By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
15 January 2010
When the scattered parts of a woman's body were discovered around the city, Edinburgh's murder squad swung into action. In the last of our series on Lothian murders, MARK McLAUGHLIN looks at how city police tackled one of their toughest cases - the Torso Murder
In one of the most gruesome cases Edinburgh's police have faced, it came down to inter-force cooperation to finally solve the Torso Murder
BACK in the 1960s, deep in the bowels of police HQ on the High Street was a basement office with a makeshift sign reading "Murder Squad" sticky-taped to the door.
"They are too busy for the niceties of interior decoration," observed an Evening News reporter as he made his way down those "bleak tunnels" to the office manned by Edinburgh CID's major incident team. In 1969 they were indeed very busy - as those officers began one of the biggest inquiries Scotland has ever seen.
On 24 March 1969 a railway plate layer examining the track under a flyover in Broomhall found a partially stockinged leg wrapped in a brown paper parcel. Within the hour the Murder Squad, led by Detective Superintendent Ronald Clancy, was on the scene.
Nine hours later, another horrifying discovery was made. A second leg was found after a woman reported a parcel lying in the Water of Leith in Balerno.
Det Supt Clancy informed the press: "We are treating this as a murder inquiry".
Every police force in Britain was ordered to check their files for missing women. Police leave was cancelled, forensic "battle wagons" were primed, frogmen were drafted in to search the length of the Water of Leith, bricks were thrown from bridges to estimate the trajectory of hurled body parts and locals were put on alert for any more suspicious parcels.
It was one of the most curious as well as grisly cases in Scottish history and Det Supt Clancy, the man in charge of the investigation, had been head of Edinburgh CID for less than a year when the case landed on his desk. However, the man described as a "lean, ebullient ex-Londoner" had been 22 years with Edinburgh Police, 18 of them as a detective, and he had very clear ideas about how the investigation should proceed.
"You've got to keep basic facts in mind," said Clancy. "Maybe it sounds a bit Irish, but this woman belonged somewhere. That is the starting point.
"You can get lost in theories. Two and two can make anything you want if you care to think about it for long enough. A policeman's experience tells you this. No - we are probing facts. Realities."
To that end, the foreshore at Leith and Cramond was searched, the Union Canal dredged, extra police were drafted in to scour the Water of Leith westward of Balerno bridge and the River Almond, and railway wagons and abandoned cars were investigated - but the reality, by the end of the first month, was that little progress had been made.
Blood-stained clothing found in Dalry, a package in Slateford, a parcel of clothes found at Dunblane Station and reports of a severed hand in Aberdeenshire all proved to be red herrings.
An appeal was screened at 29 cinemas across the Lothians and police even started asking children to look out for body parts while out during the Easter break. At the end of the holidays a fresh appeal was put out to returning university students who, in the days before 24-hour news channels, may not have heard the news.
As the weeks passed, the lack of any new information led police to fear that locals were afraid of being branded "busy-bodies" for coming forward. An increasingly frustrated Clancy identified a further 20,000 households for questioning and vowed to spend the next 30 years knocking on doors. He said: "I don't care if we get only two houses a day done but the investigations must be thorough".
However, it would ultimately fall to another force to put together the last few pieces of the gruesome jigsaw.
By 16 April, 32-year-old Elizabeth Keenan from Lanark had not been seen for nearly a month. Edinburgh Police maintained that Mrs Keenan was just one of the 500-plus missing women reported to them in their hunt to identify the body parts, but their counterparts in Lanarkshire had already formed suspicions about Mrs Keenan's husband James, who didn't report her disappearance for five days and only came forward when the severed legs were found 30 miles from his home.
The breakthrough came on 2 May, 1969, when a travelling scrap metal dealer William Townsley, 35, found the torso, with arms and hands still attached, of a woman in woods on the site of a former PoW camp about a mile from Thankerton village in Lanarkshire.
Chief Superintendent William Muncie, head of Lanarkshire CID, confirmed that they were exploring the possibility that the body parts may belong to Elizabeth Keenan. The fingerprints quickly confirmed their fears and her husband was arrested.
