THE brother of a 14-year-old girl who was allegedly murdered by ‘Beast of Wombwell’ Peter Pickering says his family feel one step closer to securing justice after waiting for more than 50 years.
Elsie Frost was stabbed to death as she walked home in Wakefield in 1965 and although there did not prove to be a successful prosecution over her murder at the time, detectives - who have been reinvestigating Elsie’s murder since 2016 - were preparing to charge convicted child killer and rapist Pickering after new evidence came to light.
However, the 80-year-old died in March 2018 after being taken ill in the secure psychiatric accommodation in Berkshire where he was held for more than four decades.
Elsie’s brother, Colin Frost, told the Chronicle his family’s wish for a new inquest to open - which was granted following a High Court appearance last month - will finally give them the answers they have been waiting for for years.
“Elsie’s murder and Pickering’s crimes shocked the communities of Barnsley and Wakefield,” he said.
“As a family we have fought hard for a fresh inquest to be opened to keep her legacy going and hope that more families affected by open murder cases can get strength from this.
“The police will have the opportunity to reveal all the evidence they found against Pickering resulting from the enquiries of the last three years.
“The response from the public has been overwhelming and we can’t thank them enough for keeping Elsie’s memory alive. We’ll never fully get justice because that hope ended when Pickering died, but the inquest is the best-case scenario for us.
“The High Court’s decision is the result of years of work and campaigning for justice for Elsie.”
Pickering, who stabbed and strangled 14-year-old Shirley Boldy in Wombwell seven years after Elsie’s murder, was also convicted of historically raping a woman - a crime he committed near the time of Elsie’s death - and was waiting to be sentenced before he died.
Elsie was attacked from behind and stabbed in the back and head as she walked through a railway tunnel off a canal towpath.
Ian Bernard Spencer - who was originally accused of Elsie’s murder but never charged - was visited before his death last year where police officers advised him that there was to be a charge against a major suspect and he would be totally exonerated.
Part of the new evidence cited by the judges, according to High Court documents, includes an allegation that the Metropolitan Police sent a telegram in October 1965 to colleagues in Wakefield stating they regarded Pickering as a ‘potential suspect’.
However, investigating officers ruled Pickering out and although he was jailed seven years later for Miss Boldy’s murder, Elsie’s family were robbed of the ‘closure’ they sought.
Colin added: “Ian had to live with the accusation of being involved in Elsie’s murder for the rest of his life and that is just wrong, so we want justice for everyone involved.
“Many people will remember Elsie -and indeed Pickering - hence why the case still resonates with a lot. It was a senseless crime, one which has no answer, but we feel a huge sense of relief that Elsie’s story will finally be told in court.”
