by Harry Nankin
“It was after one such television programme” said Jack “that I was seated in my office at New Scotland Yard when a gentleman walked into the building asking to speak with me, he had declined to give any details.”
“I agreed to see the man who, when he arrived spoke with an American accent.”
“When he had left I had difficulty in digesting the story he had related to me. The following day I visited the Ministry of Defence after initially being faced with a wall of non cooperation, upon my insisting I was able to speak with General Western, Head of the British Special Forces.”
“After hearing the burden of my song the General agreed to help.”
“I next visited the Old Bailey where once again after a wall of non cooperation I finally managed to speak with Judge Lord Justice Stevens of the High Court. It was in private in his chambers. It was only due to my previous court appearances, so he had said, that he agreed to cooperate with me.”
“My next call was at the Ministry of Agriculture who I must say were only too pleased to assist the police.”
“My final port of call was at the door of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Although myself, a Superintendent it was with great obstruction I think the word is that I was finally able to speak in person with the Commissioner. I laid out my story and after hearing of my other backers he agreed to my request.”
Jack looked at the audience and continued
“It was then detectives, he hesitated again as he looked around at the faces in front of him, all blank, non had guessed the mission he was about to relate.”
Had a pin have dropped it could have been heard.
“It was at five o’clock the next morning that one hundred officers from the Metropolitan Police Special Operations Unit descended upon and surrounded the Abikan farm.”
“A further fifteen officers simultaneously visited the restaurant in the town of Whitmore.”
“I myself and twenty officers together with police dogs and armed officers visited the large country hall of the Abikan family.”
“In addition General Western had authorised the mobilisation of officers from the Special Air Service, also known as the SAS. They attended the location to be on hand if needed.”
“Finally but not least, the gentleman who had brought this matter to my attention General Dramaticus of the American Special Forces had arranged aerial reconnaissance and support.”
At this stage the surprise and intrigue of the seated class of detectives was only surpassed by the expression upon the face of the Chief Constable, Joanne Watkiss.
“A check of animal records held at the Ministry of Agriculture revealed the total number of animals sent to the farm matched exactly the animals later sold to markets. It was apparent therefore that no meat from the farm had been used at the Abikan restaurant.”
“A check of Ministry of Defence pension records showed that more than two hundred ex soldiers had gone missing their pensions unclaimed.”
“Police missing person records showed that over one hundred young persons had gone missing, last heard of at Whitmore.”
“When these reports were checked many of the missing had contacted their relatives saying they had found work in Whitmore working for Mr Abikan, but had not been heard of since.”
“Video surveillance cameras in the town later showed that many of the missing had been seen coming and going from the restaurant.”
“A detailed search of the grounds was made and many human bones were discovered.”
“The food standards Agency supplied officers to assist, tests were made upon the food at the café. In addition meat found at the same premises and at the farm both in fridges and deep freezers was examined and proved to be a very unusual meat, Yes ladies and gentlemen human flesh?”
There were now gasps.
“My informant, United States Officer General Dramaticus had recognised Mr Abikan as one of the same name in Afghanistan. It would seem the Americans had made a strike upon the village in which several members of the Abikan family including the parents and numerous children were killed.”
“Mr Abikan and his brothers had fled swearing to seek revenge. Their business of importing clothing and similar was a guise for the large scale importation of drugs into the United Kingdom. In addition they were known to deal in weapons.”
These drugs and weapons including Russian made rockets were discovered at the farm, most in old world War two underground air raid shelters”
“Mr Abikan and his brothers readily admitted that they had murdered all the missing persons, dissected the bodies, using the their meat for meals served in the restaurant. The offal such as liver and brains was used in pies and similar. These had all been disguised by the herbs and spices.”
“What better they had said, than to let the Infidels eat each other.”
“This, ladies and gentlemen, was why the meat tasted so sweet.”
“Before anyone asks, this case never came to the public attention for obvious reason of National Security and to prevent copy cat cases of serving of human flesh.”
“The closure of the restaurant it was announced was due to Mr Abikan flying home on urgent family business.”
“The Abikan brothers and their families were all immediately flown back home to Afghanistan. Regrettably they were all killed the day following their return. The official announcement merely stated that they were killed in a missile attack by the Taliban.”
I would be remiss if I failed to relate to you the story of a murder committed many years ago.
It is from this story that you will realise that even in times good by police officers had great devotion to duty and attention to detail. You will be aware capital punishment was in operation .
In those days officers were expected to devote the whole of their times to the police service. You may care to note in particular the devotion shown by one sergeant Griffiths.
I will now relate the story and permit you to judge for yourselves, the commitment of officers who have gone before you.
It may perhaps reflect upon you when you leave this curse and commence your detective duties.
