Sign up to FREE email alerts from PlymouthLive - Court Insider Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

On the evening of Monday, January 25, 1960 police were alerted to the killing of an elderly widow - a murder which remains unsolved.

The Western Morning News explained how the body of 70-year-old Eva Booth was found "in an upstairs bedroom" of her home in Venn Way "a turning off Venn Grove" in Hartley.

Questions still remain over the killing, which led Scotland Yard's murder squad to the city and drew mysterious statements from neighbours.

Mrs Booth had suffered a wound to her head and officers had observed "a small quantity of blood on the floor". It later emerged she had actually suffered several wounds to her face and head, underlining concerns that this was a murder.

Further details emerged over the next few days, revealing she was found in a bedroom cupboard, also described at different stages as a small 'boxroom'.

The grim discovery

The discovery of Mrs Booth's body came about after a neighbouring elderly couple became concerned they had not seen her for several days and the collection of newspapers and milk bottles at her front door prompted calls to police. The first officers on the scene did not have to force open the small chalet's front door - it was not locked.

A post mortem was carried out by Dr A C Hunt of Bristol University who was called to Plymouth by investigators. He arrived with CID officers at the house at 12.20am on Tuesday January 26th. An hour later Mrs Booth's body was taken away by ambulance. The grim-faced lead investigator, Det Insp Emlyn Williams told waiting journalists "there is no comment."

Officers wearing long coats to keep out the bitter winter cold were posted at the chalet's front door overnight. Investigators initially said they thought she had died the previous Friday, January 22.

Her worried neighbours had told police they had not seen her regular "friendly wave" on the Friday morning before admitting they last saw her on the Thursday. They had become increasingly concerned after they spotted how visiting tradesmen had got no answer to their ring on Friday and Saturday. This made them so concerned told the Western Morning News reporter they had almost decided to call on Mrs Booth on the Sunday.

However, they waited an extra day until the Monday when, "with two grandchildren", they went to investigate.

One told the reporter: "The key was in the lock of the side door and the front door was open. We went in through the hall, lounge and dining room and called 'Mrs Booth, are you all right?' There was no answer and we did not go upstairs."

At the prompting of their son-in-law they dialled 999, leaving officers to make their grim discovery.

Suspicion of murder stemmed mainly from the fact that the door of the boxroom in which Mrs Booth's body was found with head injuries, was shut and could not have closed by itself. In addition, there was nothing to indicate she had fallen or accidentally hit her head.

The following day the Western Morning News sought confirmation about the case from the then Chief Constable of Plymouth - "Mr J F Skittery" who said that despite searches of the property no weapon had been found.

The lodger

Neighbours revealed that following a robbery in a nearby house some time previously, Mrs Booth had advertised for someone to come and live with her.

Mrs Booth had been married to Mr H E Booth who retired in 1948 after 16 years as Plymouth's Housing Estates Manager. He came to Plymouth with his wife in 1932 after starting his career at St Helens in Lancashire before moving onto Widnes as Housing Manager. The chalet house was designed by Mr Booth and built in 1933.

The couple's only son was killed in a air accident in India during the Second World War. Mr Booth himself passed away in 1957.

The couple were widely known in Plymouth and were keen motorists, taking pride in "the spotless appearance of their powerful car". The couple were "noted diners-out and dancers" and during his time as Housing Manager they were "always prominent at civic functions".

Within 24 hours, the case had grown apace and the two members of the legendary Scotland Yard Murder Squad - Det Supt Dennis Hawkins and Det Sgt Percy Browne - were called in at the request of Chief Constable Skittery.

The police investigation

The Chief Constable was compelled to say the matter was "a most mysterious case" - adding that there appeared to be no motive, no disturbance and "no question of sex involved".

He added: "Although there were head injuries, they were not consistent with a vicious attack and there was no fracture of the skull".

By this stage a woman reported to be a lodger at the Hartley property had already come forward and given "valuable assistance" to police, spending "16 hours" at the police station headquarters in Greenbank - a building which has now been converted into student flats.

