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<v Speaker 1>Hi, and welcome back to The Unseen Podcast, a podcast

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<v Speaker 1>dedicated to missing people, on resolved cases and UK true crime. Today,

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<v Speaker 1>we're going to be covering the nineteen seventy three murder

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<v Speaker 1>of Jacqueline John's in London. Jacqueline was just a child,

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<v Speaker 1>just sixteen years old when she was killed, and her

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<v Speaker 1>murder has remained unsolved for all these years. Who committed

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<v Speaker 1>this crime and why? This episode contains descriptions that some

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<v Speaker 1>listeners may find distressing, so listener discretion is advised. On

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<v Speaker 1>the morning of Monday, the first of October nineteen seventy three,

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<v Speaker 1>workmen were working in the area of Spicer's Wharf, close

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<v Speaker 1>to Battersea Power Station. They were loading papers onto lorries

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<v Speaker 1>from ships that had been docked at the River at Thames.

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<v Speaker 1>While they were working, they noticed something in a railway

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<v Speaker 1>siding and were drawn to investigate. They were soon alerted

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<v Speaker 1>to the fact that what they'd noticed was the body

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<v Speaker 1>of a woman. This woman was naked and it was

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<v Speaker 1>clear that whatever had happened to her was not natural.

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<v Speaker 1>When police arrived at the scene, there were many worrying aspects.

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<v Speaker 1>There were few belongings to give an indications to what

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<v Speaker 1>may have happened or point to the events prior to

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<v Speaker 1>her death. A pair of yellow and blue striped platform

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<v Speaker 1>shoes were tossed nearby. However, the woman was nude and

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<v Speaker 1>she had no coat despite the relatively cold temperatures. The

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<v Speaker 1>post mortem would establish that the victim had been strangled. However,

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<v Speaker 1>contemporary reports state that she had been suffocated. The victim

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<v Speaker 1>had also been sexually assaulted prior to her death. This

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<v Speaker 1>was clearly a attack and the person who'd committed this

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<v Speaker 1>was both violent and dangerous. Police were fairly quickly able

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<v Speaker 1>to identify the victim, and this made the story all

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<v Speaker 1>the more of a tragedy. She was sixteen year old

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<v Speaker 1>Jacqueline John's Jacqueline had been seen on September twenty ninth,

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<v Speaker 1>just two days before her body was found close to

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<v Speaker 1>Battersea Power Station. She lived with her parents in Thornton

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<v Speaker 1>Heath in South London, and despite her young age, she

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<v Speaker 1>worked as an insurance clerk in the life assurance department

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<v Speaker 1>at Commercial Union. Jacqueline had grown up in a loving

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<v Speaker 1>and large family with seven other siblings. She was known

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<v Speaker 1>as a responsible and relatively shy person who was a

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<v Speaker 1>devout Christian faith was very important to Jacqueline, and she

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<v Speaker 1>much preferred staying at home than going out and attending

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<v Speaker 1>parties in her spare time. In fact, her family later

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<v Speaker 1>said that they often encouraged Jacqueline to go out with

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<v Speaker 1>her friends and have a good time. Her sister said,

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<v Speaker 1>I used to have to force Jackie to go out

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<v Speaker 1>to parties and things. She was much happier staying in

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<v Speaker 1>her bedroom listening to records and the new record player

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<v Speaker 1>we bought between us. She added that Jacqueline loved clothes

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<v Speaker 1>and she would spend a lot of her money on jumpers,

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<v Speaker 1>shirts and trousers. On the evening of the twenty ninth

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<v Speaker 1>of September, Jacqueline had been invited to the wedding of

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<v Speaker 1>her friend and colleague, Susan, who was getting married in

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<v Speaker 1>South End in Essex. Jacqueline's mother said at the time

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<v Speaker 1>Jackie had second thoughts about going to the wedding. She

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<v Speaker 1>much preferred staying at home to going out, but we

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<v Speaker 1>persuaded her to go. We thought she'd have a good time.

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<v Speaker 1>She phoned on Saturday morning to say that she'd arrived safely.

