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Tigers at Layer Road
at 12:23 30 Mar 2025

I'm working on a new written piece which will be too dark to post in it's entirety on 'The Usual' but here are a few sections...

The title is 'Drug Courier, Ipswich 2005'

And you sit here
Before me
Describing
Your involvement
In the act of murder
Some twenty years hence
You are shaking
Your voice is breaking
As you reach
For a cigarette
Then
Running
To the bathroom
You are sick
Across the wall
Over the floor

After a while
You return
And begin to describe
As best you can
An assignment
As a drug courier
In November 2005
When you accepted
A package
A brick of cash
Concealed in
A charity shop carrier bag
Wrapped in
A copy of The Sun
Secured with
Blue electrical tape
Then driven
By taxi
To a rendezvous
At a remote farm building
On arrival
You knock on a steel door
Then it opens
You descend
The concrete steps
Members of a Bosnian gang await
Instinctively you know
You have taken
A step too far
There is a white male
Twenty something
Tied to a chair
With blue tow rope
Fear in his eyes....

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 12:00 26 Mar 2025

Jaywick 2007

As reported back to power company from cold caller who was in the first hour of his job.

'l knocked on the door and an elderly white male in a white vest presented himself in front of me and said 'What to you xxxxxxx want - you're disturbing me'.

'I said would you be interested in reducing your energy bills sir?'

He replied - 'No, and if l ever see you around here again l will cut your xxxxxxx head off with a sword'.

'I went back to the van and sat in there for about 20 minutes pondering what he said and decided that l am not suited to this type of work. Do you have any internal jobs available?'

[Post edited 26 Mar 12:02]

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 08:45 25 Mar 2025

'WONDERWHEEL'

And so TONIGHT
At your insistence
You are EXCLUSIVELY
My 'possession'
BODY
SOUL
MIND
Hidden away
Behind closed doors
At a cul-de-sac
In deepest ESSEX
Away from the media glare
You have the TABLOIDS
In a HARROD'S bag
Page by page
You are putting yourself
Through the
SHREDDER
Pictures
Scantily dressed
Headlines
Of EXCESS
As l witness
A RITUAL
And now l understand
Why we stopped off
At Staples
On route
DELIBERATE
CLINICAL
This is your release
And when the paperwork
Is complete
You make an announcement
To an audience of one
And kick off your designer shoes
Step onto the laminate
BAREFOOT
In this four day old kitchen
And l watch you
TWISTING
TURNING
SWIRLING
TWIRLING
A cavorting
WONDERWHEEL
A private floorshow
Of HYPERMOBILITY
You appear to be
FLOATING
Defying gravity
And you say
'We are the 24 hour
Party people now'

[Post edited 25 Mar 15:01]

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 18:15 24 Mar 2025

I used to do prison visits on occasion.

One of the people who l would like to have met was Michael Steele as l had a question to put to him.

That being - 'When did you begin flying?'

Michael was involved in drug importation from Belgium and Holland.

I got an answer to my question today from an associate of his and Steele was flying light aircraft in 1970 when he was about 27 years of age.

He is 82 now, still held in a Class A prison and his parole situation is currently uncertain.

It is incredible to think that Steele has been in prison for about 37 years from 1985 and when he was released around 1993 he was only on the outside for about three years in the time leading up to him being charged for the murders in Rettendon, along with Jack Whomes.

One thing that cannot be denied about Steele was his engineering and navigational skill.

I have someone living close by who has served over 30 years in prison. He too is a big story.

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 15:59 23 Mar 2025

SUNDAY MORNING 1996

IT'S THE MORNING AFTER
THE NIGHT BEFORE
YOUR CLOTHES
ARE STREWN
ACROSS THE FLOOR

And there you LAY
Like a CORPSE
In a MORGUE
The Church bells toll
The sirens roll
And there's a
FIXED EXPRESSION
Like a china doll
I come up close
See the WHITES
Of your eyes
I CHECK to see
If you're alive
Motionless but....
You have
SURVIVED
And I'm counting
Backwards
From your NINE lives
I go downstairs
SURVEY the scene
Your RED stilettoes
By the washing machine
Cigarette ash
And a bundle of cash
An undisputed trail
Where YOU have been
I'll let you
SLEEP
And
DREAM
For a while
Go down
The One - Stop
Gather some supplies
It's been
A long and ILLUMINATING night
I run it in PLAY - BACK
Through a space in my mind
SLENDER and SLEEK
TENDER and MEEK
Your alter ego
Let out a shriek
In the cool night air

