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Piece of paper that ripped case wide open

10/08/2001

Police investigating the Manfield letter writer had to wait almost 13 years before they had a breakthrough in the case.

When they first searched James Forster's home officers failed to identify any definite clues. But after careful inspection of the items they seized, Detective Constable Graham Stockton found the evidence which was to secure a conviction of the venomous author.

He found what at first appeared to be an innocent piece of paper, tucked between other pieces of paper, which they had taken from Forster's filing cabinet.

He said: "I was looking for indentations on the paper which may have been there from someone writing on a piece of paper above. Then I saw this piece.

"I looked at it and thought it looked like it had been ripped from another piece.

As it turned out, that other piece was the note sent to a 13-year-old girl in the village - along with a pornographic magazine.

"I compared the note to the blank piece of paper and it was visible, even to the naked eye, that they had once been the same piece of paper, which had been ripped apart.

"It was the breakthrough we had been waiting for."

When the officers had gone to Forster's address at 7.30am on November 17, 1999, they were surprised by his reaction.

Detective Sergeant Mick Griffiths said: "When we got there, he asked if we were going to be long. We said 'Yes'.

"He then said 'You won't mind if I have my breakfast then', and sat there in his pyjamas and ate his porridge.

"It was just total defiance.

"He also said another strange thing. When we told him why we were there he said 'You won't find any evidence here'."

What the officers did find was Forster's "Gossip List", which was headed with "People Gossiped about by Collin", another piece of important evidence which helped convince the jury Forster was guilty.

Det Con Stockton said: "This was a crime we wanted to solve. It was insidious and it was making the village of Manfield a place riddled with suspicion. It had a tremendous effect on people's lives."

Both officers say this case is the most complex they have ever worked on.

Det Sgt Griffiths said: "There is great professional satisfaction with the result. It was a partnership between Graham and I all the way."

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