"All information will be treated in confidence," said a female detective. "We understand that some people may not want to give their real names but we ask them to trust us. Our only interest is to identify those who are genuinely missing."
The horror, particularly the brutal slaying of seven innocent children, touched a chord in the public psyche. As newspaper headlines emphasized, who cares if they never see a traveler again? "Not in my backyard," screamed one. "Out of sight out of mind," said another. "The invisible tribe." It was a shocking reminder of the vulnerability of people who live on the margins.
Wells himself could be said to be a man from "the margins." Born into a cradle of poverty in southeast London, he was the only child of a drug-addicted single parent. Described by teachers at his primary school as "gifted" and "sweet-natured," he was thought to have a future beyond the sink estate where he grew up. By secondary level this had all changed. Known to the police as an out-of-control teen, he had a string of cautions for petty theft, drug use, and drug dealing.
One of his teachers blames his altered personality on a fractured skull at 12. "His mother hooked up with some travelers. She said the bus was involved in an accident. Brian became very angry afterward." Others attribute it to his high IQ, which allowed him to exploit those around him.
Whatever the truth, his reputation for being a dangerous man to cross grew with the years. " Everyone was frightened of him," said an ex-girlfriend. "The smallest thing made him lose his temper." From 18 to 37, Wells spent a total of 12 years behind bars. Following his release in 1994 after a five-year term for illegal possession of a firearm and assault, he informed fellow inmates that he wouldn't be going back to jail.
"He said staying on the move was the only way to drop out of circulation," said a former friend. "He must have done it because we never saw him again. Probation and police are blaming each other for losing track of him, but at the time they were pleased to be rid of him. He was full of hate."
Tracking Wells's movements between 1994 and his arrest last year has proved difficult. Despite interviewing hundreds of travelers, police have been unable to establish where he was for long periods of that time. H is modus operandi was to move in on vacant property and exploit whatever possibilities arose.
"We've tied him to three squats," said a Scotland Yard detective in July. "On two occasions he accepted money to evict his fellow squatters. We are now concerned about what happened to these people. One owner remembers a woman and three children. We've found no trace of them and we don't know their names."
According to travelers who shared Wells's campsite in Shenstead, he was a chameleon. "He could mimic voices," said Bella Preston, 36. "Most of the time he talked as if he'd been to public school. I was surprised to hear he came from south London." Zadie Parrel, 32: "He'd be standing a couple of meters away and we wouldn't know he was there. I think he liked watching people to see what made them tick."
The two women still remember "Fox Evil" with shudders of fear. "We were naive," said Bella. "It never occurred to us that one of our own was bad." "He wouldn't let strangers see his face," said Zadie. "It was a terrible shock when the police found guns in his bus. I realized he could have killed us all, and no one would have known who'd done it."
Wells's arrest followed an unsuccessful attempt to rob a Shenstead farmhouse. Farmer's wife Mrs. Prue Weldon spotted an intruder in her yard and alerted local police. A routine search of neighboring properties disturbed Wells's assault on Captain Nancy Smith in the grounds of Shenstead Manor. Granddaughter of the owner, Colonel Lockyer-Fox, she fought off her assailant, suffering a broken arm and ribs in the assault. Police have commended her for her bravery.
Wells's motives for murdering Robert Dawson and attacking Nancy Smith remain as puzzling as the man himself. He is known to have squatted in a cottage tied to the Manor for three months in 1997 with a woman and two small children. He is also known to have obtained goods fraudulently by impersonating the son of the owner, Leo Lockyer-Fox, whom he was said to resemble. Police have speculated that the presence of Dawson and Smith in the grounds of the Manor on Boxing Day night foiled Wells's attempt to burgle the house, and this led to the attacks.
Psychological profiler William Hayes offers a different interpretation. "Wells's alias, 'Fox Evil' implies a fantasy relationship with this family. He knew a great deal about them before he moved into their property in '97, possibly from traveler families who had visited the area before. His original intention may simply have been to exploit a likeness to the owner's son, but something seeded in his mind that became obsessional.
"He was treated with generosity when he first arrived, particularly by the owner's wife, who was concerned for the woman and toddlers in his care. Her kindness may have given him a false sense of belonging, but those feelings would have turned to anger very quickly when he discovered she was interested only in helping his partner break away from his influence. It is probable that this unknown woman and her children were his first victims. If so, his subsequent killings would have been strongly linked in his mind with the Lockyer-Fox family.
"The evidence suggests that Wells's pattern of behavior moved from highly organized in 1997 to highly disorganized by 26 December 2001. Whatever his motives for acquiring 'families,' they seemed to serve a purpose until boredom and/or lust for killing led him to attack them. Within weeks of slaughtering two members of his traveling fantasy family in a hammer attack, he was using the same hammer on the gardener and granddaughter of his extended fantasy family.
"His disintegration may have been due in part to the growing tumor in his brain, but it's not unusual for serial murderers to spiral out of control. It's conceivable that he knew what was happening to him. He allowed a witness of the November attack to live, and he committed his final, frenzied killing spree against people who would recognize him. The inevitable conclusion is that he wanted to be caught and stopped."
Bella Preston disagrees. "Fox Evil was well named. He used women and children until he lost interest in them, then he killed them. He was the worst kind of predator. He killed for pleasure."
Anne Cattrell
HOCKLEY & SPICER, SOLICITORS
OLD COMPTON HOUSE, BRIDPORT ROAD, DORCHESTER
Julian Bartlett, Esq.
Flat3
32 Hardy Avenue
Dorchester
Dorset
18 September 2002
Dear Julian:
Following your telephone call of this morning, I can confirm that the death of Brian Wells will have no bearing on your case. As you know, the only statement he made to police was the one concerning his alleged dealings with you. While we can and will challenge that statement, I should remind you that most of what he claimed has been substantiated by police searches, witness statements, and forensic evidence.
I realize how frustrated you are, particularly in respect of your bail conditions, but, unfortunately, the prosecution has always believed that the charges against you can be successfully proved without further testimony from Wells. Of course, you are entitled to change your solicitor at any time. However, solicitors can only work with the facts they've been given. As a friend, I would urge you to consider the following before you look for someone "who believes you."
As I have explained previously, it was not in your interests to push for early trial. The more damning the case against Brian Wells, the easier the jury would have accepted your proposed defense that you were a victim of violent intimidation. However, I feel obliged to point out, as I have done several times before, that you undermined that defense in advance when, during police questioning, you accused your wife of bearing sole responsibility.