The following day, Mrs Keenan's head was recovered one mile east of the Lanarkshire village of Carnwath and her husband James Joseph Keenan, 34, a lorry driver's mate, was led under cover of a blanket from police cells to Lanark Sheriff Court, where he was charged with Elizabeth's murder.
After 44 days of intense police inquiries it took Muncie just a few hours to break Keenan down to a confession.
Keenan told how on 19 March he had killed his wife with an axe and sawed her body into several pieces.
Working behind curtains he washed his axe and hacksaw, scrubbed the blood-stained house, parcelled up the body in separate blankets and put them in the boot of his car. Eighty miles and four stops later the head, torso and both legs were scattered throughout south-east Scotland.
For the next month and a half Keenan carried on as if nothing had happened. He concocted a story that his wife had run away to London after a row, and he continued to drink and play dominoes in the local pub.
Realising that he had to keep up the pretence of the concerned husband, he helped organise a nationwide appeal to find his wife and told friends that he hoped the body parts didn't belong to Elizabeth.
However, by the time her torso was discovered there was a large body of evidence against him.
Remnants of the blankets that were wrapped around the body parts matched another blanket produced by Mrs Keenan's mother, and police found woollen fibres that matched Keenan's clothes.
In his confession Keenan told how he killed his wife because she threatened to leave him and take their daughter away.
The couple met at a dance hall in 1955, when Elizabeth was just 15, and within two years they were married. Neighbours described them as "a couple of lovebirds" but Elizabeth had difficulty conceiving and had to have several operations to help her get pregnant. Their one and only child Veronica Jane was eventually born in early 1968.
However, by that time the relationship was turning sour and rumours abounded that James was having an affair - or was at least hoping for one - with a pretty young clerk named Ray Shankley.
Following Keenan's arrest Miss Shankley strenuously denied the gossip. She said: "There was no suggestion of having a relationship. He did write to me once. He wanted to make more of the situation and I said no."
Friends described how Keenan was known as Mr Kindness - for his efforts to win friends by offering lifts and odd-jobs around town - and Tarzan, for his love of fitness and bodybuilding.
Despite his 5'1" frame Keenan's friends also described him as "small but tremendously strong" and said his biggest ambition in life was "to be a big man".
Keenan's head barely reached above the dock when he appeared at Lanark Sheriff Court on 27 May, 1969 and pleaded guilty to murdering his wife. A week later he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Senior Advocate-Depute Ronald King Murray QC said the conviction was "brought home by very thorough and painstaking police inquiries".
The Torso Murder was the most gruesome case Edinburgh police had been involved in for decades but it would not be the last time they would be called upon to hunt for discarded body parts.
In 2003, schoolteacher Alan Wilson, 51, was hacked up by former friend Ian Sutherland and dumped in a Merchiston garden. Sutherland was convicted of murder in 2004 and is currently serving life. On Hogmanay last year the head of 44-year-old Heather Stacey was discovered on a path in Hawthornevale. A man is currently awaiting trial charged with her murder.
However, the Torso Murder of 1969 has a special place in Edinburgh lore, according to an Evening News editorial of the day, "not only because it was a particularly gruesome crime but because the subsequent investigation was a model of cooperation between different police forces, forensic experts and the public".
TIMELINE
19 March 69 Last known sighting of Elizabeth Keenan
24 March 69 Two severed legs found in Broomhall and Balerno
2 May 69 Torso of a woman found in the woods near Thankerton village in Lanarkshire. Fingerprints confirm identify it as the remains of Elizabeth Keenan. Husband James Keenan arrested
3 May 69 Mrs Keenan's head is recovered close to Carnwath in Lanarkshire. James Keenan is charged with Elizabeth's murder
10 May 69 Keenan makes second court appearance
27 May 69 James Keenan pleads guilty to killing his wife with an axe, chopping her up with a hacksaw and distributing her body throughout south east Scotland
4 June 69 Keenan is sentenced to life imprisonment
Sunday, 14 February 2010
NEWS: Hopes for Haiti
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
14 January 2010
A RESCUE charity has revealed it cannot go to Haiti to aid in the earthquake relief operations because it is running short of funds after a lack of donations.
International Rescue Corps (IRC), which has volunteers throughout Scotland including the Lothians, said the recession, government restrictions on travelling for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and airline costs have left it grounded.
