Read Online Bible John's Secret Daughter by David Leslie - Free Book Online
Authors: David Leslie
Tags: True Crime
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dance hall of all places, but Helen and Jeannie felt safe with John. Jeannie had no cause for concern as she waved her sister farewell when the taxi left Knightswood, doubling back towards the city to make for Earl Street. It was the last time they would be able to smile at one another.
Early next morning, a distraught dog walker found Helen’s body in a backyard in the same street as she lived. She had put up a fierce fight for her life, it was reported, kicking, scratching and marking her killer, but she had been strangled, battered and raped. She was menstruating at the time. And her handbag was also missing. Word soon leaked out about the religious nut who had been with her and the tag ‘Bible John’ was coined. It has stuck to this day.
There was never any doubt from the outset that Helen’s slaying would be linked to those of Patricia and Jemima, although some police officers doubted that all three crimes were the work of the same man. Regardless of that view, all have, in popular opinion, been laid at the door of Bible John.
So many were affected by Helen’s killing and none more than a heartbroken Corporal Puttock, who announced he was asking to be discharged from the army after eleven years’ service to look after his children, David, then five, and Michael, just twelve months old. ‘This man has ruined the lives of my two boys and myself,’ he said. ‘For the sake of my two little sons, who loved their mother, I’d ask anyone with information to contact the police.’
Within days, approval had been given for the issue of what the media described as ‘the fullest and most detailed description to be released of a man police wish to interview in connection with a murder in Scotland’. The culprit was, according to a police statement, ‘between 25 and 30, 5 ft 10 in. to 6 ft tall, of medium build, with light auburn-reddish hair styled short and brushed right’. He had ‘blue-grey eyes, nice straight teeth, with one tooth on the right upper jaw overlapping the next tooth, fine features’ and was ‘generally of smart, modern appearance’. The statement continued:
He is known to have been dressed in a brownish, flecked single-breasted suit, the jacket of which has three or four buttons and high lapels. There are no turn-ups on the trousers and the suit is modern style. He was also wearing a knee-length brownish coat of tweed or gabardine, a light-blue shirt and dark tie with red diagonal stripes. He was wearing a wristwatch with a broad leather strap of military style. He may smoke Embassy tipped cigarettes. He is known to go to Barrowland on occasions and is thought to go alone. The man is thought to be called by the Christian name of John. He may speak of being one of a family of two, his sister and himself, and of having had a strict upbringing with a severe parental attitude towards drink. He may also speak of a strict religious upbringing and make references to the Bible. He is quite well spoken, probably with a Glasgow accent, and does not appear to be engaged in heavy manual work. The man could have recently made marks on his face.
Unusual for those times was the issue of an artist’s impression of Bible John. This was soon followed by a painting of the suspect by Lennox Paterson of the Glasgow School of Art. When it was unveiled, Detective Superintendent James Binnie, deputy head of Glasgow CID, announced, ‘We would like everyone in Scotland to see this painting. Coupled with the description already given, this man must be known. He could be the man next door. He could be the man you danced with some night. He could be the man sitting next to you in church. He could be anyone and we would ask everyone who knows or thinks he knows him to come forward and our inquiries will be treated with the strictest confidence.’ Detective Superintendent Joseph ‘Joe’ Beattie of the Marine and Maryhill Division CID, whose name would become synonymous with the hunt for Bible John, commented, ‘We
Early next morning, a distraught dog walker found Helen’s body in a backyard in the same street as she lived. She had put up a fierce fight for her life, it was reported, kicking, scratching and marking her killer, but she had been strangled, battered and raped. She was menstruating at the time. And her handbag was also missing. Word soon leaked out about the religious nut who had been with her and the tag ‘Bible John’ was coined. It has stuck to this day.
There was never any doubt from the outset that Helen’s slaying would be linked to those of Patricia and Jemima, although some police officers doubted that all three crimes were the work of the same man. Regardless of that view, all have, in popular opinion, been laid at the door of Bible John.
So many were affected by Helen’s killing and none more than a heartbroken Corporal Puttock, who announced he was asking to be discharged from the army after eleven years’ service to look after his children, David, then five, and Michael, just twelve months old. ‘This man has ruined the lives of my two boys and myself,’ he said. ‘For the sake of my two little sons, who loved their mother, I’d ask anyone with information to contact the police.’
Within days, approval had been given for the issue of what the media described as ‘the fullest and most detailed description to be released of a man police wish to interview in connection with a murder in Scotland’. The culprit was, according to a police statement, ‘between 25 and 30, 5 ft 10 in. to 6 ft tall, of medium build, with light auburn-reddish hair styled short and brushed right’. He had ‘blue-grey eyes, nice straight teeth, with one tooth on the right upper jaw overlapping the next tooth, fine features’ and was ‘generally of smart, modern appearance’. The statement continued:
He is known to have been dressed in a brownish, flecked single-breasted suit, the jacket of which has three or four buttons and high lapels. There are no turn-ups on the trousers and the suit is modern style. He was also wearing a knee-length brownish coat of tweed or gabardine, a light-blue shirt and dark tie with red diagonal stripes. He was wearing a wristwatch with a broad leather strap of military style. He may smoke Embassy tipped cigarettes. He is known to go to Barrowland on occasions and is thought to go alone. The man is thought to be called by the Christian name of John. He may speak of being one of a family of two, his sister and himself, and of having had a strict upbringing with a severe parental attitude towards drink. He may also speak of a strict religious upbringing and make references to the Bible. He is quite well spoken, probably with a Glasgow accent, and does not appear to be engaged in heavy manual work. The man could have recently made marks on his face.
Unusual for those times was the issue of an artist’s impression of Bible John. This was soon followed by a painting of the suspect by Lennox Paterson of the Glasgow School of Art. When it was unveiled, Detective Superintendent James Binnie, deputy head of Glasgow CID, announced, ‘We would like everyone in Scotland to see this painting. Coupled with the description already given, this man must be known. He could be the man next door. He could be the man you danced with some night. He could be the man sitting next to you in church. He could be anyone and we would ask everyone who knows or thinks he knows him to come forward and our inquiries will be treated with the strictest confidence.’ Detective Superintendent Joseph ‘Joe’ Beattie of the Marine and Maryhill Division CID, whose name would become synonymous with the hunt for Bible John, commented, ‘We
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