The execution of a couple in an alleged organized crime 35 years ago has been linked to another murder mystery involving the decapitated corpse of a man.
Terry Gooderham, 39, and Maxine Arnold, 32, were having dinner at their flat in Walthamstow, north London, when they were kidnapped and forced to drive to Epping Forest before being shot dead on December 23, 1989.
While the murder has never been solved, it has been suggested that Mr Gooderham, a pub stockman, was targeted to prevent him from reporting a scam involving a Krays associate hijacking lorries to provide protection for a pub.
And now former Met detective Mick Randall has claimed that a group of gangsters suspected of organizing the murders were later filmed discussing cutting off the head and arms of another victim.
The body was in the trunk of a car and the criminals wanted to amputate its limbs to make it difficult to identify through a series of distinctive tattoos.
A torso matching the same description was found on October 11, 1991 in the sleepy West Sussex village of Bolney, and local police were long convinced the incident was a crime in London.
The Bolney Torso, which has not yet been identified, was dressed after his death in someone else’s shirt and pants.
Sussex Police could only identify the victim as a white man with a small star-shaped mole on his right thigh and a protruding belly. The body was exhumed in 2009 and DNA suggested it had links to Germany.
Terry Gooderham, 39, and Maxine Arnold, 32, were having dinner at their flat in Walthamstow, north London, when they were abducted.
On October 11, 1991, a headless torso with severed arms was found in the quiet village of Bolney, West Sussex. The photo shows the body exhumed in 2009.
The body is lowered into its grave at Haywards Heath, Sussex
Randall claims that the Gooderham and Arnold murders, as well as the Bolney Torso case, were never solved due to police corruption.
And speaking of the new tapes, he said to the mirror: ‘These gangsters were heard discussing cutting off the head and arms of a corpse in the boot of a car to thwart identification because of its tattoos.
“A torso matching that description was found in Bolney, Sussex and local police were convinced it was a crime in London, but received no help from the Met.”
Peter Kennett, the former Sussex Detective Superintendent Peter Kennett who investigated the Bolney Torso case, confirmed to the newspaper that he was not aware of the tapes.
And he added: “Logic would suggest that it was a murder between gangsters and that the dismemberment was to prevent identification.” The head was cut off below the shoulders.
“Information from an east London gangster discussing a similar murder would have been very beneficial.”
Two former Met detectives reportedly confirmed that the microphone had been placed in a portable booth in Canning Town, east London, where one of the gang members ran a genuine business.
Gooderham and Arnold had been enjoying a quiet evening together before they were kidnapped.
It has been suggested that Mr Gooderham, a pub stockman, was targeted to prevent him from reporting a scam involving a Krays associate hijacking lorries to provide a pub protection business.
A general view of the street where Mr Gooderham lived with his partner in Walthamstow.
According to reports at the time, Ms. Arnold’s mother later visited her apartment and found that her meal of sausages and mash was still in the living room and that the gas fireplace and Christmas tree lights were still on. .
Their bodies were found in the undergrowth at 3.50am in Epping Forest by a routine police patrol.
Both had been shot in the head from behind, and the autopsy suggested that Mr Gooderham had been shot first.
His Mercedes 190E was found nearby with the engine still running.
Witnesses later came forward and said they had seen a Mercedes driving erratically down the road with its lights flashing, suggesting the driver was trying to get attention.
A man was seen sitting in the back seat.
A cold case review carried out in 2012 by former Detective Chief Superintendent Albert Patrick confirmed that four men had been suspected of involvement in the murder and were members of a London crime gang.
Part of Broxmead Lane near the village of Bolney. Their bodies were found in the brush along the road.
The Met said: “As with all unsolved cases, these murders are subject to regular reviews to consider whether they can be progressed over time.” No charges have been filed.
‘The MPS has recently been contacted by a former officer who came forward with possible new information relating to the murders. “As with all information, this will be carefully evaluated and this is ongoing at this time.”
Sussex Police said: “This case has been the subject of an ongoing investigation for many years and most recently by the Surrey and Sussex Police Major Crime Team.”
‘It is also part of the Surrey and Sussex Police Crime Review Team’s major unsolved cases programme, which examines any new information that has been provided and considers developments in investigation techniques.
“We would always consider any new information that could lead to new lines of investigation.”