A SAVAGE KILLER BROUGHT TO BOOK
Chilling tale linked to Wind in the Willows
HARDENED detectives have told how they were left shaken by a “calculated” killing involving a valuable book.
Crazed Michael Danaher stabbed book dealer Adrian Greenwood to death in April last year.
There were no witnesses, but police spotted a first edition of classic tale Wind in the Willows worth £50,000 was missing from the victim’s Oxford home.
Detective Superintendent Kevin Brown led the investigation for Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime unit.
He told the Daily Star Sunday: “This case started with no suspect at all and we were struggling to find a motive.
“It took a long time to realise the book was at the centre of it.
“A lot of work went into realising what was missing from Adrian’s home and then it was a case of, ‘Is it this book?’.
“Our lines of enquiry were then, was it a burglary or a meeting that went wrong?”
The twisted killer was £13,000 in debt and desperate to get cash.
He had drawn up a list of wealthy figures to rob and kidnap that included Simon Cowell, Kate Moss, Rio Ferdinand – and the 42-year-old author.
Kevin said: “After we charged him we found he had been planning a lot more than this event involving Adrian.
“We found out he took part in a failed attack three weeks earlier in London, which was on his list. That’s when my opinion of him changed.
“He had been calculating for a very long time.
“Michael had what would be considered a normal life – caring father, caring husband, valid employee. But something had happened in his life that ED GLEAVE turned it upside down and put him in a position where he became this calculating brutal killer.
“He had no previous record. He wasn’t on our database anywhere. He had no crime background and went straight to murder, which is very unusual.
“This will stand out in my memory for a whole host of reasons. Partly because it involved the Wind in the Willows, but more importantly this was a very challenging case where it was difficult to identify who the offender was.” Unemployed dad-oftwo Danaher, 50, right, put the book on eBay for just £2,000 the day after he murdered Adrian.
Officers traced Adrian’s mobile and used number plate recognition technology to find Danaher.
Last October he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 34 years. Kevin said: “The tariff of 34 years was exceptional. It reflected the fact the judge saw him as a dangerous individual.”
The case is detailed in a documentary on Channel 4 tomorrow.
Kevin, who worked on the case alongside Detective Constables Natalie Howard and Jacqui Redgrave, added: “This is as shocking as any drama.”
Kevin has worked on murder cases for almost four years.
He said: “When you’re a detective you always want to bring the worst offenders to justice.
“You see a couple of things in the film where officers are discussing things that rightly show them as human beings.
“Everybody feels it emotionally. We are human. But we get on and do a professional job.”
Catching a Killer: The Wind in the Willows Murder is on Channel 4 at 9pm tomorrow.