Hugh Watson (Unsolved Murder)

On the evening of Tuesday December 9th 1975, Hugh Watson enjoyed a pint and a game of dominoes at the Pen-y-Bryn Hotel bar in Llanrwst, North Wales.  At 9.30pm the 77 year old grabbed his two walking sticks and set out back to his makeshift home in a stable on a nearby farm. Many people saw the well-known figure of Hugh walking the short distance through the small market town that night.  Later two patrolling police officers noticed smoke billowing from a barn situated next to Hugh's stable. Firefighters were called and after they had put out the flames they discovered the charred body of Hugh Watson. He had been stabbed multiple times before being set alight while still alive. It appeared to be a senseless and motiveless murder.  One theory was that  it had been carried out by a passing stranger, while others believed the answers to this horrific mystery lay within the small rural community. 

Sources for the episode can be found here

Transcript

Hugh Watson

It was the night of Tuesday December 9th 1975 and the weather was windy and overcast in the small market town of Llanrwst, North Wales. Hugh Watson put on his overcoat, hobbled out of the bar at the Pen y Bryn Hotel and set off home. The 77 year old had spent the previous couple of hours enjoying a pint and a game of dominoes but he was now feeling tired. He only lived 600m away from his drinking hole but Hugh suffered terribly from arthritis and needed the assistance of two walking sticks in order to put one foot in front of the other. He struggled to lift his foot above the height of a brick. The walk of 600m typically took Hugh 30 to 45 minutes to complete and it was around 9.30pm when he left the licensed establishment on Acaster Square in the town centre. Hugh was a well known figure around the town and several local people witnessed him shuffling along his route home that night.

Hugh was originally from Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, a town a half hour drive to the south east, but had lived in Llanrwst for several years. He had long since retired but had previously worked as a road man and farmworker in the Cerrigydrudion district, near his place of birth. His main task was operating and driving machinery like steam rollers and threshing machines. 

For some considerable time Hugh had been living in a makeshift dwelling in a cowshed or stable situated at Plas y Afon farm. The property was on Station Road, behind the Queens Hotel and just metres from the railway line and the platform at Llanrwst. The property was owned by local farmer George Jones of Bron Gerddi farm.

From later police reports it is evident that the dwelling was filthy and unfit for human habitation. It was an extremely sparse existence. There was a gas canister inside the cowshed with which Hugh could cook some basic food, but other than that he had few possessions. As part of his arrangement with the famer, Hugh would take care of the sheep dog and a brood of chickens and some other poultry. Hugh was due to move into what was referred to at the time as an old people’s home later that week, though as it turned out he was never afforded the opportunity to do this.

Hugh took his time walking back home that evening and arrived at the cow shed at 10.10pm. He unlocked the padlock on the door and entered the property, hung his walking sticks in their usual place and settled down for the night. 

At 11.35pm two police officers were out patrolling the town on foot when they caught sight of smoke silhouetted against the night sky. On closer inspection they could see the smoke billowing from a hay barn, which stood adjacent to the cowshed where Hugh Watson lived. The officers got to a phone and alerted the fire service. The local crew from Llanrwst responded and a brigade from Betws y Coed, a town ten minutes drive south along the A470, also attended the scene. 

Within minutes firefighters had arrived and were tackling the blaze. The flames were doused very quickly, and it was only then that the seriousness of the situation became apparent. On top of a pile of blackened hay bales, a firefighter discovered the partially charred body of Hugh Watson. It was very clear that foul play was afoot as numerous bloody wounds, caused by a sharp object, were visible on the head and neck of the body.

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Immediately forty detectives from across North Wales made their way to Llanrwst. Huge floodlights were brought in to conduct an inch by inch search of the barn. The barn stood on a quiet residential part of Station Road and the commotion woke the neighbours, who, despite the cold and late hour, all came out into the street to observe what was going on. 

Home office pathologist Donald Wayte arrived at the scene and carried out a cursory examination. A full post mortem took place just hours later at Caernarfon and Anglesey Hospital in Bangor. The full details were not made known at the time and I will come back to them later. Suffice to say the police did disclose that Hugh had been attacked in the stable where he had been stabbed multiple times with a pitchfork or similar sharp object. He had then been dragged alive to the adjoining dutch barn, which contained 800 bales of hay. Hugh was thrown onto some of the bales and set alight while still alive. Cause of death was given as asphyxia due to smoke inhalation. A truly horrifying death, displaying such cruelty and malice towards a defenceless older man.

