Nigel Bostock

more information. Nigel boss Stock's murder is still unsolved and despite the time that has passed, there has not been much more information published. This episode contains descriptions that some listeners may find distressing, so listener discretion is advised. On December twentieth, nineteen eight, shop workers at Wider Fitting Specialist shoe shop in Wesley Street in Southport became worried about

their boss and fellow worker, Nigel boss Stock. Southport is a seaside town located in Merseyside, around seventeen miles from Liverpool and around fifteen miles from Preston. Wesley Street is described as a village in a town, and it's known for its independent shops and pastor colored buildings. The staff at the shoe shop on Wesley Street knew that Nigel did not usually miss work and they were quite concerned

about it. The staff decided that they needed to contact one of Nigel's friends to see if they would go and check on him. Nigel's friend did just that and made his way to Nigel's home in a semi detached bungalow in Banks, a village around four miles away from the center of Southport. The friend arrived and entered the home looking for now. As they made their way into the bathroom of the house, they were greeted with a terrible sight. Nigel was in the bathtub, which was partially

filled up with water. He was half in and half out of the bathtub and was wearing only a T shirt. It was clear that he had some serious injuries and that he was already deceased when the friend arrived to check on him. The police were quickly called and they established that this was a murder scene. It was evident that Nigel's injuries were not self inflicted or an accident.

Nigel had what was described as a complex ligature tied around his neck, and it appeared as well as being strangled, he had also been stabbed six times in the chest. This was a brutal murder carried out by someone who was extremely violent. Despite the amount of violence that was seen in the bathroom, the police, however, did not find

any sign of a struggle in the house itself. This indicated to them that whoever this person was, had not fought their way into Nigel's home, and suggested the possibility that they had been invited in, or perhaps Nigel had in some way felt comfortable allowing them into his home. This was of course a chilling possibility, as the idea that someone who knew Nigel may have done this was

a concern. There was also the possibility that this had been someone who was local to the area and may have just taken their chance to get into a home. The police continued to search the home for evidence, and they discovered that while there were no signs of a struggle, there were some items missing. As Nigel owned a shop, he often had the shop takings in his home, and the police found that around six hundred to seven hundred

pounds had been stolen. In today's money, this would have been around seven eighteen hundred to two thousand pound, so quite a large sum. Some jewelry was missing. Also, there was a very worn nine carrot gold signet ring with the letter N on it. There was also a nine carrot gold dress ring with twenty eight small diamonds in two rows across the face. As well as the money and the rings that had been taken, it was found

that a watch of Nigel's was also missing. The watch was described as a bulover Achitron which had a gold plated heavy link strap with a stainless steel back. It was unusual as it had a see through face where the mechanism was visible. The minute and our hands were white and yellow, and the other hand was yellow. Also, this watch was thought to be unusual as well, as it had been discontinued from sale around ten years previously.

It was thought to be the only watch that had gone on the market with the battery and see through face without having a winder. It was quite an important line of inquiry as the police hoped that if they could find the watch, then they would have more of an idea about who had been in the home and may have killed Nigel. To try and figure out who may have committed such an awful murder, the police had to dig into Nigel's life in the hope that this

may provide some information. Nigel lived alone and had moved into the bungalow around two years previously. One of the biggest line of inquiries was that Nigel was a gay man. Through my experience of covering cases during the nineteen eighties, I have found the reporting of crimes against gay people always focused very heavily on their sexuality as part of

the crime. Looking at this through the lens of twenty twenty four, I always find it a bit problematic, as clearly the worldwide concern about the AIDS epidemic shaped a lot of the reporting. For instance, in this case, the police discuss reaching out to the gay community in the area to see if they might have information, but simultaneously

discuss if any of Nigel's friends had AIDS. In hindsight, it's hard to see how this had anything to do with the murder, but clearly the police did believe that someone in Nigel's circle of friends may have information that could help them. Discussing their health openly in the newspaper, however, may not have made many people in the gay community feel able or safe to come forward with that information. Police did discover some information that helped them shape the

days leading up to Nigel's murder. Nigel had been out with some friends on Thursday, the eighteenth of December. He had traveled on the eight twenty pm train from Southport to Liverpool with three or four men who were all smartly dressed. It was known that Nigel and his friends enjoyed visiting club in Liverpool, Blackpool, Southport and Preston, and it was thought that this is where he was going

that evening. Police were interested in this lead and hoped that other people who had been on the train that night may have information that they could pass along to the police. They conducted a reconstruction of the train journey in the hope that it would jog the public's memory. They found that Nigel was later seen on Friday, the nineteenth of December, and that he had last been seen

at around two pm that afternoon. This, however, was the last time that he had been seen, as he did not turn up to the shop on the Saturday as he had planned. The police had found some information out about that Friday evening, as despite the fact that he hadn't been seen, it was thought that Nigel may have hosted a Christmas party at his home. Police had information that three men were at his home that evening. However,

tracing them was proving difficult. The papers described them as mystery guests, and they did hope that by appealing they would find out who they were and they may be able to fill in the gaps that they had. If Nigel had had a party, then this, of course would have been of interest to the police. Police spoke to Nigel's neighbors in the area to see what they noticed or saw that evening. One thing became apparent. They gave

conflicting accounts of what they saw. Superintendent Boyd later explained the people living in the adjoining semi to mister Bostock gave a totally conflicting statement to the people living opposite to the house. The people living next door to mister Bostock claimed they heard the sound of a scuffle at eleven thirty pm that night, which they described as someone being dragged across the floor, while the people living opposite reported that mister Bostock went out in his red Ford