The charity is now appealing for donations to help top up its coffers.
IRC volunteer Derek Jolly, 39, a nurse at Edinburgh's Sick Kids Hospital, said the charity may be on the verge of folding unless donations start coming in soon.
It was left virtually penniless after its last aid mission, following the Indonesian earthquake in September, cost GBP 40,000.
He said: "I was in tears when I heard we weren't going to Haiti.
"We're a small charity so we're used to scraping the money together, and after every mission we've always seen an increasing trickle of donations that would see us through the next mission, but for some reason this hasn't been happening recently.
"Operations director Willie McMartin has put his heart and soul into this organisation for 29 years, and while he's putting a brave face on it I think he's terrified we may be close to the end."
Mr McMartin said the recession may have contributed to the downturn in the donations.
He said: "Because the media moved on very quickly from the [Indonesian] disaster, the International Rescue Corps didn't get as much exposure as we would like so we have only received GBP 3,500 worth of donations since September.
"Commercial airlines charge GBP 69 per kilo of excess luggage one way, and we usually carry 1,500 kilos of equipment so you can see how much this is going to cost."
Volunteer Paul Baxter, 38, a team leader for Edinburgh city council's environmental wardens, said
: "We've had to take the decision to leave this one to the many other competent international organisations heading there in the hope that we can gather our funds together for a future mission."
IRC was dealt a further blow after the Department for International Development (DFID) restricted international aid flights to UK fire and rescue crews only.
Mercy Corps, whose UK headquarters is based in Sciennes, has confirmed it is sending a team to Haiti, while Oxfam Scotland has launched an appeal for millions of pounds of aid money as it began its response to the earthquake.
For information on how to donate to the IRC visit www. intrescue.org or send a cheque payable to 'International Rescue Corps', Office 2b, 1 Kerse Road, Grangemouth, FK3 8HW.
Edinburgh Evening News
14 January 2010
A RESCUE charity has revealed it cannot go to Haiti to aid in the earthquake relief operations because it is running short of funds after a lack of donations.
International Rescue Corps (IRC), which has volunteers throughout Scotland including the Lothians, said the recession, government restrictions on travelling for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and airline costs have left it grounded.
The charity is now appealing for donations to help top up its coffers.
IRC volunteer Derek Jolly, 39, a nurse at Edinburgh's Sick Kids Hospital, said the charity may be on the verge of folding unless donations start coming in soon.
It was left virtually penniless after its last aid mission, following the Indonesian earthquake in September, cost GBP 40,000.
He said: "I was in tears when I heard we weren't going to Haiti.
"We're a small charity so we're used to scraping the money together, and after every mission we've always seen an increasing trickle of donations that would see us through the next mission, but for some reason this hasn't been happening recently.
"Operations director Willie McMartin has put his heart and soul into this organisation for 29 years, and while he's putting a brave face on it I think he's terrified we may be close to the end."
Mr McMartin said the recession may have contributed to the downturn in the donations.
He said: "Because the media moved on very quickly from the [Indonesian] disaster, the International Rescue Corps didn't get as much exposure as we would like so we have only received GBP 3,500 worth of donations since September.
"Commercial airlines charge GBP 69 per kilo of excess luggage one way, and we usually carry 1,500 kilos of equipment so you can see how much this is going to cost."
Volunteer Paul Baxter, 38, a team leader for Edinburgh city council's environmental wardens, said
: "We've had to take the decision to leave this one to the many other competent international organisations heading there in the hope that we can gather our funds together for a future mission."
IRC was dealt a further blow after the Department for International Development (DFID) restricted international aid flights to UK fire and rescue crews only.
Mercy Corps, whose UK headquarters is based in Sciennes, has confirmed it is sending a team to Haiti, while Oxfam Scotland has launched an appeal for millions of pounds of aid money as it began its response to the earthquake.
For information on how to donate to the IRC visit www. intrescue.org or send a cheque payable to 'International Rescue Corps', Office 2b, 1 Kerse Road, Grangemouth, FK3 8HW.
NEWS: Max McAuslane RIP
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
13 January 2009
FORMER Edinburgh Evening News editor Max McAuslane, who as a young reporter was the first journalist at the scene when Rudolf Hess landed in Scotland, has died at the age of 97.
