the flats next door to

21:29

Owen. I just want to break

21:31

into his flat and cello tape

21:33

his hands behind his back. Cello

21:35

tape his legs together, put some

21:38

socks in his mouth with some

21:40

cello tape over it, take all

21:42

of his money, paw petrol all

21:44

over his flat and all over

21:47

him, then set him on fire,

21:49

then his flat. to make sure

21:51

it all blows up with him

21:54

in it. Day denied that Lawson

21:56

had ever seen the entry despite

21:58

claims it had been shown to

22:00

him. The prosecution argued that the

22:03

entire attack had been carried out

22:05

based on the false allegations that

22:07

Alf was a pedophile, a lie

22:09

that had taken on a life

22:12

of its own, ending in a

22:14

brutal and senseless murder. By February

22:16

2002, both Lawson and Lawless were

22:18

convicted of murder, and a month

22:21

later, on March 22nd, they were

22:23

both sentenced to life in prison.

22:25

In addition to the murder charge,

22:28

Lawson and Day were convicted of

22:30

conspiracy to cause Grievous bodily harm

22:32

for their role in the earlier

22:34

beating that had left Alf badly

22:37

injured. Lawson was given a four-year

22:39

concurrent sentence for that charge, whereas

22:41

Day was given a three-year sentence

22:43

and sent to a young offender's

22:46

institution. While serving out that sentence,

22:48

Day reportedly confessed to a fellow

22:50

inmate that she had helped pour

22:53

the accelerant into Alf's home, and

22:55

she said she was worried that

22:57

Lawson was taking all the blame.

22:59

She was persuaded to repeat this

23:02

to a prison officer, which she

23:04

did, and she also suggested that

23:06

another man, who claimed to have

23:08

been a lookout, wasn't even there.

23:11

He just wanted the notoriety. She

23:13

was referring to lawless. The court

23:15

ordered Dean Fairbanks to be acquitted

23:17

on the direction of the trial

23:20

judge, and his Dagari avoided incitement

23:22

to murder. but admitted to making

23:24

threats to destroy property and intimidate

23:27

witnesses. Among his threats was one

23:29

directed at a neighbor, to whom

23:31

he shouted, You're a fucking grass.

23:33

I am going to petrol bomb

23:36

your house. For that charge he

23:38

was sentenced to two years in

23:40

prison. Both Lawson and

23:43

Lawless launched an immediate joint

23:45

appeal against their convictions, but

23:47

on February 13, 2003, the

23:49

Court of Appeal dismissed their

23:51

case, instead opting to uphold

23:53

their murder convictions. In June

23:55

2009, Lawless had a fresh

23:57

appeal heard, separate from... Lawson

23:59

and argued that his conviction

24:01

was unsafe due to new

24:03

medical evidence. At the original

24:05

murder trial a psychiatrist had

24:07

assessed lawless while he was

24:09

in custody and found no

24:11

evidence of a mental disorder.

24:13

But in his appeal it

24:15

was revealed that the only

24:17

evidence against lawless had been

24:19

his own false confessions which

24:21

he'd given due to severe

24:23

mental health issues. Experts from

24:25

both the defence and prosecution

24:27

agreed that Lawless suffered from

24:29

pathological attention-seeking behaviour and was

24:31

a compulsive liar. His various

24:33

confessions, where he claimed to

24:35

have acted as a lookout,

24:37

were more likely to be

24:39

driven by a psychological need

24:41

for attention rather than guilt.

24:43

The criminal cases review commission,

24:45

an independent body investigating miscarriages

24:47

or justice, had referred his

24:49

case to the court of

24:51

appeal. and that ultimately led

24:53

to Lawless's conviction being quashed.

24:55

The prosecution did not oppose

24:57

the appeal and no retrial

24:59

was ordered. After serving eight

25:01

years in prison Lawless was

25:03

finally freed at the age

25:05

of 47. But the story

25:07

doesn't end there. Despite Lawless's

25:09

conviction being overturned, the Secretary

25:11

of State refused to award

25:13

him any compensation, which prompted

25:15

him to challenge the decision

25:17

in court. In January 2013,

25:19

High Court judges ruled that

25:21

the government's refusal of compensation

25:23

was legally flawed and that

25:25

the case had to be

25:27

reconsidered. Lawless's solicitor Mark Newbess

25:30

stated that while a payout

25:32

could never truly compensate for

25:34

his last years, it could

25:36

at least help him rebuild

25:38

his life. He estimated that

25:40

Lawless was entitled to at

25:42

least 100 grand with a

25:44

maximum possible payout of 500

25:46

grand for the time he'd

25:48

served. I tried to find

25:50

out how much compote he

25:52

actually got, whether he did

25:54

get any at all I'm

25:56

not sure, but I couldn't

25:58

find it. At

26:00

the time his solicitor noted that

26:02

Lawless was struggling with his life

26:04

on the outside. And that's something

26:06

that we must take into consideration

26:08

regarding the last piece of info

26:10

I'm about to tell you. Less

26:12

than a decade after his release

26:15

Lawless made headlines again for all

26:17

the wrong reasons. On November 25th

26:19

2017 while attending a Grimsby Town

26:21

away match at Barnet Lawless got

26:23

drunk and swore a female steward.

26:25

It was ejected from the stadium

26:27

at half time but refused to

26:29

leave. This led to a public

26:31

disturbance as he struggled with the

26:34

stewards before being arrested for public

26:36

order offences as well as being

26:38

drunk inside a footy ground. In

26:40

February 2018, Wilsden Magistrates Court found

26:42

him guilty and banned him from

26:44

every football ground in the country

26:46

for three years. As for Lawson,

26:48

he remains in prison to this

26:50

day and has never launched an

26:52

appeal. against his conviction. And that

26:55

was the story of the murder

26:57

of Alf Wilkins. I'd love to

26:59

hear everyone's thoughts on that. Thanks

27:01

again Helen for requesting it. I

27:03

want to give a quick shout

27:05

out as well to Jenny and

27:07

Corin. You can thank you mum

27:09

for that one. Did you know

27:11

that if you had to patron.com/British

27:13

murders and join my OBE or

27:16

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27:35

welcome to my newest patron members,

27:37

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27:39

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27:41

show on a one-off basis by

27:43

heading to Buy Me coffee.com/British Murders.

27:45

And as I said at the

27:47

start, if you want to join

27:49

the show's private Facebook discussion group,

27:51

there's a link in the episode

27:53

description. Please go and have a

27:56

look at the comparison photo of

27:58

Al from 1980. who I think

28:00

is Alf and the picture of

28:02

him from 2001 and let me

28:04

know if you think it's the

28:06

same person. And with that

28:08

we finish another episode. I've

28:10

been Stuart Blues. This has

28:12

been British murders. Thanks

28:15

so much for listening. Until

28:17

next time. Cheerio. Come

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