Fiesta car at around nine forty five pm. I have no reason to disbelieve either of the neighbors as mister Bostock could have gone out, picked someone up and come back home. But what is puzzling is how did the killers leave the scene, As mister Bostock's car was in the driveway when the murder was discovered, and no one

reported any unusual cars in the area. This was interesting as reports from the time do state that around two fifteen am on that Saturday morning, an MK three Ford corteen of four or saloon which was probably brown, was seen in the area of abrams Fold, where Nigel lived. The car joined the A five sixty five Southport to Preston Road, turning towards Preston and it stood out to witnesses because it had a badly blowing exhaust and was

probably very loud. This was unable to be traced and they were unsure if it had anything to do with the murder, but given the time it was seen leaving, it could not be ruled out. There were several unknowns in the case who had been at Nigel's flat, how the killers had gotten away with the murder, along with some mysteries about people known to Nigel. One particular mystery that police were eager to solve was who was Karl.

They had some information that Karl, spelt with either a sea or a quay, was known to Nigel and may have been staying with him for a while. Karl may have been a hitchhiker that Nigel had picked up and become friends with, or even the partner of. However, this was all that police knew about him. They were interested in speaking to him because if he had been living with Nigel, he may know some information that could help them find out who did this. They knew he had

reddish our sandy colored hair. However, the rest of the information was difficult to ascertain. More information did possibly emerge, and that was in the form of letters found at Nigel's home. These letters were from a couple named Doris and Regg with the possible last name of Hobb. They had had extensive communication with Nigel over several years, and there was some speculation that this couple could be some

relation to Carl, who they were trying to trace. Whether this had anything to do with the murder, however, is unclear, but the police continually appealed for Carl to come forward. They also did this on a Crime Watch segment in January of nineteen eighty seven. They asked that Carl come forward to speak to police, and they also showed the type of watch that was missing from Nigel's home. They told anyone who may have information about the watch, had seen it before or been asked to buy it, to

come forward and this may help solve Nigel's murder. He was also revealed around this time that Nigel's family had put up quite a substantial reward for information in the case. The segment on the show was only short, but police did receive around sixty calls from people who thought that they knew something. One of these people was a man named Philip from Turquie in Devon. He stated that he thought he might know something about the watch that was missing.

Another person rang up to say that they thought they might be a relative of Carls. This call, however, got cut off or the person hung up and did not ring back. These were interesting lines of inquiry, however, they did not lead to any suspects being found out. In the months that followed, a coroner ruled that Nigel's murder was unlawful and that while an investigation was taking place, nobody had been convicted of the crime. He also ruled that the cause of death was one fatal stab wound

to the chest. This they believed was done with a kitchen knife. The investigation was large in scale and it was believed that more than five thousand people were interviewed. There were around two thousand lines of inquiry and around one thousand, six hundred and twelve statements were taken. The investigations slowed down in the years that followed, as without witnesses coming forward and without the DNA technology, finding out

who did it was a struggle. Police maintained that they believed that the motive for the murder was sexual and that this may have been a sexual act that had gone wrong. Superintendent Boyd stated a year after the murder, usually when you find your motive for the crime, you find your answer. There's no doubt that the motive for

the visit of the offender or offenders was sex. They also stated their belief that more than one person may have been involved, as in more than one person was there at the house that night that this murder took place. They stated that they believed there was someone out there with more information that they had not yet divulged. Years passed with the case remaining unsolved and with little progress being published to the public. In two thousand and three,

there was a development. An anonymous letter had been sent to the police, and it reported that this letter contained information and facts about the murder. This was of interest to the police as they had also been conducting their own forensic review of the evidence found at the scene, as DNA technology was not widely being used at the

time that the murder took place. Detective Superintendent Mick Turner said in two thousand and four, We've had the letter for some time now and thanks to information uncovered during the forensic review, we now have reason to believe that it could be significant to the inquiry. We also believe that there were at least three people present in the house on the night that Nigel died. Despite numerous appeals,

these people have never been traced. They may or may not have been involved with Nigel's death, and we would like them to come forward. If they were involved in Nigel's death, then it's quite possible they will have said something to somebody over the years, and we would appeal for anyone with any information to contact us. It's interesting that the forensic evidence appeared to perhaps corroborate things that

had been said in the letter. However, the letter writer has never been traced, and so who this person is or if they're credible, is something we still don't know. Another Crime Watch appeal was also shown in two thousand and four. Phone calls did come in and it was reported in two thousand and five that a man was arrested after failing to volunteer his DNA as part of the investigation. It's not believed that this man was arrested

on any charges relating to the murder. However, it's certainly interesting how his name came to be part of the investigation. Since two thousand and five, there has been little reported on Nigel's murder and it's still unsolved in twenty twenty four. In twenty twenty one, there were several local articles published about Nigel's unsolved murder. However, there was no new information

contained in this articles. They were simply raising awareness. After thirty five years of being unsolved, we are now nearly forty years of being unsolved, with little movement being reported. This is tragic for cases like this, and I really do feel for Nigel's family. It does feel like a case that if it happened today may have had more looking being solved with DNA advances, CCTV and phone data. I agree with police that this does feel like more of a personal crime. However, who it was or why

they were there a largely unknown. I would love to see Nigel's case be solved and I hope that police continue to review it for information. If you know anything about the murder of Nigel Bosstok in nineteen eighty six, please contact police on one on. Our crime stoppers are eight hundred five five five one one one. Someone could get this solved. Thank you for listening to today's episode.

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