Slaughter

The Laitner family on the day of the wedding: Basil, Nicola, Suzanne, Richard and Avril

I know a man who was once a senior policeman here in South Yorkshire. Last week, at my birthday lunch,  he reminded me of The Dore Murders that took place forty years ago in October 1983.

Let's call him George Dixon.

Fugitive criminal, Arthur Hutchinson, was on the run. In fact, he had escaped from the court building in the Yorkshire town of Selby and then after several days he turned up in Sheffield  where he was not previously known. 

In the early hours of  October 23rd, 1983, he entered the palatial home of the Laitner family. The Laitners had three living children and the day before they had been celebrating the marriage of their older daughter Suzanne. The reception had taken place in the family home. There was a marquee in the garden.

When Hutchinson first got into the house, he mercilessly stabbed 28 year old Richard Laitner to death. Hearing a commotion, Richard's father Basil - a 59 year old solicitor - came to the top of the stairs where he was also fatally attacked with the same knife. Next 55 year old Avril Laitner was  cruelly stabbed to death in her bedroom. Unbelievably, Hutchinson then turned his attentions to the younger daughter - 18 year old Nicola. He raped her but spared her life before fleeing.

After this terrible event, South Yorkshire Police set up an inquiry base in the village using a large mobile unit. Apparently George Dixon was based there for two weeks - well into November and played a significant role in gathering evidence, interviewing possible witnesses etcetera.

I undertook some online research, trying to solve the mystery of why Hutchinson had picked that particular night at that particular house.

It has been strongly suggested that after the wedding celebrations had wound down, Nicola and some other young guests travelled to a late night bar in Sheffield city centre. There was more dancing and more drinking and when this fun was almost done, she invited everyone back to her family home and announced the address so that even revellers who had not been at the wedding could travel to Dore to keep the party going.

In her tipsy munificence, it seems that Nicola had not paid much attention if any at all to a 42 year old man with a bad knee and a north-eastern accent sitting at the end of the bar. He was Arthur Hutchinson and this was the most regrettable party invitation ever. Most official accounts of the tragedy fail to remark upon how Hutchinson came to be at the Dore house but the theory I have cited seems very plausible. I must remember to run it past George Dixon next time I see him.

Another theory is that Hutchinson had been lying low since his escape from the court building in Selby - travelling by night and sleeping by day, stealing whatever food he could along the way.He may have arrived in Dore by pure chance.

Nicola died young at the age of 48 in Greystones, Ireland. I thank Debby in Pennsylvania for guiding me to that information. For the last thirty years of her life not  a day would have gone by without her thinking of that terrible night. Meanwhile, now 82 year old Hutchinson keeps trying to appeal against his thoroughly deserved life sentence. Let's hope that the wicked bastard never succeeds.