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<v Speaker 1>She always let us know where she was. That was

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<v Speaker 1>the last time we spoke to her. Jacqueline had arrived

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<v Speaker 1>in South End earlier that day and attended the wedding.

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<v Speaker 1>Her family and her friend Susan, who was the bride,

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<v Speaker 1>have confirmed that she'd been wearing a lemon colored dress

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<v Speaker 1>for the occasion, as well as a sheepskin coat that

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<v Speaker 1>she'd borrowed from her sister. The bride's mother explained that

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<v Speaker 1>it was this lemon colored dress that stood out in

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<v Speaker 1>her mind from that day and that was how she

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<v Speaker 1>remembered that Jacqueline was there. She said, at the reception,

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<v Speaker 1>Jacqueline was very happy. She sticks in my mind as

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<v Speaker 1>the laughing girl in the yellow dress. After the wedding

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<v Speaker 1>had taken place, there was a meal with around one

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<v Speaker 1>hundred guests in attendance at the Arlington Ballroom, and they

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<v Speaker 1>had then split into two groups, one group from the

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<v Speaker 1>bride's family and one for the groom, and they'd returned

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<v Speaker 1>to Westcliff On Sea to their homes for a reception party.

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<v Speaker 1>It's known that Jacqueline left the party at around ten

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<v Speaker 1>thirty pm, and she left with two other colleagues as

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<v Speaker 1>they were giving her a lift to Upminster station. She

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<v Speaker 1>was planning on getting the train back to her home

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<v Speaker 1>in Thornton Heath that night. It is believed that her

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<v Speaker 1>plan was to use the District Line to travel back

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<v Speaker 1>to Victoria Station and then get a train which would

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<v Speaker 1>take her to Thornton Heath. Her train was due at

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<v Speaker 1>eleven twenty six at Victoria Station and it's believed that

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<v Speaker 1>she was sighted on the concourse speaking to a woman

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<v Speaker 1>After this. However, it's unclear what happened are the events

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<v Speaker 1>that unfolded. Police have theorized that perhaps Jacqueline missed the

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<v Speaker 1>train that would take her back home and instead decided

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<v Speaker 1>to head to stay with relatives who lived in Battersea.

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<v Speaker 1>If Jacqueline had headed out in the direction of Battersea,

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<v Speaker 1>then this may have been where she met her killer

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<v Speaker 1>that night. This certainly appeared to be a murder of opportunity,

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<v Speaker 1>and one that relied on the fact that Jacqueline had

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<v Speaker 1>missed her train and was unable to get home. How

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<v Speaker 1>had this occurred, though, the theory that Jacqueline had simply

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<v Speaker 1>been in the wrong place at the wrong time was explored,

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<v Speaker 1>including the fact that she may have been hitchhiking that

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<v Speaker 1>night after missing her train. Had she got into someone's

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<v Speaker 1>car for a lift, had someone offered to help her

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<v Speaker 1>at Victorias station. This was the police's biggest line of

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<v Speaker 1>inquiry and they stopped drivers on Chelsea Bridge in the

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<v Speaker 1>days after her body was recovered to ask if they

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<v Speaker 1>recognized Jacqueline from that evening and gave a description of

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<v Speaker 1>the distinctive lemon colored dress. Someone did come forward to

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<v Speaker 1>give a description of the woman that had been seen

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<v Speaker 1>speaking to Jacqueline at Victoria Station at around two twenty

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<v Speaker 1>five am. She was around sixteen to seventeen years old,

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<v Speaker 1>with a thin billed, straight dark hair which was parted

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<v Speaker 1>in the middle. She was wearing a knee length black

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<v Speaker 1>dress with full sleeves, a maroon balo top, blue calf

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<v Speaker 1>length boots and platform shoes. This woman was noted by

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<v Speaker 1>a porter and a Welsh guardsman. Police did follow up

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<v Speaker 1>with a number of lines of inquiry and in the

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<v Speaker 1>two weeks that followed, officers interviewed more than ten thousand people.