George Pickering married a local girl name Ann, they had one daughter, Annie, she was to marry a man named Porter.
In the year 1887 George Pickering was in his mid seventies and a widower and retired. Not surprisingly, George being a loyal servant for so many years Lord Hill had awarded him a pension to live on, being at that time six shillings per week. Pickering was also provided with a small house at the rear of the estate timber yard and sawmill.
This was located not far from the main hall at a place known as Broad Hay, Prees Lower Heath.
Mrs Annie Porter the only daughter of the Pickerill’s now resided about a mile away at Dogmore, Prees. She visited her father daily or almost, to care for him, depending on her own commitments.
The small house occupied by George Pickering was located at the rear of and some 80 yards from the timber yard, its rear facing the yard whilst the front of the property offered a better view, that of a large coppice of trees. It was a small house, having only a kitchen and bedroom, both on the ground floor. There was a shed of some description adjoining the house.
It was the month of November, typically cold and damp George was of an age when chest infections could be expected and had to be coped with.
On Friday the 11th of November 1887 at 9 o’clock in the morning Mrs Porter made a visit to see her Dad. Upon her arrival she discovered her father was still in bed. Mrs Porter performed her cleaning duties during which her father informed her he was suffering from the chest infection. He was much worse and had said he would not be there long; indicating he thought the condition may result in his death. Clearly in any event the old man was feeling ill and low in spirit. As a result Ann Porter had gone into his bedroom and brought some camphor from a box. A medicine used for chest complaints. This box was one of several boxes which had contained among other things, clothing.
In addit
ion, she had noticed a bedroom window was insecure. Taking this up with her father he had complained he had been disturbed the night before when he had been visited by a cousin William Arrowsmith, known as Bill. Arrowsmith had requested to stay with Pickering but this request had been refused. He was not at the property when Mrs Porter had been there that day. She left saying she would visit the next day. She left the house at about five o’clock.
Arrowsmith had several children though it was not known if he had married. It was believed he had not officially visited the area for twelve or fourteen years until recently. It was shown he had done so, during which he had requested his uncle George to care for one or more of his children one of whom was reputed to be children with special needs, two were in fact deaf and dumb. The old man had refused. It would seem this visit by Arrowsmith had been unknown to Anne until she was about to leave that Friday evening. On this occasion it appeared from what her father had said that he, Bill had been “sent packing.”
Annie visited again the following morning and as she arrived at the door of her father’s home she was not yet aware that since she had left the night before the angel of death had meanwhile descended on the place.
It would never be known what had been in the mind of William Arrowsmith when such evil had entered his heart and mind. Whether he saw the dark reaper approaching and then drifted within his body and soul or if that evil being had always dwelt within him.
Anne was unable to gain access to her father’s house despite repeated knocking and banging. She went then to the timber yard seeking assistance from two men working there.
When they arrived, after making a forced entry old George Pickerill was discovered dead with blood around him, his face mutilated.
Strangely, it being just after nine o’clock in the morning it appears not to have crossed the minds of anyone present that a crime had been committed but rather the sage had suffered a rupture of a blood vessel. It was not until three o’clock that afternoon that the police were informed and later attended.
In those times, travel for the local police officers would be either on foot or on a pedal cycle. It was only the area Superintendent who was issued with a horse and trap. In addition there were no telephones and so contact over any distance was made via a wire or telegraph. When upon receipt of which the local post office would arrange for a telegram to be delivered again on foot or cycle. All this of course in isolated areas took much time.
When the local police constable finally attended he soon realised the gravity of the incident and that a major crime had been committed.
He informed his senior officer by telegram and as a result Superintendent Edwards of Whitchurch and Sergeant Edge of Wem attended. Both these small towns nearly ten miles away but they eventually attended and a major investigation commenced
Superintendent Edwards, at once wired for a Doctor and it was not long before Dr Venable Williams of Prees was on the scene. He examined the body, and at once found that a brutal murder had been committed.
On Sunday Dr Venable Williams made a more careful and minute examination of the body, and found the face to be literally smashed to pieces. The right eye, being completely burst, and the face being cut in half a dozen (six) places. There were some cuts at the back of the head and the throat was cut. Mr Adams (the manager of the timber yard) saw a light in the window of the house at about eight o’clock on Friday evening, and it must have been about that time it was committed, as he (Pickerill) was in the habit of going to bed about nine o’clock.
It appears very evident that he had been murdered when going to bed, for the clock which it is his usual custom to wind up, had stopped at 12.15, and his pipe lay on the ground, full of tobacco, as if he had been going to smoke before retiring to rest. On the table was a candlestick with a candle partly used in it.
