Caroline Harris-Reed

the police investigation. This episode contains descriptions that some listeners may find distressing, including some discussion, while not graphic, of sexual assault, so listener discretion is advised. On the evening of April eighth, nineteen eighty one, twenty two year old Caroline Harris Reid made the over two hundred mile journey from her home in Exeter in Devon, Southwest England, to

South Lambeth Road in London. Caroline was a second year English student at the University of Exeter and was traveling to London to visit her friend Catherine, who lived in the city. Caroline had grown up in the Yorkshire town of Harrogate until she was eleven years old, when her father Michael and mother Jean had inherited some farmland in Northampton. The family moved down to Northampton before eventually settling in the area of Great Missingdon in Buckinghamshire, where they owned

two hundred acres called Prestwood Farm. Growing up, Caroline was known as a kind and intelligent young woman who did well in her studies. She passed her A levels and then decided to go on to take part in a secretarial course in London. After this, Caroline decided that she would continue her studies at the University of Exeter, and by night tineteen eighty one, she was in her second year. She shared a cottage and a very small village around

four miles from the city itself. Caroline had met Catherine when they both went on a skiing holiday to Italy, and they had become friends, along with a male friend Andrew, that they met on this same holiday. They were all meeting at Catherine's flat that evening on April the eighth. While she was there, Caroline had also told people that

she was going to look for a holiday job. During the easter break from university, Caroline pulled up to the converted Victorian semi detached house on South Lambeth Road where Catherine lived, and the plan was that their friend Andrew was also on his way to meet them. This evening would not pan out the way that any of them had thought, and it would end with tragedy. The alarm was raised a few hours after Caroline's arrival at Catherine's

home would be by Catherine herself. She alerted the police that something had happened to Caroline in her home and that they needed assistance. Catherine herself was clearly upset and disturbed by what she'd witnessed. She recounted the events that had led up to the police being called. She explained that her and Caroline had been in her home on South Lambeth Road and had been waiting for their other friend, Andrew, to arrive. It was at this point that the intercom

to get into the flat had buzzed. The pair had assumed that this was Andrew arriving, and Catherine said she pressed the button and heard a male voice say hello. There are two versions reported of what happened with the intercom. One report states that the intercom system was not working properly and that this man did not need to identify himself to come through the door, and the other implies that Catherine believed that this man was Andrew to let

him up to the flat. Catherine then states that the man came up to the flat, but when they opened the door for him, they realized it was not Andrew. The man barged through the door and retrieved a seven inch knife and a potato peeler from the kitchen and ordered the two women to strip naked at knife point. He discussed his sexual fantasies with the two women and

asked them to become intimate with one another. During this assault, Catherine stated that Andrew had turned up at the flat and rang the doorbell and threw stones at the window, but this did not deter the attacker. After a while, Catherine stated that she feigned illness and the man shut her into another room. At this point, she said she heard a gasp from Caroline in the other room. Not long after, the man came into the room where Catherine had been left. She noticed that he was holding a

blood stained knife. She said. He left the room for a few seconds and she hid the knife from the attacker, hoping that this would perhaps slow him down. When he came back in and couldn't find the knife, he went for Catherine's throat at which point she started screaming. She explained that the man tried to put his hand down her throat to stop her from screaming, but it didn't work. When he couldn't get her to be quiet, the man

decided to leave the flat. The story was harrowing and terrifying, and police immediately went to the flat to assess the scene. Police later described Catherine's room as looking like a butcher's shop. Pathologist Ian West stated that Caroline had a six inch deep knife wound and that it appeared that the knife had been twisted when it went in. This knife was found to have a serrated edge and was found at the scene. Caroline was lying in the bedroom on her back,

with a tweed coat lay on top of her. It was found that the position of the coat indicated that Caroline had been dragged to that position by someone who had bloody hands. It truly was a vicious and unprovoked attack, and the brutality of it shocked everyone on the case. There was another element of the scene which was certainly picked up by newspapers at the time. That was the fact that an open bible was found at the scene.