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<v Speaker 1>They also put out an appeal on TV to ask

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<v Speaker 1>for help from the public. Despite these appeals, the police

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<v Speaker 1>said that they came upon a wall of silence from

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<v Speaker 1>the public and that only a handful of people came

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<v Speaker 1>forward to state that they saw her at any point

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<v Speaker 1>that night. Detective Chief Superintendent David Frew, who was leading

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<v Speaker 1>the investigation at the time, said the only definitive sighting

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<v Speaker 1>is on the late night underground train from Upminster to

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<v Speaker 1>Victoria on September twenty ninth. From there she seen her

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<v Speaker 1>vanished into thin air. Someone must have seen this girl.

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<v Speaker 1>With clothing she wore must have made her stand out

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<v Speaker 1>like a sore thumb. I cannot stress enough the important

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<v Speaker 1>role the public can play in helping us find her murderer.

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<v Speaker 1>We can never be sure if he will strike again.

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<v Speaker 1>A confusing part of the contemporary articles is that they

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<v Speaker 1>state that Jacqueline was not sexually assaulted, and therefore this

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<v Speaker 1>was not a motive for the crime. More recent reports

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<v Speaker 1>state that she was sexually assaulted. One thing that police

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<v Speaker 1>appeared to be sure of, though, was that Jacqueline was

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<v Speaker 1>afraid of being out in the dark, and therefore was

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<v Speaker 1>unlikely to accept a lift from just anyone who was

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<v Speaker 1>also stated that Jacqueline had a limited sense of direction,

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<v Speaker 1>so would have also struggled to find her way around alone.

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<v Speaker 1>Jacqueline's sister, Susan, said something similar about who she might

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<v Speaker 1>have accepted help from that night, saying that she might

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<v Speaker 1>have got into a car thinking it was a taxi

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<v Speaker 1>and would be unlikely to just get into a stranger's car.

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<v Speaker 1>Police wanted to interview everyone that knew Jacqueline in case

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<v Speaker 1>they knew anything about her movements that night, or if

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<v Speaker 1>she had contacted them, perhaps in the early hours of

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<v Speaker 1>that morning or that weekend. This was hampered by the

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<v Speaker 1>fact that her diary was in her handbag that was

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<v Speaker 1>absent from the scene, along with her clothing and her coat,

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<v Speaker 1>which had not been recovered. This was another line of

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<v Speaker 1>inquiry because whoever did take these things either wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>remove evidence from the scene as it could identify Jacqueline,

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<v Speaker 1>or wanted to take these items as some way of

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<v Speaker 1>remembering the act. The lead of the missing Yellow Dress

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<v Speaker 1>was a strong one, and this was one of the

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<v Speaker 1>reasons why it's been dubbed by some in the press

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<v Speaker 1>as the Girl in the Yellow Dress murder. Jacqueline's family

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<v Speaker 1>were obviously extremely devastated by what had happened to her,

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<v Speaker 1>and those close to her were shocked and horrified by

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that the person responsible had not yet been found.

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<v Speaker 1>Her sister, Susan said, I was very close to Jacqueline

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<v Speaker 1>as we were just fourteen months apart, and we did

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<v Speaker 1>everything together. The family was devastated and heartbroken by her death.

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<v Speaker 1>I just wish she stayed in South End after the

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<v Speaker 1>wedding and not tried to come home. This was something

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<v Speaker 1>echoed by her friend Susan, whose wedding she had attended

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<v Speaker 1>that day. It was a long time ago. We were

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<v Speaker 1>the youngest in the department and used to go to

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<v Speaker 1>lunch together. Jackie was just a normal teenager, but she

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't a party girl. I think that's why we got

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<v Speaker 1>on so well. Neither of us really went out on

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<v Speaker 1>the town. She didn't have a boyfriend, and I can't

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<v Speaker 1>imagine that she would have ever voluntarily got into a

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<v Speaker 1>car with a stranger. She was living in London and

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<v Speaker 1>I was in South End, so we didn't really see

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<v Speaker 1>much of each other outside work, but I remember but

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<v Speaker 1>we were involved in a Christian group which had a

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<v Speaker 1>sailing barge, and she came away with us for a

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<v Speaker 1>weekend on a fishing smack. Thinking back to our wedding,

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<v Speaker 1>I can't remember speaking to her or anyone else from

