Hello and welcome to this weeks episode of Wives and Knives a true crime podcast with your hosts Dani Smith & Kelly Lee.
Please remember that we mean no disrespect to anyone mentioned in this episode, or across any of the Wines and Knives platforms.
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Episode Four is a two parter (because I waffle on too much) but we aren’t gonna make you wait, we’re super nice so both episodes are available today. This week’s case is the case of Christopher ‘Marty’ Johnstone aka The handless corpse.
Dani thinks that I potentially may have a crush on this this criminal from the seventies, who was found in a quaint Lancashire village but who had connections to an international crime syndicate.
Please note that we recorded the majority of this episode last year when we were allowed to meet up. We finished recording this episode over zoom so the sound levels vary considerably. I have had to edit the absolute shit out of this episode also....as Crikey can I chat rubbish....thank you for sticking with us. All shows and resources mentioned in the episode are credited below.
So shall we get straight into it. I’m afraid you are going to have to put up with more of my dulcet tones this week because it is one of my favourites. When speaks of her connection to Charlene and her case for me the one that reminds me of my childhood connection is then handless corpse. Now this case is set in the 1970’s and no I’m not that old. The reason it reminds me of my childhood in the 80’s is because there was this programme that came out called ‘crime story’ just good friends. I don’t remember it that well the series that is, I remember that this particular episode because it was filmed in the village where I lived and I remember asking my parents about it. I think perhaps it was one of the cases that got me hooked on true crime in the first instance, it was so gory - the case of the handless corpse.
The body, with its hands removed and its face beaten was found in ‘The Delph’ a flooded quarry; because of the damage to the body it took a while to identify him, So they called him the handless corpse.
The Delph was a flooded quarry where people dumped cars and other rubbish and the local kids swam there on nice days.
In recent years it has had somewhat of the make over - it’s now a dive centre. I can really recommend this place, check out their website - www.thedelph.com you can read all about the history and there’s some great pictures on there.
I’m not sure about opening times etc at the moment but pre apocalypse, I have visited the Delph to feed the fish and enjoy the nice cafe.
Like a lot of nice places there are often dark history’s and that’s what I find so interesting about this case is that the handless corpse was dumped in the Delph, he was thrown from the top of a cliff, if you like into the water. What his killers didn’t know was that his body whilst sinking below the surface hadn’t sunk to the bottom of the quarry, it had landed on a sandstone shelf about 30 ft below the surface.
- If it hadn’t then who knows when it would have been found?
- In 1979 two amateur divers entered the water for a dive found what they thought was a mannequin - and so to one of the biggest and most expensive cases in English history. Lets go way back to 1974 and not to a rural village in Lancashire but to the sunny climes of New Zealand.
let me introduce you to Marty Johnstone, Terry Clark, Bob tromboli, Andy Maher and many many more. I have been thoroughly influenced by the underbelly series - I highly recommend them; particular the ones that focus on the above characters. You can watch them on you tube or amazon although not prime and I managed to find a few episodes by googling them.
You know me, gonna go off on a tangent here - so the underbelly series the guy who plays one of the bad guys in that plays marty in the 80’s one filmed near here. And that one, that stars - forget his name - was in good night sweetheart, bread. Any way yes I have been influenced by those programs to believe that Marty Johnstone - the handless corpse wasn’t such a bad guy. It helps that he’s played by cute actors, so excuse my rose tinted glasses; he gets screwed over a bit and for a drug dealer - not the worst of a bad bunch.
1972- so Marty Johnstone, he’s a bit of lad. He hasn’t had the greatest nor the worst life, not a wealthy family and his dad ruled him and his brother with a firm hand. He’s grown now and at home much, he’s working in a clothes shop with one Andy Maher.
Andy is originally from Scotland but has moved over to New Zealand, similar back story to Marty and similarly a bit of a lad.
Marty and Andy socialised together and so did their partners, from underbelly it says that Marty was dating bonnie Marie Jones at this point.
Andy and Marty wanted to make more money and weren’t opposed to some dodgy shit to do so. They started of selling local New Zealand green - weed. They had friends who had been in prison and had connections and one such friend was Greg Ollard. He’d been in whataka prison, he had himself a drug habit and a girlfriend to support so he was happy to sell large quantities to Marty and Andy to then sell on.
As with any business they met ‘Chinese jack’ Choo Chang Khu through their association with Greg.
Chinese jack was a steward on the Dutch ferries, they set up a meet at a club owned by diamond jack shepherd. He was another career criminal.