Mr McAuslane, who lived in Mayfield but was latterly in a care home in Haddington, retired from the Evening News in 1976.
He spent 16 years as editor and was the first at the helm of the combined Evening News and Evening Dispatch in 1963 following the papers' merger.
Family and former colleagues said the defining moment of his career was when he was sent to investigate the mysterious landing of Hitler's right-hand man in a German aircraft near Eaglesham, Renfrewshire, in 1941.
Mr McAuslane was an office junior with the Daily Record in his native Glasgow at the time and ended up breaking one of the biggest stories of the war.
Alone in the office when the story broke, he was sent to Eaglesham to secure a phone line and wait for a more senior reporter to arrive at the scene, but ended up reporting the story himself. For many years after the incident, he would receive calls from other journalists looking for comment whenever Hess hit the headlines, leading colleagues to joke that he should perhaps relocate his office to Hess's cell at Spandau Prison.
That early wartime scoop was to be the start of a long and distinguished career.
Mr McAuslane's daughter Fiona Steele, 63, said: "He was highly regarded as one of Scotland's great newspapermen and a devoted family man.
"He was in newspapers all of his life, beginning as a junior reporter at Clydebank Press, then as news editor of the Daily Record and then The Scotsman, before going on to become the first editor of the merged Edinburgh Evening News and Evening Dispatch. He had a long and happy retirement at his home in Edinburgh. We will all miss him."
During his time at the Evening News, he was at the helm when Princess Alexandra helped to celebrate the paper's centenary in 1973.
Hamish Coghill, who was his news editor for six years, recalled: "He was a superb newspaperman, particularly when it came to knowing where there was a story. He had been a great reporter in his day. He always had a great eye for a story and he knew when there was something to be dug out.
"He made sure his news desk was on top of everything and he was a hard taskmaster, but he also knew his job very thoroughly on the news-gathering side."
Edinburgh Evening News
13 January 2009
FORMER Edinburgh Evening News editor Max McAuslane, who as a young reporter was the first journalist at the scene when Rudolf Hess landed in Scotland, has died at the age of 97.
Mr McAuslane, who lived in Mayfield but was latterly in a care home in Haddington, retired from the Evening News in 1976.
He spent 16 years as editor and was the first at the helm of the combined Evening News and Evening Dispatch in 1963 following the papers' merger.
Family and former colleagues said the defining moment of his career was when he was sent to investigate the mysterious landing of Hitler's right-hand man in a German aircraft near Eaglesham, Renfrewshire, in 1941.
Mr McAuslane was an office junior with the Daily Record in his native Glasgow at the time and ended up breaking one of the biggest stories of the war.
Alone in the office when the story broke, he was sent to Eaglesham to secure a phone line and wait for a more senior reporter to arrive at the scene, but ended up reporting the story himself. For many years after the incident, he would receive calls from other journalists looking for comment whenever Hess hit the headlines, leading colleagues to joke that he should perhaps relocate his office to Hess's cell at Spandau Prison.
That early wartime scoop was to be the start of a long and distinguished career.
Mr McAuslane's daughter Fiona Steele, 63, said: "He was highly regarded as one of Scotland's great newspapermen and a devoted family man.
"He was in newspapers all of his life, beginning as a junior reporter at Clydebank Press, then as news editor of the Daily Record and then The Scotsman, before going on to become the first editor of the merged Edinburgh Evening News and Evening Dispatch. He had a long and happy retirement at his home in Edinburgh. We will all miss him."
During his time at the Evening News, he was at the helm when Princess Alexandra helped to celebrate the paper's centenary in 1973.
Hamish Coghill, who was his news editor for six years, recalled: "He was a superb newspaperman, particularly when it came to knowing where there was a story. He had been a great reporter in his day. He always had a great eye for a story and he knew when there was something to be dug out.
"He made sure his news desk was on top of everything and he was a hard taskmaster, but he also knew his job very thoroughly on the news-gathering side."
NEWS: Toad in the Hold
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
13 January 2010
HE'S travelled more than 6,000 miles in the freezing hold of an aeroplane so you can forgive him for feeling under par - but at least he didn't croak.