The murder shocked the residents of Llanrwst and rumours began to circulate as to why Hugh Watson had been targeted. There had been whispers for years that Hugh Watson’s frugal and simple life was a smokescreen for the fact that he was actually reasonably wealthy. The local legend was that he kept a significant amount of cash in the cowshed which he had saved up over a long and hard working life. The belief among locals was that someone had heard of this nest egg and had chosen to rob the elderly man, believing him to be an easy target. Whether the culprit had set out to kill Hugh was up for debate but it was clear the guilty party had a strong stomach for violence.

This theory found credence when the police announced in the press (for example the Daily Post, Merseyside edition on December 13th 1975) that the charred remains of bank notes had been found at the scene. Detective Chief Superintendent Eric Evans made an appeal for a relative of the culprit to come forward. Whoever the killer was would have likely returned home that night with hay and blood on their clothing. It was also pointed out that the killer may have undergone changes in their demeanour or behaviour. A special hotline was set up at Llanrwst police station, where an incident room was also established.

Shortly after this a description of a man the police were looking to locate was made public. This particular individual had been seen at 9.50pm at Llandudno train station (Llandudno is a town a half hour drive to the north of Llanrwst) and again just before 11pm in Station Road, Llanrwst, near the location of the barn. The man was between 20 and 30 years old, 5ft 8 or 172 cm tall, with a medium build. He had dark hair and a short cut, full beard. He was said to be wearing a dark overcoat and trousers. This man is seldom mentioned in later reports and it is unclear if he was ever traced. 

The population of Llanrwst was 2,820 and over the next week every home there was visited by police officers who asked a slew of questions. Inquiries then began to move to surrounding areas like the village of Treffriw, which lay a twenty minute walk along Gowers Road. In total around 2000 homes were visited and if people were out police officers returned at a later date.  A week after the murder road blocks were established and motorists were asked for their whereabouts on the night of the murder. Inquiries were also made with the Criminal Records Office in London to see if any escapees from prison or borstals could possibly have been in the area at the time. One presumes the brutality displayed in the murder made investigators suspect they could be looking for someone with a violent criminal history. 

Hugh Watson's funeral took place on January 12th 1976 at Caersalem chapel in his home village of  Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr. It was attended by over 100 mourners, including an unnamed senior detective. Presumably the latter was present not only to pay their respects but also to make note of any persons acting suspiciously. 

Revenant Idwal Jones led the service and paid tribute to Hugh, saying he had a likeable personality. Due to Hugh working for many years in the local farming community the Reverend added that he was a well known figure and would be sorely missed. Hugh Watson was a bachelor and it was said he had no close family members. However, his brothers James and Caradog were present and the funeral flowers were provided by Hugh’s extended family. 

Hugh’s body was laid to rest in the village of Cerrig-y-Drudion. A couple of weeks later an inquest into his death was opened by Eryi district coroner J Pritchard but was immediately adjourned until more information regarding the death came to light. 

In early February 1976 North Wales police decided to release some information about the crime scene which they had been holding back. Detective Chief Superintendent Ernie Watkins told the press that Hugh had suffered 22 stab wounds (I‘ve also read the slightly lower total of 18). One of the wounds was just below the right ear and was 6cm deep. This injury bled profusely. Each wound was 0.5 cm in diameter and they had been made with significant force. Many had penetrated several layers of thick clothing. 

These injuries alone would not have caused death and it seemed they had been inflicted in order to cause pain. It was suggested that Hugh may have been deliberately tortured. Original reports that circulated shortly after the murder suggested the weapon used was something like a pitchfork. Indeed several pitchforks were found in the barn and tested to see if they had been used as the murder weapon. While this theory had not been completely discounted, pathologist  Donald Wayte thought it more likely the wounds had been caused by a Phillips screwdriver (sometimes called a cross head screwdriver). Two large pools of blood were found in the cowshed, confirming this was where the attack had taken place.

After being stabbed, Hugh, who weighed somewhere between 154 and 168 lbs or 69-76 kg, ( I believe it was nearer the upper end of this range) was dragged to the adjoining barn. He was then lifted 5 feet, 152 cm, onto a stack of hay bales. This would have been no mean feat for one person and would have required a lot of strength. However, for two people it would have been relatively easy. This led to the idea that more than one person was involved in the murder. A theory that is still widely held.

Once laying on top of the bales Hugh was then covered in hay. The Daily Post later reported, on February 26th 1976, that a gas canister of liquified petroleum was also placed nearby. I’m guessing this was the one Hugh kept in the cowshed to cook with. It was speculated that it was placed nearby in the hope it would accelerate the fire, possibly causing an explosion and destroying evidence. Hugh succumbed to the smoke fumes due to stab wounds to his chest having pierced his lungs. 