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 11:28 23 Mar 2025

Please
Allow
Passengers
To
Pass
On
Left
When
Approaching
The
End
Of
The
Moving
Walk

Thankyou
For
Waiting
All
Economy
Passengers
Can
Now
Continue
To
Board

This
Train
Is
For
Portsmouth
And
Southsea
The
Next
Station
Is
Guildford

Sighting
Of
UFO
Repeat
Sighting
Of
UFO
Strange
Strobe
Lights
Flashing
Into
Cockpit
Repeat
Strange
Strobe
Lights
Flashing
Into
Cockpit
Beams
Coming
Down
From
UFO
Repeat
Beams
Coming
Down
From
UFO
Two
Strange
Objects
Drifting
North
Radiant
Light
In
The
Cockpit
Repeat
Radiant
Light
In
The
Cockpit
We
Are
Experiencing
Extreme
Heat
Repeat
We
Are
Experiencing
Extreme
Heat
Objects
Have
Moved
At
Hyper
Speed
One
Hundred
And
Ten
Degrees
North
Repeat
Objects
Have
Moved
At
Hyper
Speed
One
Hundred
And
Ten
Degrees
North

We
Interrupt
This
Broadcast
For
An
Urgent
Announcement
This
Broadcast
Is
For
All
Citizens
On
Earth
American
Aircraft
Are
Engaged
With
Unidentified
Flying
Objects
Repeat
American
Aircraft
Are
Engaged
With
Unidentified
Flying
Objects

You
Must
Wear
A
Mask
That
Covers
Your
Nose
And
Your
Mouth

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 08:35 23 Mar 2025

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

This
Vehicle
Is
Reversing
This
Vehicle
Is
Reversing

Toilet
Door
Locked

The
Next
Train
To
Arrive
At
Platform
Three
Is
The
12.55
Southern
Service
To
London
Victoria

Smoking
Is
Only
Permitted
In
The
Specified
Terminal
Building

May
I
Have
Your
Attention
Train
Number
Forty
Three
Is
Boarding
On
Track
Forty
Four

Tea
Coffee
Biscuits
Sandwiches
And
Cakes

Please
Evacuate
The
Station
Repeat
Please
Evacuate
The
Station

Doors
Closing
Lift
Going
Down
Level
Zero
Doors
Opening

This
Is
An
Emergency
Repeat
This
Is
An
Emergency
Make
Your
Way
To
The
Exit
Signs

Please
Hold
On
To
The
Handrail
You
Are
Approaching
The
End
Of
The
Conveyer

Good
Afternoon
Ladies
And
Gentlemen
May
I
Have
Your
Attention
Child
Missing
Repeat
Child
Missing

Tea
Coffee
Sandwiches

This
Is
A
Public
Announcement.
Repeat
This
Is
A
Public
Announcement
Close
All
Windows
Stay
Indoors
Repeat
Close
All
Windows
Stay
Indoors

Listen
Carefully
Come
Out
With
Your
Hands
In
The
Air
Repeat
Come
Out
With
Your
Hands
In
The
Air

Public
Alert
Repeat
Public
Alert
Dangerous
Person
On
The
Premises
Repeat
Dangerous
Person
On
The
Premises

[Post edited 23 Mar 18:16]

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 17:29 21 Mar 2025

PERFORMANCE DEGREE

( A spin - off from Miss B ).

So here you are
On loan for the weekend
In my car
Driving East
I think we would likely fail
The Reality TV auditions
Too many scenes
Would require
Some form
Of visual distortion

You empty the contents
Of your bag on the table
Carefully assemble
The components
In a line
Your fingers
Run feverishly
And skillfully
Like a magician
At high speed
Fully rehearsed

I watch in wonder
As you offer me a sample
Of your creation
Which l politely decline

And then l see you
Performing Act One
From a front row seat....

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 17:58 20 Mar 2025

Darren Nicholls was the supergrass that had Michael Steele and Jack Whomes convicted for the murder of three men in Rettendon in 1995.

Nicholls had once worked as a BT Engineer.

Michael Steele had been advised on protection from having his landline tapped.

There was equipment at his home that offered a deterrent to being tapped.

I'm not sure if Nicholls assisted with the advice ( equipment ) but no one advised Steele about the kind of telecom data that was evolving through '95.

Without the signals from the masts that were presented as evidence at the four month trial it is unlikely there would have been a conviction for murder.

However, there would have been a conviction for drug importation and as Steele had been given a 9 year custodial sentence for importation in '85 he was facing a lengthy time in prison.