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<v Speaker 1>work because there were so many people there. When we

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<v Speaker 1>got the bank on our door. On our honeymoon, we

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<v Speaker 1>didn't know what to think. It was terrible to hear

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<v Speaker 1>that she'd be murdered, but our families wanted us to

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<v Speaker 1>know as soon as possible in case we read about

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<v Speaker 1>it in the papers first. When I went back to work,

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<v Speaker 1>it was a strange atmosphere not having her there. I

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<v Speaker 1>even expected her to suddenly appear. For a few months,

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<v Speaker 1>I was too scared to go anywhere by myself, but

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<v Speaker 1>luckily David worked in London so we could commute together.

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<v Speaker 1>I remember Jaqueline's mother sent me a letter. I also

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<v Speaker 1>went to her funeral with other work colleagues. It was

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<v Speaker 1>the first time I'd been to a burial. I spoke

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<v Speaker 1>to her mother at the funeral. It was very upsetting.

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<v Speaker 1>The thing that appears to have bothered many people close

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<v Speaker 1>to Jacqueline is that her case disappeared from the headlines

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<v Speaker 1>so soon after her murder occurred. In February nineteen seventy four,

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<v Speaker 1>an inquest was adjourned, which confirmed that Jacqueline had indeed

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<v Speaker 1>been murdered by person or persons unknown. In September nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>seventy four, Detective Chief Superintendent David Frew launched a fresh appeal.

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<v Speaker 1>A year after her murder, asking anyone to cast their

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<v Speaker 1>minds back to the year previous and to come forward

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<v Speaker 1>with any information they might have. He said he would

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<v Speaker 1>never forget about Jacqueline's case and was bothered himself that

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<v Speaker 1>it had not been solved in the year that had

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<v Speaker 1>gone by. Unfortunately, this is the way that Jacqueline's case

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<v Speaker 1>has stayed since nineteen seventy three. It remains unsolved fifty

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<v Speaker 1>two years later. Since that time, her family says as

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<v Speaker 1>though Jacqueline's murder has been completely forgotten about and contact

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<v Speaker 1>with the police has been pretty much nonexistent. Her sister

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<v Speaker 1>Susan said in twenty twenty four, it's almost as if

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<v Speaker 1>her case has been wiped from the face of the earth.

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<v Speaker 1>There's no mention of it as a cold case or anything.

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<v Speaker 1>My mum's last wish before she died was that they

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<v Speaker 1>would solve it as a cold case. We don't know

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<v Speaker 1>if there's any DNA or anything. We just don't know

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<v Speaker 1>what the police have, but I'm shocks if it's actually

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<v Speaker 1>still open. There was some contact made with the family

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<v Speaker 1>in the nineties and this did give some insight into

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<v Speaker 1>their possible lines of inquiry. The family have confirmed that

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<v Speaker 1>they were told about Robert Black. Robert Black has been

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<v Speaker 1>discussed as a possible perpetrator on the podcast before and

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<v Speaker 1>He is a convicted serial killer and pedophile who was

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<v Speaker 1>convicted in nineteen ninety four of the murder and rape

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<v Speaker 1>of three girls between the ages of five and eleven

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<v Speaker 1>between nineteen eighty one and nineteen eighty six, as well

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<v Speaker 1>as the kidnapping of a fourth and sexual assault of

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<v Speaker 1>a fifth. His victims were Caroline Hogg, Susan Maxwell, and

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<v Speaker 1>Sarah Harper. In twenty eleven, he was also convicted of

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<v Speaker 1>the murder of Jennifer Cardy, based on similarity to the

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<v Speaker 1>other crimes that he'd committed and proof that he'd been

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<v Speaker 1>in the area of Northern Ireland at the time that

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<v Speaker 1>she was abducted and killed. Robert Black was a very

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<v Speaker 1>dangerous and prolific criminal, and one of the things that

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<v Speaker 1>made him more of a potential threat was his job

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<v Speaker 1>as a delivery driver, transporting posters and billboards across the

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<v Speaker 1>UK and Island and even some parts of Europe. He

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<v Speaker 1>was a good employee, according to those he worked for,

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<v Speaker 1>as he would take on long distance driving jobs and

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<v Speaker 1>was willing to travel to many different places for work.