This was thought to be Catherine's Bible from her home, but it was the page that it was open at that caught the investigator's attention. It was open at chapter five of the Book of Micah. This chapter has been described as violent and uses many incendiary words such as cut off and vengeance, anger and fury. This spiked the theory that this could have been committed by quote a religious maniac. This was something that was stated in articles

in tabloids very soon after Caroline's murder. Whether this was true or just sensationalist reports is something to take into account. Another theory that was noted in the press soon after the murder was that this could have been the work of a peeping tom who lived in the area. There had been reports of this type of suspect spying on couples on Clapham Common, and there was a possible link suggested to this. Scotland Yard issued a photofit of the killer.

He was described as in his late twenties, with mousy hair and about five feet six inches tall. He was wearing a white T shirt, gray trousers and a light colored jacket. It was hoped that this photo fit would resemble someone and that information would come in as a result Caroline's family was said to be deeply shocked and upset by what had happened to Caroline and wanted privacy.

Those that knew both Caroline and the family in Great Missenden expressed their shock and horror at the news of what happened, with one neighbor of the family saying everyone here stunned. Caroline was a lovely girl and the Harris Reeds are a marvelous family. What has happened to them couldn't be more unjust. Police stated that Catherine was quote absolutely heartbroken and too upset to return to the flat.

This was completely understandable given what she had been through, and no doubt her information about the suspects was invaluable to the officers working on the case. Catherine was involved in the investigation given that she had got a very good look at the killer for several hours, including body type expressions and his features. Despite quite a thorough investigation with an eye witness, the case appeared to be moving slowly and little progress was made in the months following

the murder. This is how it appeared on the outside. However, around eleven months after the murder occurred, an arrest was made twenty one year old Frank Harvey lived on South Lambeth Road, almost opposite Catherine, in a row of masonet houses. His flat was said to be on level with Catherine's on the other side of the road. At the time of the murder, he worked as a storman at a shop, and his arrest came off the back of two positive

identifications by Catherine. Is reported that in April, just two days after the murder, Catherine had pointed out Frank Harvey as possibly being the man who had killed Caroline. Seven months later, during an identification parade in November nineteen eighty one, she again pointed him out. During the trial, which took place in May nineteen eighty two, Inspector David Hewitt told the court how Catherine reacted during the identification in November.

He said that she was shaking when she pointed out Frank Harvey, saying that it was him. He said, I remember it very clearly, being very dramatic and the most clear identification I've seen. Catherine told the court that she recognized the man due to what she called a deformed nose. She stated that as soon as she saw him in the original parade in April. She noticed it. She said, after I looked at him, I just burst into tears. It was so similar, it could have been the same person.

One nostril was closed up and it did not look as if he could breathe through it. I noticed his nose when he was leaning over me on the bed. It was stated at trial that when Catherine took part in the second parade in November, the men all had their noses covered with plasters. Catherine again pointed out Harvey in the line up. She said she knew even without seeing his nose. The prosecution asked her if there was the possibility that she was wrong, She said, I knew

it was him. Frank Harvey explained that he had an alibi for that night. He said he was at the local pub but had felt unwell, and he'd returned home that night to his bed. In his summing up, the judge, Justice mac Cowan, q C issued caution to the jury when coming to a decision based solely on just witness identification evidence. He explained that while Catherine had seen the killer for over two hours in the flat and got a look at him at several angles, they still had

to consider if this evidence is enough. He explained that a witness might be honest and convincing but still mistaken. The quality of the identification evidence was what mattered, not the volume. It may be good even if you only have one witness, he said. You test whether it's good or poor by examining closely the circumstances in which it came to be made. He told the jury to do their job and decide whether it has been proven in law.