On Sunday, a staff of police under the orders of Supt, Edwards and Sergeant Edge of Wem, made a most careful examination of the premises and the surrounding woods.
In the garden was found the key to the house, about twelve yards from the door. About six yards from the door was found a suspension bar of a window, covered with blood and grey hairs. A tine harrow also covered with blood was found.
The murderer must have locked the house and thrown the key in the garden where it was found. There are clog marks leading to and from the house.
On searching the house, the police found that a lot of the old man’s clothes had been stolen, while a purse supposed to have been in his possession was gone, nothing being found on the body.
A nephew of the deceased was suspected of having committed the crime. He has been tramping about the country lately. A few months ago he brought his three children to the house where the murder was committed and wanted the old man to let them stop there, which was refused, the children’s mother having separated from her husband.
From what the police learned it appears that the nephew, whose name is Arrowsmith, was seen in the district on the Thursday night previous to the murder. He had not been in the district for about 12 years. It is supposed that the motive of the murder was robbery, it being generally known that the deceased kept £5 or so about him.
The stolen property consists of a black cloth jacket, a single breasted vest of rather broad twill. A suit of black cloth, much worn, a suit of grey mixture, nearly new, a new red and white cotton counterpane, with a red fringe on sides.
On Sunday the place was visited by hundreds of persons anxious to get all the intelligence they could. It seems very evident that the murderer was no stranger to the premises, as no stranger could think that anyone resided in such a place
The house in which the deceased has lived for so many years stands in a very lonely spot. It stands on the outskirts of a timber yard at Prees Lower Heath, known as Broad Hay, and is quite a hundred yards from the highway which runs from Wem to Hodnet. There are two or three other houses in the immediate locality, and one, occupied by Mr Adams foreman of the timber yard, stands perhaps 80 or 90 yards away. Pickerill’s house forms part of a range of buildings; on the one side are several tool sheds and on the other a structure used as blacksmith’s shop. The back of the house faces the road, and although there are two small windows in it, a stranger might pass up and down the road for months without discovering that anyone resided there, unless his eye happened to catch a glimpse of the little white curtains which are fitted at the windows.
The house, an exceptionally small one, consists of a kitchen and bedroom, on the ground floor, and is approached through a good sized garden, which is immediately adjacent to a large coppice or plantation.
It was seen that the old man had not occupied his bed that night, but on opening the door leading into the kitchen, Mr Adams discovered Pickering lying on the floor. His head and face were covered with blood, which had run across the kitchen and formed quite a pool.
Mr. Adams thought that the old man had burst a blood vessel. It was seen, of course, that he had been dead some time, and that it was useless calling in medical assistance.
A search was made for the key of the door, but nowhere could it be found. Later on, however, Mrs Porter, on going round to the front of the house, found the key by the side of the garden walk.
This aroused suspicion, and in the afternoon P.C. Barnett, of Prees, was communicated with, and the result was that Dr. Venable Williams was instructed to examine the body. It was then discovered that Pickerill had come by his death through being brutally murdered.
“The body presented a shocking spectacle. The right arm was found to be broken in two places, near the elbow joint. The back of the right hand was lacerated, the throat was cut where the carotid artery bifurcates this artery and its integuments, and also the jugular vein being severed. The wind pie was uninjured but the upper jaw was broken. There was a deep cut on the right hand side of the face, extending from the roof of the nose to the corner of the mouth. There was a stab wound close to the right ear, and another above the right ear, the eye was burst and the nose com
pletely smashed. There were two wounds at the back of the head. The poor fellow is believed to have been stabbed in a dozen different places.
When P.C. Barnett entered the house, the deceased was lying on his right side with his head against a chair, which stood immediately under the window. His left arm was resting on another chair standing by the bedroom door, and on this chair there was also found a candlestick containing a candle, which had evidently burnt itself out, a pipe, recently charged with tobacco, was found lying on the floor.
A search was then made for some instrument with which the terrible wounds could have been inflicted, and on a small table by the window was discovered a medium-sized butcher’s knife covered with blood, while on the floor was a piece of an old War Cry, (Salvation Army Magazine), on which the knife had evidently been wiped after performing its deadly work.
In the garden, a few yards from the door, was found a suspension bar of a window, about three feet long, which was besmeared with blood, and had a number of grey hairs on it. A smaller bar was also found in a similar state, and it would appear that the murderer on leaving the premises threw these implements in one direction and the key of the door in another.
It is evident that Pickerill must have been struck violently on the face with some heavy weapon, otherwise he could not have sustained such terrible injuries, and the police are inclined to believe that he was suddenly struck down while sitting before the fire and afterwards received the injuries to his throat. The deceased was a feeble old man and quite unable to offer any resistance.
