On 23.8.74 I was night duty patrol covering 5 beat. Just after midnight I received a radio call about a drunk woman outside the basement flat of 58 Navarino Road. I attended the scene and the woman had a severely bruised face and what appeared to be a knife wound to her neck and chest. She was semi-conscious and did not smell of alcohol. I also noticed that her clothes were in disarray and there was a handbag on the floor next to her. She was wearing a blue fur coat, white top, miniskirt and long boots.
I asked her what happened but she was incoherent and in a state of shock. I called an ambulance and accompanied her to the Homerton Hospital. She said nothing during the journey. I looked in the handbag to try and identify the woman and found a letter addressed to Miss J. Brown of 86 Graham Road.
At the hospital she was treated immediately in the casualty area and sedated, thus I was unable to get any information from her. I contacted the Night Duty CID and informed them of a possible GBH/Rape, and that the attending doctor said no one would be able to speak to her until the following morning.
CID said they would make an entry in their Night Duty Occurrence Book for the DI to see in the morning, and also asked me to make out a crime report sheet on my return to the station. (Major Crime 1324 refers.)
I left the hospital and returned to Hackney where I checked the collator’s index cards and found a record for a Janet Brown, who from the mug shot was the same woman I escorted to the hospital.
Lifting the mug shot up Jane found two more black and white photographs. One looked as if it had been taken around the same time as the mug shot, but the other photograph was more recent and shocked her. Janet had severe bruises around her eyes and one of them was bulging like a ping pong ball. Her lips were swollen and split. It was very obvious that she had suffered a severe beating. Checking over the dates and times of the various arrests for soliciting there was a brief mention of the assault stating that J. Brown had come into the station to report it, but had later withdrawn the complaint and refused to press charges. She was unable to give a description of the assailant.
Listed on the crime sheet was a memo from DI Moran stating that the victim refused to substantiate the allegation and had said the injuries were as a result of a fall. ‘No crime’ was then underlined.
Jane couldn’t believe what she’d just read. She was now convinced that Janet Brown, Mary Kelly and J. Brown were the same woman. Moran must be hiding something, not just from her, but from everyone else in the station. Navarino Road, where the woman was found, was just a stone’s throw from the north end of London Fields.
Jane was now certain she had been wearing Janet Brown’s rabbit fur coat on the night she was assaulted. She could find no mention of whether or not she was an informer. Even if she was, all informants were usually registered under a false name and a record kept under lock and key in a cabinet by the DCI.
Donaldson returned and Jane handed him the index cards.
‘She took a severe beating.’
‘Yep, I noticed that… But you know these girls risk that happening. A lot of them are out soliciting to pay for their drugs. You arrest them, and in the worst cases they do time in Holloway Prison, but then they get out and go straight back to work. They have these scum pimps who they pay for so-called protection, but a lot of the time it’s those creeps who knock them around.’
‘Do you think Janet has a pimp?’
‘I don’t know, sweetheart, maybe… Some of them work out of flats over in Mayfair. That’s where the top brass work nowadays. They get customers from the Dorchester Hotel, and some of them even have the cheek to dress up fancy and go into the bars.’
‘Do you think Janet could work in Mayfair?’
He shook his head and said he doubted it as she was a darkie. Jane was eager to leave and thanked Donaldson again. As she opened the door she turned back.
‘You know, I think you’re one of the best officers here in Hackney… You’re always so helpful, and I really appreciate it.’
‘Well, thank you, Tennison… nice to know I’m appreciated. But I just do my job. I’ll be retired soon. I loved being a copper out on the beat… gets lonely down here. After I got wounded I reckoned I’d be back in civvies, but luckily I was allocated this position.’
‘Wounded?’
‘Yep, got shot by one of the Krays’ gang… big shootout.’
Jane looked horrified and Donaldson laughed.
‘Na, not really… tripped over a drainpipe and broke me hip!’
Later that day, before she was officially on duty, Jane came across DI Moran in the CID office, his Cuban-heeled boots up on the desk, leaning back in his chair and looking at the topless model on page three of The Sun. He was wearing a rather snazzy suit and a colourful tie. DC Edwards was typing at his desk and looked over at her. He almost gave her a warning glance, as he nodded his head towards Moran. Jane knew that Allard had been taken into the Magistrates’ Court and bail had been denied but she still asked, rather tentatively, ‘How did it go this morning? Good news about the confession, sir…’
‘Yeah, yeah… I was about to go off duty last night when I was told Allard wanted to speak to me. Next thing I knew he started pouring his heart out about the rape and admitted that he wore a balaclava because his wife said something about some tights of hers going missing.’
He stood up, tossing the newspaper to one side.
Jane nodded. Although Moran sounded perfectly plausible she was still dubious and asked what Allard had done with the balaclava. Moran didn’t flinch.
‘He said he threw it in a rubbish bin after the rape.’
He glanced at his watch.
‘Listen, I’m busy and can’t stop and chat all day… Allard is not the only case I have to deal with. But thanks for all your help and for making the arrest. By the way, Allard also signed the notes you took during the interview after the search and you’ll need to countersign them sometime… you’ll find them on my desk.’
Jane smiled as he hurried past her, and she went into his office to look over his desk. There were numerous files so she had to search through everything to find the notes. Just as she was beginning to sift through them, Sergeant Harris barged into the main room.
‘Good, you’re here… take over the front desk, Tennison. I’ve got a drunk down in the cells who’s creating havoc. You know Allard was remanded in custody and his defence solicitor has requested an “old style” committal, which’ll be heard next week. Have you signed the notes from DI Moran?’
‘I haven’t finished working on them yet.’
‘I just need you to sign what’s there.’
Jane came out of Moran’s office. She leaned on a desk and flicked quickly through the documents until she saw the note slip requesting her signature. She signed it and passed it over to Harris. He took it and jerked his head for her to get to the front desk.
Jane hurried out as Harris organized the papers and Moran walked back in with a cup of coffee.
‘You get her to sign them?’
‘Yeah, here you go.’
Harris handed them to Moran, and left. There was a tense atmosphere in the room as Edwards glanced over, not missing anything that had just taken place, but he quickly returned to typing.