(Image: Paul Slater)

She revealed that she had been asked to briefly leave her lodgings as Mrs Booth claimed her bed-sitting room was needed for relatives coming from South Africa. After finishing work at an office on the Friday, January 22, the lodger ordered a taxi to collect her belongings from the chalet.

She found the lights and radio on, but there was no sign of Mrs Booth. She told investigators she waited for a while, but eventually departed, leaving a farewell note with her new address, assuming Mrs Booth had gone out to visit friends.

The post mortem resulted in an number of Mrs Booth's organs being sent to Bristol for laboratory examination.

Who was Eva Booth? The glamorous socialite who loved shopping

A close friend revealed that Mrs Booth was "not a nervous woman - quite the opposite", adding: "She often left her side door unlocked and sometimes open on hot nights".

By January 28th the Western Morning News was reporting how a Scotland Yard fingerprint expert, Det Supt Maurice Ray, had been called in to carry out tests on the widow's house. With no evidence of forced entry or intrusion, it was hoped the killer had left a tell-tale fingerprint.

While he discovered a number of unidentified fingerprints and palm prints, it did not lead to any arrests.

The relatives from South Africa - who were related to Mrs Booth's deceased husband - were contacted and police began to search the property for a will and any correspondence with the South Africans, even ripping up floorboards in the hope of discovering a key item. Mrs Booth's solicitor was also interviewed for details of her estate.

In an effort to glean more information from the public police released a photo of Mrs Booth, who was known for the "striking clothes she wore". An avid shopper, she was known to pop into town on a regular basis to go shopping for new outfits and police sought out a number of shop assistants at city centre stores.

Plymouth CID officers, working in conjunction with the Scotland Yard Murder Squad detectives, carried out inquiries at "several public houses". More than a hundred people who had responded to appeals in the media for information were interviewed by Det Sgt Browne, who was assisting Det Supt Hawkins.

Supt Hawkins was already well-known for his hand in investigating two high-profile murders - one was the Potters Bar golf course murder where 47-year-old Elizabeth Rosina Currell was found murdered on the golf course in March 1955. Four months later a junior clerk in the treasurer's depart of Potters Bar Urban Council, Michael Queripel, was charged with murder and found guilty at the Old Bailey. However, because he was under 18 at the time of the murder he was imprisoned rather then executed.

The other case was of Patricia Curran, 19-year-old daughter of Northern Ireland High Court judge, Mr Justice Curran. She was found murdered in the grounds of her father's house in the early hours of November 14, 1952, stabbed 37 times.

A Scottish airman, 21-year-old Iain Gordon, stationed in Northern Ireland, was charged with her murder and found guilty but insane. He was detained and a petition for his release, lodged by his mother, was rejected in 1958. The case became increasingly notorious as questions were raised over the extremely aggressive interview technique used by Chief Supt John Capstick which had drawn a 'confession'.

After being held for several years, he was released by Brian Faulkner, the last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. In later life, still bearing his assumed name Iain Gordon began the legal process to clear his name. In 2000 the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal agreed that his confession was inadmissible. As it was the only evidence which pointed to his guilt, the case was overturned and after 48 years he was cleared of murder.

The 'youths'

Within just a few days of the discovery of Mrs Booth's body, detectives had traced a number of her relatives in Britain, including a niece in Southampton, and brothers-in-law in Sealand and Liverpool.

Police also appealed for three "youths" to come forward having been seen in the area walking towards Venn Grove between 4.30pm and 4.45pm on Friday January 22nd. Police told the Western Morning News the youths were almost identical in looks and dress "each between 20 and 25 years' old, 5ft 8in to 5ft 10in tall, of medium build and wore charcoal-grey suits with narrow-bottomed trousers and grey trilby hats with feathers in the hatbands.

"Though it was raining heavily, all three were coatless."

The news report went on: "Six Indians who were hawking ties and scarves in the area at the time were interviewed by the police" on Friday January 29th.