Caarl the Cape Mountain toad gave the Griffin family, of Barnton, the shock of their lives when he hopped out of a golf bag.
Father-of-three David Griffin had just returned from a golfing trip to South Africa when Caarl leapt from the luggage and frightened his 15-year-old daughter Nicola.
He said: "I heard this loud shriek and saw Nicola pointing at the golf bag, and there was this big green lump hopping around."
The extra passenger turned out to be a refugee from a threatened species of South African toad - Capensibufo rosei - that had stowed away in Mr Griffin's golf bag bound for a new life in Scotland.
Mr Griffin, 48, a retired finance director who lives with his wife Leslie, 50, owns a holiday home in Stellenbosch, close to the Pearl Valley Golfing Estate that hosted the South African Open Championships last month.
He added: "There's a river and a large swampy area out the back of the house which has quite a bit of wildlife living in it, including puff adders, cobras, frogs and this species of toad that stowed away in my bag.
"When I found out I'd brought one home I looked it up on the internet and discovered that it wasn't dangerous.
"However, it's only found in South Africa and some of the areas where it lives are developing quite quickly so it's on the threatened list due to habitat loss. I guess you could call it a refugee.
"I didn't know what to do with it so I put it in a box with some grass and some water, and some mealworms to eat, and phoned round a few animal welfare places.
"I found out that Dobbies Butterfly and Insect World would probably be the best place to house him, so I gave them a ring. They reckon he's now the only one of his kind in Scotland."
The Lasswade centre took the toad in and named him Caarl, after the largest town in his native homeland on the Western Cape of South Africa - Paarl.
General manager Andrew McDonald said: "We think he's a male toad and probably not fully grown. He's about the size of a golf ball right now, strangely enough, and we think he may get a bit bigger.
"He was feeling a bit peaky after his cold journey over in the aeroplane so he wasn't eating. It's quite common with trauma cases such as this.
"We've given him a warm place to stay and some little nooks to hide in so hopefully he'll start eating soon - maybe the odd cricket.
"He's still under quarantine so we'll be monitoring everything that goes into him - and everything that comes out - but we're fairly sure that he isn't dangerous."
Edinburgh Evening News
13 January 2010
HE'S travelled more than 6,000 miles in the freezing hold of an aeroplane so you can forgive him for feeling under par - but at least he didn't croak.
Caarl the Cape Mountain toad gave the Griffin family, of Barnton, the shock of their lives when he hopped out of a golf bag.
Father-of-three David Griffin had just returned from a golfing trip to South Africa when Caarl leapt from the luggage and frightened his 15-year-old daughter Nicola.
He said: "I heard this loud shriek and saw Nicola pointing at the golf bag, and there was this big green lump hopping around."
The extra passenger turned out to be a refugee from a threatened species of South African toad - Capensibufo rosei - that had stowed away in Mr Griffin's golf bag bound for a new life in Scotland.
Mr Griffin, 48, a retired finance director who lives with his wife Leslie, 50, owns a holiday home in Stellenbosch, close to the Pearl Valley Golfing Estate that hosted the South African Open Championships last month.
He added: "There's a river and a large swampy area out the back of the house which has quite a bit of wildlife living in it, including puff adders, cobras, frogs and this species of toad that stowed away in my bag.
"When I found out I'd brought one home I looked it up on the internet and discovered that it wasn't dangerous.
"However, it's only found in South Africa and some of the areas where it lives are developing quite quickly so it's on the threatened list due to habitat loss. I guess you could call it a refugee.
"I didn't know what to do with it so I put it in a box with some grass and some water, and some mealworms to eat, and phoned round a few animal welfare places.
"I found out that Dobbies Butterfly and Insect World would probably be the best place to house him, so I gave them a ring. They reckon he's now the only one of his kind in Scotland."
The Lasswade centre took the toad in and named him Caarl, after the largest town in his native homeland on the Western Cape of South Africa - Paarl.
General manager Andrew McDonald said: "We think he's a male toad and probably not fully grown. He's about the size of a golf ball right now, strangely enough, and we think he may get a bit bigger.
"He was feeling a bit peaky after his cold journey over in the aeroplane so he wasn't eating. It's quite common with trauma cases such as this.