Many years later in 1988 during an interview with The North Wales Weekly, DCS Eric Evans, who by then had  become North Wales police deputy chief constable,mentioned that there was little forensic evidence in the case. Apparently the fire destroyed a lot of evidence and Hugh's clothes had been badly damaged by the falmes. While the crime scene technicians searched for fibres, none were found. The job of searching for fingerprints was made difficult by the ghastly state of the property. As far as I am aware no fingerprints were able to be taken from inside the cowshed and none were found on the outside of the door. 

In February 1976 details were also given about two men police were attempting to trace in connection with the case. The pair had caught the 7.30am train on December 10th, from Llanrwst to Llandudno. This was just 8 hours or so after the murder and Llanrwst train station was less than 100 m from the barn. The men were seen crossing the railway line in front of the train and boarded the first carriage, taking their seats towards the front, just behind the driver. One of the men was wearing a bobble hat. Four local people on the train, some of whom travelled regularly at that time of day, reported seeing the men. The witnesses did not recognise the two men, they were strangers. British Rail were asked to check if the tickets issued to the men had been handed back in at another station, as perhaps a ticket inspector would remember the men. There was no such luck and nothing came of this.

The incident room at Llanrwst police station had been chock-a-block since the day of the murder. The information about the two men had come to prominence after activity had quietened down somewhat. It was during this respite that detectives were able to start going through the almost 900 statements and deciding which tips to prioritise. 

The motive for the murder still eluded investigators. The theory that robbery had been the ultimate goal took a backseat after it was revealed that Hugh’s wallet was found amongst the burnt debris in the cowshed. Inside the wallet was a total of £18, three £5 notes and three £1 notes. This would be the equivalent of about £180 today. The wallet was found some way from the body, so it appeared it had been deliberately left by the killer or killers. Why would this not insignificant amount of money have been left, if robbery was indeed the motive?

Police also now doubted the rumours that Hugh had hoadred a vast amount of cash at the cowshed. It did not appear to crime scene investigators that the barn had been ransacked or searched and they found no evidence to back up the local stories.

Of course it could be that the killer or killers had arrived expecting to find a stash of money and rather than wasting time searching the shed they moved straight to torture to get what they wanted.When this failed to produce results, they panicked, hastily moved Hugh to the barn, set him alight and fled, hoping the fire would destroy any evidence of the crime. 

Thirty additional officers were called in to assist the investigation to try to force a breakthrough. Some came directly from working on a murder case in the nearby town of Flint. It was believed these officers may bring the experience needed to flush out those responsible. Releasing the gruesome details of the crime scene it was hoped would increase the public demand for the murder to be solved and bring forward more clues. The decision was taken to re-question all residents of Llanrwst and the wider Conwy Valley area. The police publicly apologised for the inconvenience and praised locals for their cooperation in the matter. 

The police then released information about yet another avenue they were attempting to explore. Investigators were trying to trace and identify three young people seen in Llanrwst on the day of the murder. The trio, which consisted of two men and a woman, were seen around lunchtime on Tuesday December 9th at the Llanrwst British Legion club. They were heard speaking Welsh but they were not thought to be locals. One of the group had on him a British Legion membership card from another club. Despite the best efforts of investigators the three young people had yet to be traced. 

The woman was said to be in her mid 20’s and stood 5 ft 4 to 5 ft 6 or 162-167 cm with a slim build. She had dark shoulder length hair and was possibly wearing a pair of glasses. She had on a long suede coat. 

One of the men looked in his early 20’s and was 5 ft 10 - 6ft 2 or 178cm - 188cm with a heavy build. He was wearing a grey suit. The other man was shorter, 5ft 6 - 5 ft 10 or 167-178 cm and appeared in his late 20’s. He was wearing dark clothing.  

By the end of February 5000 statements had been taken but, as an article in the Daily Post from the 26th of that month illustrates, the police were finding clues extremely hard to come by. Hugh had been killed on a Tuesday which was the weekly market day in Llanrwst. As a result there were a lot of people in the town that day who did not live locally. Detectives were getting increasingly frustrated. As well as the three young people I’ve just mentioned, police had still not been able to track down the two men seen on the Llanrwst to Llandudno train early on the morning of December 10th. This is something that perplexed officers as so few strangers travelled that train line. All these people may well be innocent of wrongdoing but they needed to be found so they could be cleared.

