‘Railway Rapist’ is jailed for at least 30 years and jet lands after runway scare
This week in 1988, John Duffy, the sex killer known as the “railway rapist” was locked up for at least 30 years. The former British Rail carpenter (30) was arrested before he brutally murdered office worker Alison Day, 19, and 15-year-old schoolgirl Maatje Tamboeze, and carried out some of the terrifying rapes.
He was given bail – against police objections – by the former Solicitor General, Mr Peter Archer, a Crown Court judge, on charges of attacking his estranged wife Margaret and her new boyfriend.
Just 14 weeks after he was allowed to stalk the streets again, Alison was garrotted and dumped in a river. Maatje was strangled and her body burned nearly four months on.
In March 2001, Duffy was jailed for a further 12 years after admitting 17 rape offences at the Old Bailey.
In other news, the pilot of a jumbo jet carrying more than 200 passengers pulled out of landing at Heathrow Airport when he sighted a second jumbo on the runway.
The Air Canada Boeing 747 was coming in to land when its captain, Robert Clarke, saw the other plane.
The Air Canada jet, which had flown in from Toronto, landed safely a few minutes later.
And finally, Napoleon the Australian rat was smuggled into Britain after a 12,000-mile trip, a court heard.
The black and white rodent survived the 32-hour flight via Hong Kong and Bahrain when his owner hid him in her jumper.
Teignbridge magistrates fined Linda Squire (21), of Dawlish, Devon, £300 and ordered her to pay £150 after she pleaded guilty to breaking the anti-rabies law under the Animal Health Act of 1981.
Napoleon soon became a pile of ashes, the court heard. The unemployed hairdresser could not afford the six months’ quarantine bill, and a local vet cremated him.
Linda bought the rat for £1.50 in a Perth pet shop while on an 11-month tour of Australia.