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Hello all, I have a question that has been bugging me for some time, and I hope that some kind soul out there with a good memory will perhaps be able to help.

I'm trying to piece together some events from my childhood, and one key event I am trying to fix a date to happened around the same time a murder was committed in Wallasey.. this was in the seventies, so it's going back a bit I know. One thing I remember is that there were posters up on hoardings at the time which said Have you seen this hammer? or something like that, along with a big picture of a hammer. I think the murder was in Seacombe, possibly Clarendon Road.

I would be so grateful if anyone would kindly take the time to point me in the right direction as to what year this was, it would help me enormously, it really would.

Thanking all in advance!
With my best wishes Tess xx.

There was a woman killed with a hammer in Gorsedale Road in the mid Seventies. There was rumours, but the killer was never caught.

Thanks so much, Raven61.
(Dare I ask you what the rumours were??)

I am sure something bad happened in Clarendon Road in the mid-seventies too, I can remember avoiding that road for a good while as a child because I was frightened of the place.

I want to go to the Echo archives in Liverpool at some point to research all of this, so if anyone out there has any pointers on what year it happened, that would really help. I've tried looking on the internet for info but I just seem to end up with google junk links to nowhere.

Thanks again to you Raven61.
Tess x

I went to Earlston Library today, and with the kind assistance of the librarians I found out that the public appeal for evidence (re. Gorsedale Rd) began on October 6th 1973.

I just thought I would post this update in case anyone else was wondering.

Tess x.

I know it's been a while but I've just found these two articles on History of Wallasey site for 1973:
Also this month saw the tragic murder of Miss Margaret Parker, a 37 year-old spinster of Gorsedale Road. The woman had been an ex-Wren and her diary proved that she had men visitors. She was found murdered at her home with severe head injuries on the 7th January. She was naked from the waist down and had had sexual intercourse. A total of 75 detectives were employed trying to track down her killer and frogmen and police dogs were also searching for the blunt instrument believed to have caused her death. Margaret had worked as a clerk for the docks terminal in Liverpool for more than 20 years. She would often frequent various public houses and clubs in Liverpool where she met Continental lorry drivers. Dozens of lorry drivers were questioned by the police. There already had been other attacks in the town in the last six months which pointed to the work of a methodical sex maniac. An 18 year-old girl had been attacked in Matthew Street in August 1972. She managed to scream and scare her attacker off. Another lady had been attacked on Clarendon Road whilst walking home. She died later in hospital. A 19 year-old was also found savagely attacked in Marsden Road. She had suffered hammer blows to the head. She recovered after an operation. No one knows if there was a connection between the spinster's killer and these horrific attacks. The Police questioned seamen who were in the port at the time of the murder. The murderer was never found.

On 5th May, two sisters, one aged 63 the other 54, were murdered in Greenwood Lane. They had received horrific injuries to the head and neck as well as stab wounds. One woman was nailed to the floor with a 6 inch nail through her breast. The ambulance was called when the men found the sisters in pools of blood. A neighbour said she had noticed that one of the sisters had became withdrawn and interested in Spiritualism. The tragedy happened on the birthday of one of the ladies. Two youths, Anthony Atherton (also known as Mark Anthony Stanhope) and Terence McGee, who had been kind to them when there was trouble with vandals on bonfire night had taken lodgings with them. The young men, aged 19 and 22, were apprehended by the Police and later charged with the murders. They were tried in the Liverpool Crown Court where they pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but not of murder. They were jailed for life.
http://www.historyofwallasey.co.uk/wallasey/Looking_back_to_1973/index.html

I remember the attack in Gorsedale Road. The police done door to door enquires, they asked me were I was, I replied that I had been in all that night and not ventured out. I had really met up with my girlfriend for some "Fun". I feared her father more than the cops and he would of killed me :-)) Luckily the cops never found out I had lied either. I believe the front room was covered in blood, up the stairs too. I don't believe I ever met the poor Lady.

I'm no detective but very close by, within months;

21st July, 1973

A 23-year old Wallasey man who attacked a 19-year old girl with a hammer, fracturing her skull, was jailed for seven years at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday. Mr. Justice Chrichton told David Leslie Barnes, of Seabank Road: "This was a terrible crime. You might have killed that girl."

The prosecution accepted a plea of not guilty by Barnes to attempting to murder Miss Corrinne Hastie on December 22nd. He admitted wounding her with intent.

Barnes also received sentences of 12 months concurring for burglary and for theft. The judge ordered him to serve concurrently a six month suspended sentence imposed for wounding with a flick knife the woman with whom he was living with.

Miss Rose Heilbron, QC, prosecuting, said Barnes quarrelled with the woman with whom he lived and went out drinking all day. Shortly after midnight he met Miss Hastie, whom he did not know, and struck her a number of blows on the head with a hammer, causing severe fractures of her skull and brain damage.

The girl was now frightened of everyone and it was not known what the further effects of her injuries might be.

Barnes was seen on February 21 by Detective Chief Inspector Wilfred Marsden and Detective Superintendent Desmond Green. He admitted the offence and others.

Det. Sgt. Dawson said that Barnes had previous convictions for possessing an offensive, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and the malicious wounding offence for which he received the suspended sentence.

August 1972 - 18 year old attacked in Matthew Street
Date? 1972 - Female attacked in Clarendon Rd. Later died.
Date? 1972 - 19 yr old attacked in Marsden Rd (possibly Hastie?)
December 1972 - Corrinne Hastie attacked with a hammer by Barnes.
January 1973 - Margaret Parker murdered with blunt object Goresdale Rd
February 1973 - David Leslie Barnes of Seabank Rd arrested
July 1973 - Barnes sentenced to 7 years.

All these adddresses are in a small geographical area.