Along with these two groups of people there was an additional sighting that police had failed to get to the bottom of. At 11.25pm on said night two men were seen swiftly crossing the road near the junction of Station Road and the A470 Llanrwst to Glan Conwy Road. Around this same time a woman passing in her car told police she had been forced to carry out an emergency stop to prevent her hitting a man who was running across into Parry Road. This was just 50 m from where the two other men were spotted. 

Since the North Wales police had formed in 1950 with the merging of the smaller district forces, the new constabulary had a 100% record of solving murders. Indeed the only unsolved murder across the whole of North Wales over the previous 30 years was that of Caroline Evans in Coedpoeth, in 1945; a case I have previously covered on this podcast. Despite 70 police officers working the Hugh Watson case and interviewing 6700 people, no arrests were made and when the inquest finally reconvened in September 1976, coroner J Pitchard Jones had no option but to find that Hugh had been murdered by a person or persons unknown. 

Detectives were adamant that inquiries would continue. When the first anniversary of the murder was approaching a police van was set up in Acaster Square, near the Pen-y-Bryn pub, to try and jog people's memories. Acting DCS David Jones told the Daily Post on December 15th 1976 that the majority of people had forgotten about the murder. It’s hard to believe, but life in the small market town had continued and according to this article Hugh, while a recognisable figure, was on the periphery of the community and was not well known by many people. The article also states that Hugh had not lived in Llanrwst very long, which is at odds with earlier press reports.

Eighteen months after the murder, In the summer of 1977, the peace of the small market town was shattered once again by an act of extreme violence. Yet again this incident took place on a Tuesday market day. Late in the afternoon one of the market traders, a 25 year old woman named Edith from Stockport, England was viciously attacked as she was packing up her bedding stall. The stall was set up in Acaster Square and as Edith went to the nearby car park to fetch her van she was set upon in a public toilet and her face was slashed. Two men were witnessed running from the scene.

Edith, who went by the name Adele, was a popular figure amongst fellow traders and customers and had been coming to the market at Llanrwst for some years. She was known to wear a cash pouch around her neck on a strap but had not been robbed. Police could not fathom the motive as Edith had also not been sexually assaulted. The senseless and brutality of the attack brought to the fore the murder of Hugh Watson. Llanrwst was not a violent town and to have two such incidents occur was alarming. Any notion that this attack was connected to the murder of Hugh  Watson was discounted when several arrests were made in this case. It turned out that a former boyfriend of Edith paid two violent criminals to frighten her. They ended up scarring her face for life. As horrifying as this attack was, it had nothing to do with Hugh’s murder. 

North Wales police chief of CID DCS Eric Evans was determined that the hunt for Hugh’s killer or killers would go on. Leads had taken them to the Wirral, an area in north west England near the city of Liverpool. This location is an hour and fifteen minutes drive from Llanrwst. 

A few months later in February 1978 following a slurry of rumours police were forced to publicly deny that arrests had been made in the case. They did admit that over the period of a few days four people had been questioned in connection with the murder of Hugh Watson. However no charges were made against any of the individuals. 

Over the next few years there was sporadic news about the case. On the fourth anniversary of Hugh’s murder DCS Eric Evans said he was convinced that someone in Llanrwst had information that would lead to the killer.

In 1981 BBC welsh language station Radio Cymru, aired a program about the case in which then head of North Wales CID DCS Gwyn Owen spoke about the unsolved murder and three friends of Hugh shared memories of him. Five years later DCS Owen spoke to The North Wales Weekly news and reiterated that the file was not closed. He also divulged that early in the investigation there had been a theory that Hugh had been killed by a passing stranger. DCS Owen felt that the truth lay nearer to home and that answers to the mystery were hidden in Llanrwst. 

About ten years ago I went on holiday to Llanrwst. It's in a beautiful part of the world, on the east side of the  Eryri (formally Snowdonia) national park. I had no knowledge of this murder at the time and it is unsettling to think that such a picturesque place could be holding on to such dark secrets. 

When reading about this case the cruelty and ruthlessness displayed in the murder remains as shocking now as it must have done in December 1975. It certainly seems like the killer or killers were well versed in violence. The length of time it took to torture a defenceless older man before settign him alight while still alive, displays an extremely hard heart seemingly devoid of conscience. What is terrifying is there's a chance those responsible are still alive and living in or near Llanrwst. 

The group of young people seen in the British Legion pub, the two men on the train and the man seen running across Station Road have to this day never been identified.

Sources

http://tinyurl.com/33pb3cek