Goodnight, John-boy: Chapter 24
We want to help the family and provide answers to Jean Maudling’s children, Annie and David (if his current whereabouts can be located) about what happened to their mother.
Welcome to Book Two of my dark comedy thriller series, Read Em And Weep.
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If you’re new to the Read Em And Weep series, start with Book One: Serial Killer.
METROPOLITAN POLICE COLD CASE UNIT NOVEMBER 3RD 2016
Detective Inspector Mary Read
PERSONS OF INTEREST
CANON WILLIAMS
Canon Charles Williams resigned as parish priest of St Mary’s two months after the death of Mrs Maudling, and spent some years in the missions, establishing a Boys Town for homeless orphans in Burma.
He returned to the UK in 1966, and became parish priest of St Mary’s once again. In September 1968, there was an incident when Peter Maudling was detained under the Mental Health Act and the Canon tried to comfort him. Mr Maudling attacked the Canon, and had to be restrained. Hospital records show Peter persistently claimed the Canon was responsible for his wife’s death: police officers were called to the hospital and he made a written statement over several pages.
I have seen this statement. It is rambling, incoherent and largely incomprehensible. Most of it consists of meaningless scrawls and doodles. The few recognisable words, written in block capitals, are ‘BASTARD’, ‘CANON’, ‘MURDERER’ and ‘I LOVE YOU JEAN’. In view of Mr Maudling’s serious mental illness, the police took no further action. A course of electric shock treatment and medication were effective in helping him make a good recovery. On his release from hospital, he did not repeat his allegations to the police and told them he ‘did not want to talk about it anymore’.
The Canon left St Mary’s in November 1968 and became parish priest of a further three churches in East London. He died from a heart attack on July 22nd 1976, at the Faber-Knox Hall adjoining St Mary’s church. He had remained the chaplain of the Knights of St Pancras and it was during one of their meetings that he became unwell and died.
STANLEY COOPER
Stanley Cooper, the newsagent, had a history of violence and was well known to Stoke Basing police. His wife Doreen disappeared in February 1963. According to his next-door neighbour, Mr Ross, there were rumours Cooper had murdered her. Cooper sold his newsagents shop in 1973, and took a job as a storeman at Fleetpit Publications in Farringdon Street, coincidentally the same company that David Maudling, Jean’s son, worked for. Cooper left the company in 1976, at the time Fleetpit were about to move to new premises in Southwark, and, despite exhaustive enquiries, his subsequent whereabouts are unknown.
ERNEST GAMBO
Ernest Gambo found work as a stevedore at the King Edward VIII docks in 1956, apparently so he could continue his relationship with Jean Maudling. Annie Maudling has told us her mother confided to her, shortly before she died, that Gambo asked her to divorce her husband. He wanted to marry her and look after her and her two children. She told him this was impossible and he became angry and stormed off. Following Jean’s disappearance, Gambo left the docks in July 1957, and returned to Nigeria. We have been unable to trace his subsequent whereabouts. We have been unable to confirm a report that he died in Nigeria during the civil war in 1969.
PETER MAUDLING
Mrs Maudling’s husband died of liver failure on November 6th 1971, two years after his release from St Ninian’s Psychiatric Hospital. According to his daughter Annie, he was besotted with his wife, tolerated her infidelities, and would never harm her. It could be significant that he regularly used the upper floor of 10 Mordle Street to produce his ‘moonshine’ alcohol. It is possible that he could have been aware of activity in the basement when a ‘secret room’ was created, behind which Jean Maudling was buried. Or he may have been involved himself in some way.
BILL PEAT
In addition to singing in the choir at St Mary’s with Jean, Bill Peat was also a chemistry teacher at St Joseph’s and later taught Dave Maudling, Jean’s son. He retired from teaching in 1983. Now 91, he lives in sheltered accommodation and currently writes popular chemistry textbooks for A level and university students. His solicitor informs us he is suffering from dementia and is too unwell to be interviewed. His client regrets he is unable to be of any assistance to us in our enquiries.
CONCLUSION
We want to help the family and provide answers to Jean Maudling’s children, Annie and David (if his current whereabouts can be located) about what happened to their mother.
But, in the absence of new information, we are unable to draw any conclusions as to what occurred and the identity of the murderer, particularly as many of the possible suspects and witnesses are now dead.
Allegations about the involvement of TV celebrity John ‘Fabulous’ Keen that have appeared on the internet are outside the scope of this enquiry, which is now closed.
Goodnight, John-boy is the second book in the Read Em And Weep series and you can buy it digitally or as a paperback.