On the 28 October 1960 a young 12 year old girl called Brenda Nash went missing while on her way home. She was last seen alive by her friend about a mile from her home in Heston, Middlesex, at 10pm. Her strangled body was found in a Hampshire wood on 11 December.

Another girl had been assaulted in the same area and she had given the police enough information for them to finally make an arrest. In her statement she had told them that he drove a black Vauxhall car. All owners of black Vauxhalls registered between 1951 and 1954, who lived in Middlesex and Surrey, were interviewed, The police interviewed approximately 5,000 owners of black Vauxhalls.

The day after Brenda's body had been discovered a young woman hairdresser, who worked in London's West End, had gone to the police and told them that one of her workmates had told her that her uncle had asked her to provide an alibi for the 28 October. The uncle turned out to be Jones. Jones was arrested on 28 December and charged with the September assault. At his trial he was sentenced to four years' imprisonment.

It was while he was in prison that he confessed to a prison officer that he had killed the girl that the connection was made. He was brought back to court and tried for murder. The jury took just seven minutes to find him guilty and this time he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Real-Crime.co.uk

  

Arthur Albert Jones

Brenda Nash, twelve years old, was last seen alive about a mile from her home in Bleriot Road, Heston, Middlesex, at 10pm on 28th October 1960. Her strangled body was found on Yateley Common, Hampshire, on 11th December.

An assault had taken place on another young girl in the same area in September and police had reason to believe the two incidents were linked. They also knew that the man they sought drove a black Vauxhall and had a liking for peppermints. All owners of black Vauxhalls registered between 1951 and 1954, who lived in Middlesex and Surrey, were interviewed, over five thousand people.

One of those interviewed was Jones, a 44-year-old fitter-welder of Ely Road, Hounslow, whose description fitted the one given by the victim of the earlier assault. He also kept peppermints in his car. Jones initially told police that he had been at his sister-in-law's house at the time of the killing. But when that alibi was proved to be untrue he admitted that he had lied and said it was because he was with a prostitute at the time of Brenda's disappearance and was embarrassed to admit it.

The day after Brenda's body had been discovered a young woman hairdresser, who worked in London's West End, had approached the police and told them that one of her workmates had told her that her uncle had asked her to provide an alibi for the 28th October. The uncle turned out to be Jones. He was arrested on 28th December and charged with the September assault. At his trial Jones was sentenced to fourteen years' imprisonment.

Jones could not leave well alone and, while he was in prison, told a fellow inmate, Ian James Roberts, about the killing. He passed on the information to the prison authorities. When the police heard about this they re-opened the case and, coupled to new evidence uncovered, Jones was charged with murder. The jury took just seven minutes to find him guilty and he received a further sentence of life imprisonment.

Murder-UK.com