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<v Speaker 1>It would emerge that his job enabled him to scope

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<v Speaker 1>out many different places and abduct children from the street.

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<v Speaker 1>He had black curtains installed in the back of his

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<v Speaker 1>van and would carry around different pairs of glasses and

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<v Speaker 1>outfits with him in order to disguise what he was doing.

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<v Speaker 1>Police were very concerned that he was involved in many

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<v Speaker 1>unsolved crimes across the country involving child victims. In nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>ninety four, a meeting between six different police forces was

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<v Speaker 1>convened to try and establish if any of them could

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<v Speaker 1>be attributed to Black. This could have been why Jacqueline's

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<v Speaker 1>family were contacted about her cases possible linked to him.

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<v Speaker 1>Jacqueline's sister, Susan said, the police contacted us about Robert

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<v Speaker 1>Black after they found some friendship bracelets, but I don't

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<v Speaker 1>think my mother knew if they were hers or not.

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<v Speaker 1>Robert Black was the only name mentioned to us, but

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<v Speaker 1>we don't know if it was him. Jacqueline's younger sister, Annette, said,

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<v Speaker 1>they showed me a bracelet which they found with black stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>and they thought it might be Jacqueline. It had different

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<v Speaker 1>colored beads. She had a similar one, but I'm more

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<v Speaker 1>sure it was hers. The police showed it to me,

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<v Speaker 1>but they didn't say it was Black. I only know

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<v Speaker 1>as they left a file on the table with Robert

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<v Speaker 1>Black's name on it. However, they mentioned Black's name to

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<v Speaker 1>my mum and Susan. I don't know whether she was

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<v Speaker 1>killed by Black. He did like younger girls, and Jacqueline

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<v Speaker 1>looked older than her age, but we just don't know

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<v Speaker 1>what happened. It could have been Black. This link to

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<v Speaker 1>Robert Black is reportedly the only name that has ever

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<v Speaker 1>been mentioned to the family as a possible suspect in

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<v Speaker 1>Jacqueline's murder. She would certainly have been older than many

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<v Speaker 1>of Black's other victims. However, it's clear that the full

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<v Speaker 1>scope of Black's crimes have not been established, and therefore

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<v Speaker 1>it cannot be said if this is a potential line

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<v Speaker 1>of inquiry or not. Black has been linked to the

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<v Speaker 1>murders of Jeannette Te and April fab which I've covered

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<v Speaker 1>on the podcast before. I may give you some insight

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<v Speaker 1>into the investigation that was carried out on him. Robert

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<v Speaker 1>Black died in prison in twenty sixteen. Jacqueline's family have

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<v Speaker 1>been looking for answers since nineteen seventy three, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>clear that although it is officially part of the coal

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<v Speaker 1>case team, not much have been done since the nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>seventies to try and find out who Jacqueline's murder was.

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<v Speaker 1>There has also been little communication with Jacqueline's family to

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<v Speaker 1>discuss any progress or anything at all that's been done

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<v Speaker 1>in the case. This is always so sad to hear,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm sure causes them even more devastation and trauma.

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<v Speaker 1>Jacqueline's family deserves answers and her killer deserves to be caught.

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<v Speaker 1>Whether the perpetrator was Robert Black and he has since

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<v Speaker 1>been convicted and passed away, or it was someone completely

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<v Speaker 1>unknown to police. They have escaped justice for over half

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<v Speaker 1>a century and Jacqueline's family deserved to know. If you

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<v Speaker 1>know anything about the murder of Jacqueline John's in nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>seventy three, then please contact the police on one oh one.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you'd like

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<v Speaker 1>to support the podcast further, then you can on Patreon

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<v Speaker 1>early in ad free. You can use a link in

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<v Speaker 1>the show notes to visit Patreon and see what we offer.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also support us by reviewing the podcast wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen, including Spotify, and also just share the episodes.

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<v Speaker 1>You can subscribe on YouTube and follow us on social media.

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<v Speaker 1>As always, I'm Caprice and this has been unseen b