- I feel like I need to make a note of all these people. Or have a white board to have like a criminal tree. I like the sound of that. Maybe we need to sort out patreon for things like that?we could have an incident room.
- I think my husband would say that’s my conservatory ‘ yours is your dining room?
Yes to patreon then we could have a camper van mobile incident room which we use for going on our field trips.
- only if we can have it painted with some kind of mural on the side
- I’m in. Let’s get on it. And I’ll get on with the case.
Okay so Chinese jack and the boys, Marty and Andy set up a business. - they are going to sell Thai Buddha sticks instead of the homegrown New Zealand weed. They are going to use jacks boats to drop them off and the boys are going to pick them up and sell them.
The Buddha sticks were good product and the money started to come in, but jack had other clients and the boys realised that there was a market to be cornered here. I get the impression from what I’ve read that Marty was quite the business man in his day. They find out who the other buyers are and they ‘convince’ them that it would be better if they joined forces.
The syndicate is born - this includes Marty Johnstone, Andy Maher, Peter Miller and Ari ?
Just note that there is no terry Clarke at this point listeners, he’s here and lurking in the shadows but he isn’t a key player.
So yes our Marty knows that if you own the market you own the supplier - so the syndicate negotiate a better deal and Chinese jack has one client now.
It’s 1975 now and Greg Ollard who gave our boys the first in to the business is off to Australia. Marty and Andy have made quite a bit of cash enabling them to buy new houses and the like.
A few more names for your list are Doug and Isobel Wilson, who are Marty’s best street dealers. Unfortunately they are also addicts like Greg and Terry Clark starts dealing some of his own product to them on tick. - heroin.
Terry technically worked for Marty at this point, he’s a low level dealer along with Gary majors. But Terry knew that heroin would be more lucrative in the long run than the weed and had his own contacts from his time in prison so had started to supply a stronger product to people on the side. Gary had informed Marty but he wasn’t concerned or interested in anything other than the green.
The gang are close, and apart from the Wilson’s; and Bonnie who was dedicated to Marty - they all slept with each other. In one article I read it was well known that gonorrhoea or some other horrific std had circulated among the group more than once.
Terry had a wife called Norma who like the wilsons and Greg like the new product that Terry supplied to the group of friends, unfortunately she died of a heart attack - which was more than likely a mid recorded (for whatever reason) heart attack. Apparently the rates of drug overdoses rose dramatically during this time. It encouraged along with leaked information to the press the formation of a drugs squad that would better tackle the drugs situation within New Zealand.
But in 1975 this drugs squad were focussing more on Marty’s Thai sticks than they were Terry's heroin.
After a tip off, Marty himself was busted by the police, they’d been given his care reg and make and advised it was a drug car. They witnessed the drop and he’s arrested.
Cocky and arrogant as he is often described, the lawyers get him off without much effort due to circumstantial evidence.
The other driver - he got 3 years. Marty has money now. And he is always thinking about expansion. Andy has contacts in England and so still in 1975 they fly to London first class, where they buy some LSD 75,000 tabs which they would send through the post back to home and to launder some of their money.
Again the figures mirror this as the rise in lsd charges that year are in the hundreds vs a few the year before.
The gang are all still together, Marty and bonnie are sticking to the weed but most of the others are dabbling in coke along with other things.
- what’s Terry up to?
- glad you asked. Terry Clarke is still working for Marty at this point but he’s also expanding he asks peter one of the syndicate to lend him some money to buy a boat. Marty hears about this and tells Peter that if he’s buying boats it should be done properly. The other invest also and they expand - Marty and Peter will be the company directors - Marty isn’t so flush at the moment so he owes Peter 30,000 after this deal.
- so he just cut Terry out of that deal?
- It would seem so - He isn’t included in the deal and I could be reading too much into it but it almost feels like Marty keeping Terry in check a little or keeping his eye on him.
So Marty buys a boat and unfortunately he doesn’t hire the best peeps to work it for him because they smoke his product - the Thai sticks and crash the boat. I’m going to do a you this week and be doubting my pronunciation. It crashes at the tamale estuary, it’s full of Thai sticks and so they are ruined and all wet.
I mentioned the special investigation unit before - Marty isn’t really on their radar too much at this point - he’s a drug dealer but he’s not killing people. But driving back from sorting the shit show out he was pulled by the police for speeding - he managed to get away.
Andy Maher - always by Marty’s side had rented the van in his own name and Id and the police pulled him in about it.