I don't have access to Michael Steele's criminal record but it begins in 1964 when he was around 21 years old.

Change of subject re. Evening Standard.

I remember my Dad coming home one night when l was about 17.

He had the Evening Standard with him and pointed to the headline on the front page. It referred to a supergrass ( although they weren't known as such at the time ) who was appearing at The Old Bailey in a murder case.

My Dad had sat down and had some kind of conversation with him in the company of two police officers who were guarding / escorting him while in transit to the trial.

It was a major story at the time and the individual who would be turning Queen's Evidence had been transported down to Colchester ( the Globe Hotel of all places ), on the eve of the trial.

I can't recall what the conversation may have consisted of but l remember my Dad mentioning it for days.

Back to Michael Steele and Jack Whomes. They were very much on police radar for the murders in Rettendon within hours of the incident.

This would dovetail into the massive amount of work that Essex Police were involved with at the time.

Interestingly, one of the partners at TM Eye ( still looking into Rettendon ) was the arresting officer who pulled in Darren Nicholls in May '96 after taking a look in the boot of his car.

That is when Nicholls ( following initial no comment interviews ) was to begin to unleash an explanation of his role as a getaway driver and implicate Steele and Whomes in the murders.

[Post edited 20 Mar 18:04]

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 16:25 20 Mar 2025

Just a few links back to Miss B that might make a little more sense to it.

Stables - link to Tony Tucker.

Pylons - as seen in South Essex.

Cutting pretty shapes - Miss B cage dancing.

Tree lined walk - Workhouse Lane, Rettendon.

Toshiba screen - My television in 1996.

Landline - 01206 863200 as it was then.

Clacton - the area where Michael Steele's aircraft was located.

This has been written from memory of events in the weeks and months following the murders and the turmoil that Miss B ( an associate of that circle ) was experiencing at the time.

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 15:42 20 Mar 2025

Concluding the draft for 'The ballad of Miss B'

Come the scent of summer
Could you be tempted under
That tree lined walk to oblivion
The snow long melted
The tyre tracks gone
Some form of exorcism
Take a trek
To the chapel on the hill
Where the air is sultry
Warm and still
Breathe deeply
Throw your arms aloft
Scream out
To the heavens
For you are
The angel of life
Plotting a pathway
To paradise

NB. It was 'oblivion' for those killed in Rettendon.

'Angel of Life' is a reversal of the description of 'The Angel of Death' ( a reference linked to Michael Steele who was convicted of the murders ).

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 06:57 20 Mar 2025

And carrying on from this -

And there are times
When a curtain comes down
I find you agonised
In some self hypnotised state
Those moments of triumph
And elation that you knew
Evident from the press photographs
That adorn your home
The adrenaline rush
Distant now
Crushed
Head bowed at this table
And l am unable
To lift you
From the turmoil

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 22:02 19 Mar 2025

Words and mathematics

We were looking at something in 'Miss B'

Witches on the ceiling

( 2 / 7 ) ( 1 / 2 ) ( 1 / 3 ) ( 2 / 7 )

Gremlins down the hall

( 2 / 8 ) ( 1 / 4 ) ( 1 / 3 ) ( 1 / 4 )

So it represents syllables and characters in each word over the intended line.

It is likely the programme basis for AI to convert words to music.

I was in the company of a songwriter last week and have lyrics to an entire album that she has written and will apply the maths to it accordingly.

Lyrics were virtually without any value in isolation but with the new AI software being developed this could change in the future.

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 17:36 19 Mar 2025

Continuing with the darkness that Rettendon caused to those affected ...in this particular instance 'Miss B'.

And it's an evil wind
That blows through the pylons
You're only ever out on licence
And though you may be prone to silence
I'm a junkie for your alliance
'Cause l've heard these stories
Of incandescent trips and sorties
Where savage eye and evil mind
Springs ravage lines near no go signs
And l realise that you are on the precipice
Silently staring into the abyss
And it's
Witches on the ceiling
Gremlins in the hall
Ghostly figures kneeling
Spooky shadows on the wall

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 21:34 18 Mar 2025

'The ballad of Miss B'

Continuation of first draft -

Fixated
By the Toshiba screen
But you don't connect
Self indulged and distant
Immersed in regret
Witches on the ceiling
Gremlins in the hall
Ghostly figures kneeling
Spooky shadows on the wall
But from the outside
You are cutting pretty shapes
But on the inside
Some alien altered state

[Post edited 18 Mar 21:43]