"We've given him a warm place to stay and some little nooks to hide in so hopefully he'll start eating soon - maybe the odd cricket.
"He's still under quarantine so we'll be monitoring everything that goes into him - and everything that comes out - but we're fairly sure that he isn't dangerous."
NEWS: Death and Deportation
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
11 January 2010
THE Edinburgh family of an Indian man have yet to hear whether he will be deported to India in connection with an investigation into a murder two years ago.
As reported in the Evening News, a senior Indian police officer has indicated that they wish to question Pawan Bhardwaj again in connection with the death of Michael Blakey, 23, who was killed while working for Edinburgh-based charity Tong-Len in Dharamsala in November 2006.
Dharamsala Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dinesh Sharma, said: "We have approached Scotland Yard to deport Indian Pawan Bhardwaj to India so that he could be re-examined."
Mr Bhardwaj now lives in Edinburgh with wife Rachel Owen and their three children. He had previously been questioned and released by Indian police.
However, Mr Bhardwaj's mother-in-law, Tong-Len founder Anna Owen, said the family had yet to receive any official notice of the request for deportation and reaffirmed their belief in his total innocence. Mrs Owen, of Corstorphine, said: "I was not aware of this request and had heard nothing more about the investigation since the inquest last July.
"I have no doubts whatsoever as to Pawan's innocence. He co-operated fully with the police in India at several stages during the investigation. The family returned to India in October 2007 and only returned to the UK in June 2008 for the birth of their third baby.
"It was planned for them to return to the UK some months earlier, but Pawan himself insisted on staying in order to be available to help the police when the investigation was reopened in early 2008. No evidence has ever been found to link him to Michael's death."
Two post-mortem reports - one conducted in India and the second in Britain - found Mr Blakey died from extensive head injuries and strangulation.
One theory was that the devout Christian was murdered by a thief who robbed him of his mobile phone and credit cards. The phone was later found at a shop in Ludhiana, about 100 miles south of Dharamsala. The shopkeeper was questioned and released and police started looking for the man who sold him the phone.
The investigation into Mr Blakey's killing was reopened last July after UK police asked colleagues in India for help.
Although the family have received no official notification of the extradition request, Mr Bhardwaj would not necessarily be informed of the request in advance of an extradition warrant being executed. A spokeswoman for the Home Office said they cannot comment on, nor can they confirm or deny, any extradition request they receive from abroad.
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police, which executes all extradition requests made by countries outside of the EU, said they have yet to receive an official approach regarding Mr Bhardwaj. She added: "Our extradition unit have no knowledge of this request and no warrant has been issued at this time."
Edinburgh Evening News
11 January 2010
THE Edinburgh family of an Indian man have yet to hear whether he will be deported to India in connection with an investigation into a murder two years ago.
As reported in the Evening News, a senior Indian police officer has indicated that they wish to question Pawan Bhardwaj again in connection with the death of Michael Blakey, 23, who was killed while working for Edinburgh-based charity Tong-Len in Dharamsala in November 2006.
Dharamsala Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dinesh Sharma, said: "We have approached Scotland Yard to deport Indian Pawan Bhardwaj to India so that he could be re-examined."
Mr Bhardwaj now lives in Edinburgh with wife Rachel Owen and their three children. He had previously been questioned and released by Indian police.
However, Mr Bhardwaj's mother-in-law, Tong-Len founder Anna Owen, said the family had yet to receive any official notice of the request for deportation and reaffirmed their belief in his total innocence. Mrs Owen, of Corstorphine, said: "I was not aware of this request and had heard nothing more about the investigation since the inquest last July.
"I have no doubts whatsoever as to Pawan's innocence. He co-operated fully with the police in India at several stages during the investigation. The family returned to India in October 2007 and only returned to the UK in June 2008 for the birth of their third baby.
"It was planned for them to return to the UK some months earlier, but Pawan himself insisted on staying in order to be available to help the police when the investigation was reopened in early 2008. No evidence has ever been found to link him to Michael's death."
Two post-mortem reports - one conducted in India and the second in Britain - found Mr Blakey died from extensive head injuries and strangulation.