He didn’t talk, lawyered up and they couldn’t prove anything. Like I said these guys had a lot of money.
1975 is a busy year for all as Terry Clark is bringing in heroin using a team of couriers, including Julie freeman. Andy and Marty don’t know about this, the others do but they are keeping quiet because they are benefiting in one way or another.
Marty isn’t having much luck at this point, he hires a guy to do a job who is overheard talking about it in a pub and is later mugged. It’s 20,000 and impacts a another deal. Andy isn’t happy that Marty let’s the guy off with a slapped hand and order to pay the money back. So Andy takes matters into his own hands and kills the guy. I only have his nick name ‘wham bam’.
Things start to shift in the business, Terry is smashing the heroin trade - he’s working with Pom my Harry and bob trombole. He’s thinking of expanding to planes rather than boats.
- I remember Terry started off working for Marty - that’s gotta bite a little.
- Marty must have known there was a shift in power because he makes it clear to Terry that he will be moving into heroin at some point in the future and when he does he’s going to share New Zealand, Terry can have Australia and Marty and Andy will control the UK side of things.
Another point that any supply that Terry arranges through Asia is fine, but any thing that Marty or his associates supply Terry must give them a cut of.
Marty’s associates are keen to move on the heroin scene quickly, not only is terrys high quality product causing a rise in deaths on the streets of Australia it’s causing him a rise in money - he’s rolling in it. He is far more successful and ruthlessly business minded than Marty or Andy who has by all accounts no interest in the corporate side of things.
An example of what type of person Terry was, he lied to one of his girlfriends who was one of his harem of female drug couriers, he told her she was smuggling weed when in fact it was high grade heroin. But, she shopped Terry to save herself, he made bail and skipped New Zealand going to Australia on a fake passport.
You remember Greg? Well he’s taken out in Australia not long after terry’s arrival along with his now girlfriend, ex of terry’s Julie.
The assumption is that they were murdered to cover Terry, he wanted to make sure no one could talk.
May 1976 - Marty has discovered coke, he’s back on track and he is ready to expand into heroin. He decides to use the profits from the brigadoon haul.
Marty had bought his dads old boat - one that his father had sold when Marty was younger, it was a huge boat that he used to smuggle his Thai sticks he’d organised a major import from Asia and used the boat to facilitate it.
Marty is finally in the radar of the police -they’ve created a joint task force now to deal with the major influx of drugs from Asia.
Marty leaves for Singapore - he knows that he can’t be touched there and can happily keep an eye on his business interests. He also wants to make a mends with Chinese jack who he left out of the brigadoon deal, you see he needs jack for the supply to the uk. Andy is in the uk trying to sort out the distribution end of the plan.
Jacks been working with Terry in Marty’s absence and has heard that Marty still owes money to Peter Miller, for old debts and new ones too.
By July the business men are at each other’s throats, another reason for Marty to stay in singapore.
Peter Miller is arrested in Perth and pressed to reveal all on the syndicate - this is taken from a sworn statement from miller can you do the honours.
- Marty is getting out of hand, he’s getting high all the time. He’s getting behind, shippings are getting missed. He’s lazy, unreliable and making people angry."
- yeah and what doesn’t help is that Terry is now a major player. He gets everyone to agree that Marty needs to be cut out of the market. Pony Harry will cover New Zealand, Andy Maher will cover the uk and Terry will do Australia.
- this is major, where not talking county lines here we’re talking countries.
-Marty is oblivious, he’s still with bonnie buying boats up in Singapore.
Interesting fact for you - Marty has three aliases in fake passport form.
Gerry Michael peters/ Brian Mark Davis/ Murray Joseph Francis.
March 1977 - Marty is taking heroin now, he’s spiralling and taking risks. The long suffering bonnie leaves him and he hits a major low when the police launch operation tuna. The coast guard picks up Marty’s boat and he loses out on hundreds of thousands of dollars not to mention the millions in profit he could have made. He is screwed and he knows it.
At this point it feels as though Marty has been bumbling his way through lots of bad deals, bad luck & bad decisions.
Whilst Terry on the other hand has continued to power forward and maintain his lifestyle and more importantly his business.
The balance of power has definitely changed and that only becomes clear to the police later; as bodies start being discovered.
Marty needs to make a big sale/deal but he needs money he has no one to turn to but Andy, who is currently living in Lancashire with his common law wife and his baby daughter who is named after Marty.