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 12:54 18 Mar 2025

First draft - 'The ballad of Miss B'

Call me on a landline
I'm a one person rescue mission
When you're in that ravine
Throwing down a rope
In another movie scene
And I'll hoist you up
Lay you out on the bed
And my mind will be racing
At all the things you said
You held a secret
Locked deep inside
But you let your guard slip
At the stables
Where you ride
And those words
They travelled
Quicker than the light
Across the Essex plains
Cutting through the night
From Rayleigh to Basildon
From Clacton to Rettendon
And it's an ill wind
That blows through the pylons
And you're sitting at this table
Blowing smoke rings in the air
Your mind is wandering
Running fingers through your hair

Correction added while watching the stranded astronauts splash down! Mighty impressive. Welcomed back to earth by dolphins no less!

🙂🙂

[Post edited 18 Mar 22:40]

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 22:20 17 Mar 2025

There was an occasion around March 1996 when l received a phone call from Miss B in Great Baddow.

It was a Friday night around 8pm.

I hadn't seen her for a week or so.

She called on my landline and just said 'Please come and get me, l've got to get away from here'.

It was about 40 minutes later l pulled up outside her house. She was waiting on the pavement with a lot of bags and her German Shepherd which jumped into the back of the car.

As l drove back down the A12 towards Colchester she kept looking behind to see if we were being followed.

I don't think we were.

She was extremely distressed but didn't explain anything.

I can"t deny she had a substance habit.

We took the dog for a walk and she calmed down a bit.

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 21:59 17 Mar 2025

There are a number of YouTube channels that have covered The Rettendon Murders.

I have made the odd contribution on a few of them over the years.

One particular channel that deals with British crime and has done more than any other on the Range Rover murders has clocked up 27 million views in three years.

The channel covers other criminal topics but it's extraordinary how some 29 years on there is still global interest in Rettendon.

That kind of viewing stat is way ahead of anything else of it's kind in the UK and judging by the 788 videos that have been produced the creator must be doing this full time.

Back in 1994 l purchased a motor vehicle from a Jackie Street. To this day l am unsure if she was the same 'Jackie Street' as Michael Steele's partner.

I bought the car from an address in Wivenhoe.

It was the vehicle l was followed in while in the company of Miss B in the months following the murders while we were in the Chelmsford area.

Miss B was freaked out by it, but the guys never bothered us as such and would observe us going to coffee outlets or to McDonalds on occasion.

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Tigers at Layer Road
at 21:10 16 Mar 2025

We were discussing Rettendon today.

I needed to find out something that l was told a few months after the killings.

A name came up - that being Patsy 'Bolt Eyes' Clark. At the time of the Rettendon murders he was serving a six year prison term and someone l knew was in communication with him.

One of the theories about the murders suggested orders were given from prison for Tony Tucker to be 'removed'.

It could have been a joint enterprise with Michael Steele and Jack Whomes enticing Tucker, Tate and Rolfe into the narrow lane where they were ambushed.

I am satisfied that Patsy Clark was not involved in the murders and that also means that nor were the so called 'Mr D' and his getaway driver - Billy Jasper.

We ran through a lot of info today that kept underpinning the notion that Michael Steele and Jack Whomes were rightly convicted for the murders

That is pretty much what l thought over the years but it is not a view shared by the guys at TM Eye ( former Detectives at Essex Police ) who were led astray by an individual some years ago who gave them fabricated information relating to Patsy Clark and a motif.

Bernard O'Mahoney was also of the opinion that someone else was responsible for the murders but had his mind changed with some dramatic information a few years ago.

Micheal Steele may have been released in the past few weeks after 27 years but this has been put on hold.

What l do still think though is that the individual who was in communication with Patsy Clark and his circle was being followed by Essex Police.

Sky Documentary's screened a programme ( that l have not viewed ) a couple of years ago that featured the Patsy Clark / Billy Jasper / Jesse Gale involvement in the Rettendon murders.

It is my belief that by post production the content of the programme was likely known to have been false.

They wouldn't be bothered either way as their objective is only about viewing stats.

NB. Michael Steele held for 29 years including time on remand. Jack Whomes was released a few years ago.

[Post edited 16 Mar 22:29]

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M&T makeover
at 20:38 16 Mar 2025

The all new M&T were beaten yesterday by bottom of the league Ipswich Wanderers 3 - 1.

Gary Hooper having come on as a sub was sent off.

Brentwood Town top the Isthmian North and are on quite a run ..similar to Colchester United currently...

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