Dead man in murder 'confession'

Harvey Richardson, 77, left nine sides of A5 paper detailing the strangulation of 19-year-old Lorraine Jacob in Liverpool in September 1970.

Her death remained a mystery until the letter was found in Mr Richardson's home in Aspull, near Wigan.

Merseyside Police are working with forensic and handwriting experts to corroborate the confession.

Det Supt Ian Kemble, leading the investigation, said the letter was detailed and quite old with yellow staining.

"The family still need closure and will only rest when they know who was responsible for her death"
Det Supt Ian Kemble

But, crucially, it did not give any firm indication that Mr Richardson wrote it, he added.

Mr Kemble said: "I believe it's a probability - but I can't be 100% conclusive. That's why I'm hoping to corroborate the fact of the origin, the writer of the letter, by forensic testing.

"The confession isn't dated, it's not signed, so how do we know he wrote it? Well, we don't know that until we have expert evidence."

Mr Richardson died of cancer in a hospice in Wigan on 9 February.

In addition to the note, decorators at his house found a firearm, an airgun, an item of clothing and newspaper cuttings about the killing.

A press cutting about another unsolved murder from 1970 was also found.

Jackie Ansell-Lamb, 18, went missing while hitchhiking and her body was discovered in Mere, Cheshire, in 1970.

Mr Kemble "categorically" denied a press report suggesting there was evidence linking Richardson to the killing.

Miss Jacob was last seen walking alone in Liverpool along Pilgrim Street towards Hardman Street late at night on 1 September 1970.

Her body was found early the following day by refuse workers in a back alley behind a building in Rodney Street.

Some of her clothing was missing.

Mr Richardson is believed to have lived in Huskisson Street, Liverpool, at the time and worked in a restaurant called The Mariners.

Detectives released a photograph of Richardson when he was aged 36 - four years before Lorraine was killed - in the hope someone who knew or worked with him recognises him.

DNA tests

Mr Kemble added: "For nearly 38 years the family of Lorraine Jacob have had to live with the fact that the person who murdered Lorraine has never been caught.

"The family still need closure and will only rest when they know who was responsible for her death."

Police expect results from DNA tests on items found in Mr Richardson's house in about five weeks.

Robin Makin, the Jacob family solicitor, said they had waited a very, very long time for the development.

"There is a jigsaw puzzle that needs solving," he said.

"There are enough pieces now to make the picture and I think that is stressful for the family to know that."

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