One theory was that the devout Christian was murdered by a thief who robbed him of his mobile phone and credit cards. The phone was later found at a shop in Ludhiana, about 100 miles south of Dharamsala. The shopkeeper was questioned and released and police started looking for the man who sold him the phone.
The investigation into Mr Blakey's killing was reopened last July after UK police asked colleagues in India for help.
Although the family have received no official notification of the extradition request, Mr Bhardwaj would not necessarily be informed of the request in advance of an extradition warrant being executed. A spokeswoman for the Home Office said they cannot comment on, nor can they confirm or deny, any extradition request they receive from abroad.
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police, which executes all extradition requests made by countries outside of the EU, said they have yet to receive an official approach regarding Mr Bhardwaj. She added: "Our extradition unit have no knowledge of this request and no warrant has been issued at this time."
NEWS: A Death on the Beach
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
8 January 2010
A PENSIONER found dead on a Musselburgh beach was just 100 metres from the rented flat she had lived in for only a few weeks, it emerged today.
Christina Thomson, 80, was found on the beach just off Bush Street at Fisherrow Sands on Tuesday.
A post mortem examination revealed that hypothermia may have played a part in her death.
She lived alone in the ground-floor flat in Gracefield Court and had only moved there within the last two months.
The only sign that she had lived there was a note pinned to the door as a makeshift nameplate with the name Ena Thomson written shakily in black ink. A sign hanging from the letterbox read 'Please Knock Loudly'.
Ms Thomson's son visited her flat yesterday morning to collect some of her belongings, and chatted briefly with neighbours.
Neighbour Isabella Mouat said: "He was very cut up about her death. It's still a bit of a mystery how she came to be found on the beach. He said she just went for a walk, and that was that.
"We never really got to know her. One of the neighbours called an ambulance for her last month after she had a fall, and used to talk to her a bit after that but aside from this she didn't really speak to anyone."
Gracefield Court is a quiet cul-de-sac just a few hundred metres back from Fisherrow Sands.
Its largely elderly population was stunned to hear of Ms Thomson's death so soon after moving to the neighbourhood.
Neighbour Gladys Thomson said: "Nobody knew who the body on the beach was at first, but I began to suspect that it may have been the lady in the next block when I started getting letters in her name.
"We share the same surname and I received a lawyer's letter, and then a letter from Roodlands Hospital addressed to her.
"Then the police came to the door. I got such a fright because I thought something might have happened to one of my lads, but then they told me they were making enquiries about the lady next door.
"The police said that the son had reported her missing and that they were concerned about her, and then I heard that it was her that was found on the beach. It's very sad."
Lothian and Borders Police said the death is not suspicious and have sent a report to the procurator fiscal.
Edinburgh Evening News
8 January 2010
A PENSIONER found dead on a Musselburgh beach was just 100 metres from the rented flat she had lived in for only a few weeks, it emerged today.
Christina Thomson, 80, was found on the beach just off Bush Street at Fisherrow Sands on Tuesday.
A post mortem examination revealed that hypothermia may have played a part in her death.
She lived alone in the ground-floor flat in Gracefield Court and had only moved there within the last two months.
The only sign that she had lived there was a note pinned to the door as a makeshift nameplate with the name Ena Thomson written shakily in black ink. A sign hanging from the letterbox read 'Please Knock Loudly'.
Ms Thomson's son visited her flat yesterday morning to collect some of her belongings, and chatted briefly with neighbours.
Neighbour Isabella Mouat said: "He was very cut up about her death. It's still a bit of a mystery how she came to be found on the beach. He said she just went for a walk, and that was that.
"We never really got to know her. One of the neighbours called an ambulance for her last month after she had a fall, and used to talk to her a bit after that but aside from this she didn't really speak to anyone."
Gracefield Court is a quiet cul-de-sac just a few hundred metres back from Fisherrow Sands.
Its largely elderly population was stunned to hear of Ms Thomson's death so soon after moving to the neighbourhood.
Neighbour Gladys Thomson said: "Nobody knew who the body on the beach was at first, but I began to suspect that it may have been the lady in the next block when I started getting letters in her name.
"We share the same surname and I received a lawyer's letter, and then a letter from Roodlands Hospital addressed to her.