The jury retired and deliberated for seven hours before returning with a message for the judge. They stated that they couldn't come to a decision in the case and couldn't agree on a verdict. The judge decided that as a result, a retrial would have to be ordered. This meant that the trial would have to start all over again in the hope that this time a verdict would be reached. It also meant the jury were unsure about the evidence

against Frank Harvey that had been presented. He would remain in custody during this time, where it was reported that he'd been in voluntary solitary confinement. The second trial took place in October nineteen eighty two. Around five months later, at the end of this second trial, a verdict was reached. Frank Harvey was found not guilty of the murder of Caroline Harris Reid. The second trial was not reported on by the press. This was down to a judge ruling.

It would turn out that there was another charge against Frank Harvey that was also making its way through the courts. The other charge was connected in some ways to Caroline's murder. On the twelfth of November nineteen eighty one, eighteen year old Amanda Marshall was walking her dog near South Lambeth Road at around eight thirty pm when a man came up behind her. He put his arm around her neck and his other hand on a bottom. He held her tightly, and at one point he put his arm inside his

coat as though to imply he had a knife. She turned and got a look at his face. The man said to her, if you scream, you're dead, I won't hurt you if you do what you're told. Another man approached them as this was going on, and the man told Amandan to not say anything. Amanda's dog was barking and the man eventually ran off. This was a terrifying assault an Amanda had got a look at the man's face.

During an identification parade, she had picked out Frank Harvey. This, along with the identification of Harvey by Catherine a second time in November, had added to the suspicion that he was a sexual predator that was prowling around the South Lambeth Road area. Due to this connection to this other case, the judge had ordered that the press not report on it. At the end of October nineteen eighty two, Frank Harvey was in court again for the assault on Amanda Marshall.

This time he pled guilty to the charges of indecent assault. The judge described the assault as a nasty and frightening offense, but stated that the maximum sentence he could impose would be two years. He explained that due to the murder charges, Harvey had already spent around ten months in prison and due to good conduct, his sentence would be reduced to one year anyway, which the judge felt he had already served.

Amanda's family were angry about this sentence, with mun Patricia storming out of the public gallery saying there is no justice in this land. The judge asked her to stay quiet, saying your intervention is understandable. Missus Marshall spoke to the press outside the Old Bailey, saying the judge was talking about the effect on Harvey, his family and his girlfriend. What about the victim. My daughter has been frightened to

go out at night ever since this happened. It may have been a minor offense, but it's not minor to a girl standing there finding a big man with his arm around her neck and touching her intimately. Frank Harvey's defense, led by Michael Hill, QC, explained after the decision the consequence of his arrest in connection with this matter was that he found himself charged with a quite appalling murder

committed in April of the same year. He also stated that Harvey had been kept in quite poor conditions due to his decision to go into voluntary solitary confinement. He said the conditions in which he was kept were far more onerous than usual. As a consequence of these matters, he suffered a penalty due it is true to the allegation of murder, which more than compensates for the crime

in which he has admitted. In this case, the defense appeared to be saying that he was connected to the murder as a result of the assault which he had admitted, and that due to the fact that he had been imprisoned for those months on the suspicion of murder, he had already paid his dues for it. This argument, however accurate in terms of law, would have been no solace Romander's family and I'm sure Caroline's family, who were back

to square one with her case and investigation. It was now back to being an unsolved crime with no justice. In nineteen eighty three, it was reported in the paper that a Scotland Yard spokesman commented on the case. They said, the file on the case is technically still open, but I think it would be a fair bet that nobody will be charged. It's unlikely that we shall be looking

for anyone else in connection with this matter. This is an extremely hard thing for anyone to hear, and the fact that they believe that they got their man and just could not prove it beyond a reasonable doubt is difficult in any case. This is such a tragedy and I feel so sad that Caroline has still not had justice for what happened to her. If you know anything about the murder of Caroline Harris Reid in nineteen eighty one, then please contact police on one oh one. Thank you

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subscribe on YouTube and follow us on social media. As always, I'm Caprice and this has been unseen six