Molseed - DNA breakthrough identifies the real killer ?

At noon on Oct 5, 1975, 11 year old Lesley Molseed slipped out to buy some bread for her mum, near her home in Delamere Road, Turf Hill, Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Her body was found 48 hours later at Rishworth Moor by the A672 Oldham to Halifax Road in Ripponden Yorkshire.

She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed 12 times.The killer masturbated over her fully clothed body.

The first policeman on the crime scene was from Greater Manchester Police, he went on to be the senior officer on the Stalker enquiry in Northern Ireland. The body was actually just inside the territory of the Yorkshire Police and the enquiry was handed over to them.

Stefan Kiszko of Turf Hill, Rochdale was convicted for life on 28th JUly 1976, at the end of an 8 day trial. Jurors return a 10-2 majority verdict after five hours of deliberation. Stefan spent 16 years in prison. He was released in 1992 when it became known that evidence that would have proved his innocence was witheld from the defence. He died of a heart attack the followng year at his mother's home aged 44; his mother, who had waged a long campaign to prove her son's innocence, died six months later.

Stefan Kiszko was born with the XYY syndrome, in which the male has an extra Y chromosome. This is a condition in which their are only slight slight - growth abnormalities and minor behavioural characteristics. A "behavioural abnormalities" of Stefan's was jotting down the registration numbers of a car if he had been annoyed by the driver. This led, in part, to his wrongful conviction - he had at some point prior to the murder unwittingly jotted down the number of a car seen near the scene of the crime. (A white car with red markings of some vague description was seen at the scene but nobody witnessed the attack.) It was argued that only someone at the scene could have known the number of this car... As part of his condition Stefan Kiszko would have been physically incapable producing spermatazoa found on the victim - a fact known at a very early stage by the Police medical advisors. This was never disclosed to his defence...

Stefan Kiszko confessed to the murder after two days of questioning by detectives, but later complained that the confession had been bullied out of him.

In 1994 DCI Richard (Dick) Holland, CS Dibb and orensic scientist Doctor Ronald Outteridge were formally charged with suppressing evidence in 1994 it was alleged they had destroyed the forensic evidence which could have proved the innocence of Stefan and the guilt of the real murderer.They also withheld statements from the defence, which proved the whereabouts of Stefan on the day of the murder.

In 1994 Holland and Outteridge were formally charged with suppressing evidence. On May 1st 1995 Magistrate Jane Hayward prevented the case from proceeding citing that because of the death of Jack Dibb the two remaining defendants could not receive a fair trial (it was called "abuse of process"). ( Holland and Outteridge both blamed the deceased CS Dibb for any wrong doing )

Statements made by three 10 year old girls who said that he had indecently exposed himself to them just days before the murder were a major factor in convincing the jury at the trial. When these women were re interviewed again in 1992 they all confessed to making the allegations up.

Today Ronald Castree 53, a former market trader from Brandon Crescent, Shaw, Nr. Oldham appeared in Calderdale Migistrates Court, Halifax. He was charged with the murder of Lesley Molseed in 1975 - at that time he is said to have been driving a taxi.He was remanded in custody to appear before Bradford Crown Court on November 14.

At the time of the murder of Lesley, Ronald Castree's first wife Beverley had just had Jason, the first of three boys. The marriage failed and Castree married Karen Curtin with 5 children 2 years ago.

Mr Castree is a well-known trader on Oldham Market. Until 18 months ago he also ran a shop, Arcadia Comics, in nearby Ashton-under-Lyne. Since then, his business has switched almost solely to dealings through eBay.

On 5th February 2003 despite the previous destruction of forensic evidence .Detectives in Halifax announce they have uncovered new DNA evidence left at the crime scene and seek the public's help.

Unconfirmed reports say that Castree had been arrested 9 months ago on an unconnected matter and DNA taken at the time has been the basis of identifying him as the murderer of Lesley Molseed. The Sun with it's remarkable access to official Police evidence reports "It is alleged to have shown a “direct hit” with a sample found at the scene of Lesley’s murder."
tp://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006510440,00.html

The Daily Mail reports "Yesterday retired Detective Superintendent Trevor * Wilkinson, 59, who uncovered the evidence that was to clear him, said: "You never give up hope that there will be a breakthrough.

"It is just a shame that someone had to spend 16 years in jail."

* Innocents: How Justice Failed Stefan Kiszko and Lesley Molseed
Jonathan Rose, Steve Panter and Trevor Wilkinson
Publisher: Fourth Estate, London, 1997 - ISBN: 1857024028 (Out of Print)
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Update 14/11/06

See comments and go here for posting by Lord Patel on the case of John Humble whose DNA was found on the "lost" evidence of the Yorkshire Ripper.Thursday October 20th 2005
"Hoaxer's Tapes / Letters lost - Man arrested and charged"

Of interest in any "stitch up " theory of John Humble go to this posting of October 24th 2005 John Humble Stitch-Up - The Great Hoaxer stitch-up of John Humble.
John Humble, an innocent man becomes another victim of the Ripper to enable
the police to say the letters were indeed a hoax.

Signed Noel O'Gara author of
http://www.yorkshireripper.co.uk/hyper/ripper.htm and
http://www.yorkshireripper.com/index.htm

The West Yorkshire Press release issued on Tuesday March 21st 2006 after Humble's trial was concluded , states very baldly.....

The envelope from which the DNA sample was obtained had been retained in the possession of the Forensic Science Service.

It also intriguingly notes that ....

West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team (HMET)was formed earlier this year (i.e 2006). It comprises 200 detectives, led by eight experienced Senior Investigating Officers, with individual specialisms including counter terrorism, kidnap, serial murder and cold case murder reviews.

Working from locations across West Yorkshire, HMET investigates the most serious of crimes and has been heavily involved in the West Yorkshire part of the investigation into the July 7th suicide bombings in London.

Humble at his trial in January initially pleaded not guilty and then changed his plea. At his appeal against sentence he again accepted guilt and sought mitigation because of that, but his sentence was left unchanged at 8 years. Reuters