"Then the police came to the door. I got such a fright because I thought something might have happened to one of my lads, but then they told me they were making enquiries about the lady next door.
"The police said that the son had reported her missing and that they were concerned about her, and then I heard that it was her that was found on the beach. It's very sad."
Lothian and Borders Police said the death is not suspicious and have sent a report to the procurator fiscal.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
NEWS: A Death in India
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
5 January 2010
DETECTIVES have reopened the investigation into the death of a man who was killed in India while working for an Edinburgh-based charity.
Michael Blakey, 23, was found bludgeoned to death in a churchyard in Dharamsala in November 2006.
The investigation has now been reopened and officers are hoping to talk to Pawan Bhardwaj, who moved to Edinburgh with his wife Rachel Owen shortly after the killing when she became pregnant with twins. He had previously been questioned and released by Indian police.
The investigation instead shifted to a thief who robbed Mr Blakey, of Burnley, Lancashire, of his mobile phone and credit cards, but police failed to uncover any new leads. Dharamsala Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dinesh Sharma, said: "We have approached Scotland Yard to deport Indian Pawan Bhardwaj to India so that he could be re-examined."
Mr Blakey had been working for Edinburgh charity Tong-Len when he was slain in November 2006.
Two post-mortem reports – one conducted in India and the second in Britain – found he died from extensive head injuries and strangulation.
Speaking after Mr Bhardwaj's release in January 2007, Rachel's mother, Anna, 66, who set up the Tong-Len UK charity which Rachel works for, said: "None of us ever thought that he had anything to do with Michael's death and even the police had very little to go on. It was such a relief when he was finally released and cleared."
The family began raising money to create a permanent home in Michael's memory for destitute families, to be called the Michael Blakey Centre.
One theory was that the devout Christian was murdered by a thief who robbed him of his mobile phone and credit cards.
The phone was later found at a shop in Ludhiana, about 100 miles south of Dharamsala.
The shopkeeper was questioned and released and police started looking for the man who sold him the phone.
The investigation into Mr Blakey's killing was reopened last July after UK police contacted colleagues in India and asked for help in tracing the killer.
An inquest report from the coroner's court in Lancashire was sent to the Indian police.
It included statement's from Michael's colleagues and friends, including Rachel and Mr Bhardwaj, plus the post-mortem report.
Edinburgh Evening News
5 January 2010
DETECTIVES have reopened the investigation into the death of a man who was killed in India while working for an Edinburgh-based charity.
Michael Blakey, 23, was found bludgeoned to death in a churchyard in Dharamsala in November 2006.
The investigation has now been reopened and officers are hoping to talk to Pawan Bhardwaj, who moved to Edinburgh with his wife Rachel Owen shortly after the killing when she became pregnant with twins. He had previously been questioned and released by Indian police.
The investigation instead shifted to a thief who robbed Mr Blakey, of Burnley, Lancashire, of his mobile phone and credit cards, but police failed to uncover any new leads. Dharamsala Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dinesh Sharma, said: "We have approached Scotland Yard to deport Indian Pawan Bhardwaj to India so that he could be re-examined."
Mr Blakey had been working for Edinburgh charity Tong-Len when he was slain in November 2006.
Two post-mortem reports – one conducted in India and the second in Britain – found he died from extensive head injuries and strangulation.
Speaking after Mr Bhardwaj's release in January 2007, Rachel's mother, Anna, 66, who set up the Tong-Len UK charity which Rachel works for, said: "None of us ever thought that he had anything to do with Michael's death and even the police had very little to go on. It was such a relief when he was finally released and cleared."
The family began raising money to create a permanent home in Michael's memory for destitute families, to be called the Michael Blakey Centre.
One theory was that the devout Christian was murdered by a thief who robbed him of his mobile phone and credit cards.
The phone was later found at a shop in Ludhiana, about 100 miles south of Dharamsala.
The shopkeeper was questioned and released and police started looking for the man who sold him the phone.
The investigation into Mr Blakey's killing was reopened last July after UK police contacted colleagues in India and asked for help in tracing the killer.
An inquest report from the coroner's court in Lancashire was sent to the Indian police.
It included statement's from Michael's colleagues and friends, including Rachel and Mr Bhardwaj, plus the post-mortem report.
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