‘Green was an enigma’
AUTHOR Margaret Moxom will be selling signed copies of her new book at a series of fairs in the countdown to Christmas.
The retired NHS worker, from Werrington, will be at the Crafts of the Hill at St James Chapel in Newchapel, on Saturday.
Her latest book ‘The Barlaston Murderer - Leslie Green’ concerns the brutal death of Mrs Wiltshaw, the wife of a pottery owner, in 1952. Leslie Green was hanged for the murder on December 23 1952 after being convicted following a trial.
Since she moved to North Staffordshire from London five years ago, Margaret has written three historical/paranormal books based on 19th century history in Stoke-on-trent.
Her latest book is about the man who denied the murder in Barlaston, right to the very end when the noose went round his neck.
Leslie Green said he was nowhere near the Wiltshaw house. Margaret said: “I was intrigued by this - did he do the murder or not? Yes, you can say that he was an ‘inadequate’ character who may have panicked and ‘lost it’ under the influence of alcohol – possibly. “I was also intrigued by the fact that he presented himself to Longton police station, of his own accord. Now, why would he do that, if he had done the murder?
“I have put a different psychological slant on the story, which though not proven, should make an interesting read. I have set out the genuine court case direct from the newspapers at the time. I began to investigate anything on him, but there is nothing much I have been able to find on his background, his family, where he actually lived or even Army service, apart from his convictions and his stays at two borstal institutions.
“The Army service number written on his wedding certificate in 1945, does not appear on war record searches either. He appears to be an enigma. This book sets out the actual police investigations and trial - prosecution and defence cases - that led to his sentence of hanging.
“However, I wanted to give another possible side of the story that could conceivably have had a bearing on Leslie Green’s state of mind at the time – a reason why he professed all along that he did not murder Mrs Wiltshaw and that he was elsewhere - a mind that, from his early childhood and mistreatment had manifested itself into loss of memory - when he experienced a sense of ‘loss of time’ - a Dissociative Identity Disorder. What also came to light was a supposed ‘deathbed’ confession, many years afterwards, by an unknown person. Was this person involved in the murder and robbery? Could he have thrown a light on Green’s involvement? Was Green protecting him? We will never know as this person died before police investigated.”