Marty flys over to see Andy, it’s on this visit that he meets Julie Hue. Julie is a former beauty queen who is best friends with Andy’ s wife Barbara Pilkington (*Debs?). Julie and Marty hit it off and quickly become a couple.
Andy whilst still friends with Marty has also been keeping in touch with Terry Clark, they’ve been working together for a while now. Marty ideally needs a UK investment for the deal but Andy suggests that Terry could perhaps front the money and in return get a cut from the UK deal and subsequent further business and connections.
It would be a good way to broker peace within the syndicate, who all work with or for Terry now.
July 1997, Marty is back in Thailand to secure a deal and Julie is helping him handle payments and small errands for him in the UK. He needs more money for then next deal he arranges and Terry once again fronts the money, in exchange for the cash Marty will get a 100% proof sample.
Unfortunately for Marty he gets screwed over and whilst they take the money they leave him with a sample of what appears to be powdered sugar (or the like).
It’s implied in the underbelly show that Terry and Jack have set him up, but I’m not sure how true that is. In a panic marty cuts the product with Talc and other stuff to buy him some time to figure out how to fix it. He passes this product onto his UK distributors who when they receive it cut it again. It is quickly discovered what Marty has done and Terry now has the perfect reason or excuse to get rid of Marty.
Terry calls Andy. Terry will now be gem of the UK side of the business, Andy can come along if he liked but first he needs him to kill Marty. The death sentence is passed.
Andy and Marty are old friends, it’s not going to sit well with Andy what he has to do but like most people he doesn’t want to mess with Terry Clark.
Marty is in Singapore with Julie when Andy contacts him to tell him about a deal in Scotland, he tells him he’ll need to travel to the Uk in person because the contact in Glasgow wants a face to face meet with Marty. Marty agrees, and he’ll bring Julie with him too.
Marty and Julie leave Singapore on the 6th of October 1979 and in the UK, preparations begin.
Charlie Russell from London supplied the gun which was brought to Preston in a shoe box by 16 year old Karen Pidgeon, who was the daughter of Terry Clark’s chauffeur.
Keith Kirby of Clayton Brook, Lancashire and one of Andy’s old school friends supplied the weights and the rope. When Marty arrived in England with Julie, they met up with Andy and Julie visited her mum. On the 9th of October they say goodbye to each other and Marty no doubt assured her he would speak or see her soon once the business was completed.
Julie stayed in leyland with her best friend whilst the men went off to Scotland. Andy allegedly told Marty they had to wait for a spare wheel for his Jaguar before leaving and his cousin, the Scottish connection would be bringing it to them and then they could all set off together.
Approximately an hour after setting off, somewhere along the A6 north of Lancaster - not sure on exact location but it is said to be near Carnforth. Andy Maher stopped the car and perhaps on the pretext of a pee or to change drivers once stopped he shoots Marty in the back of the head.
They take Marty’s body back to a garage in robin hey, an area of leyland and set about dismembering the body. They chop off his hands with an axe and try to smash his teeth with a lump hammer; they just mess up his face in the process.
They tie him up and attach the weights. I read here that Marty was stabbed in the stomach so that the weights could be placed inside him. I also read somewhere that he was stabbed because he wasn’t killed outright. Again not sure which is accurate but the police take the stance of the former.
They put him back in the car, in the boot and drive to the Delph. Again I am unsure if they dump the car in the Delph but they dump Marty there. Three other cars are removed as part of the investigation.
Marty is found on the shelf, and the police diver who retrieved his body has been quoted as saying that “if they had been one metre to the left he would have probably lain untouched/unfounded for another 20 years."
Andy go’s to Scotland to dispose of Marty’s hands and the weapon/tools used in the murder and disposal. I believe Marty’s rings were due to be sent to Terry as proof.
Julie is asking questions about Marty and Babs is assuring her he’s just busy with business. Four days after Marty left her his body is found in the Delph.
Pictures of Marty’s death mask are circulated in the press, no one knows who he is. Julie see’s the picture in the newspaper along with a picture of the medallion he always wore. The Chinese symbol for long life, ouch!
I’m not sure if her conscience gets to Babs but she tells Julie what’s happened and that Marty is dead at Andy’s hand. Julie go’s to the police station and the most expensive trial in British history begins.
123 days after the trial began Terry is found guilty and sentenced to life with a minimum 20 year term. He serves two years having suffered a heart attack in prison in 1983 which killed him.
Maher must have behaved badly because he served more than 20 years behind bars and died there in 2011of cancer.
https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/handless-corpse-chorley-murder-case-17183947
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