The press noted how a "mass of work at the South-Western Forensic Science Laboratory at Bristol is taking longer than detectives expected to produce conclusions on which police could streamline their inquiries". Dr A C Hunt, lecturer in forensic pathology at Bristol University, returned to examine Mrs Booth's body for a second time.

How Eva Booth died

The following Monday, the press revealed that police were comparing marks on Mrs Booth's head with "articles taken from her home". Dr Hunt was reported to have told investigators that it appeared her death followed "multiple injuries to the face and head".

By the following day police admitted they had taken statements from nearly 500 people and that they had found "valuable jewellery" hidden under floorboards at the Hartley house. Senior investigators had ordered that carpets, rugs and furnishings be removed from the house as part of the inquiry.

As information came in thick and fast, detectives were left questioning a young woman who claimed she saw Mrs Booth on a bus on the afternoon of Saturday, January 23 - just two days before her body was found in the boxroom. She gave a full description of Mrs Booth's clothes - but a search of the Hartley property did not find any matching clothes.

An inquest was opened on February 4, 1960 and adjourned for six weeks. By this stage police were completely certain Mrs Booth had come to her grisly end at the hands of another, with Det Supt Ronald Stewart of Plymouth CID saying it was "murder, without doubt".

Two days later cinema-goers were encouraged to come forward with information as police used local cinemas to show a slide of Mrs Booth during each and every programme. In an effort to determine exactly when Mrs Booth was murdered, shopkeepers and shop assistants were asked if they had seen her in the city on Saturday, January 23. While shoppers claimed to have seen her, no store-workers had come forward to confirm she had visited any shops or bought anything.

Repeated appeals bore nothing and lab tests confirmed some theories held by detectives. Their prime claim was Mrs Booth had been murdered sometime between lunchtime and midnight on Saturday, January 23 after going shopping in the city centre.

Detectives told the Western Morning News it was undoubtedly a "very unusual case" with no clear motive.

One developing theory was that perhaps her attacker had never intended to kill her and that the blows were "unpremeditated". Another theory was that she may have sought refuge in the cupboard after the attack and died later.

The RAF is called in

Such was the forensic detail investigators went to, they even solicited the help of the RAF meteorological office at Mount Batten to assist them with the exact air temperature changes over the weekend of her death. Her home at Venn Way was tested with specialist thermometers, with the boxroom the focal point of the experiments.

On February 12, Eva Booth was buried at Efford cemetery in the presence of a few friends, her solicitors and police detectives. There were no relatives present.

Scotland Yard Murder Squad's Det Supt Stewart and Det Sgt Browne mingled with the 100-strong congregation at the funeral service at Emmanuel Church, conducted by Rev P Young. A police car had followed the hearse to Efford Cemetery where a handful of people stood by her grave. A dozen wreaths accompanied the coffin. A few days later detectives returned to Mrs Booth's grave to examine the 12 wreaths.

Police also revealed that the former lodger had again returned with detectives to the house "for the purpose of reconstructing the conditions in the house at the time when she went there to collect her clothing".

Why the murder remains unsolved

The temperature tests were not conclusive and the matter had been complicated by the nature of the room she was found in.

A report in the Western Morning News on February 15, 1960 noted that the cupboard she was found in was "an airing cupboard and could have been fairly warm."

Readers were told: "One way of determining how long a person has been dead is to take the temperature. A body takes four to six hours to cool externally and 12 to 24 hours for internal organs to reach surrounding air temperature.

"If early examination was made on the assumption that Mrs Booth's body lay in a normal room temperature - say 65 degrees - and the room was much hotter, conclusions reached on the basis that the body would cool at the normal rate would obviously be quite wrong.

"Further complications on the attempts to plot the time the widow died are that Mrs Booth may have lain dying in the boxroom for some time."

Experiments aside, no arrests were ever made. The inquest was finally held weeks later and the jury agreed with the thoughts of the police and returned a verdict of murder.

Who was responsible for Mrs Booth's murder remains a mystery - and perhaps always will.