Wild Justice: Lynn Siddons Murder

Product Information

Lynn Siddons did not get justice, and for many years her female relatives turned their need for this on to the step-father, Michael Brookes, who experienced years of persecution with their campaign. He found it increasingly impossible to get employment, and he was willing and open in TV interviews about his situation. A Derby woman who spent 18 years campaigning to bring her granddaughter's murderer to justice has died aged 92.

A 20-year dispute over who murdered teenager Lynn Siddons on a canal towpath in Derby has ended after the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction against Michael Brookes. Within the papers was, Mr Chittenden said, evidence from Roy Brookes that he had been put up by his stepfather to take part in killing Miss Siddons with him. Read More Related Articles

Lynn's grandmother Florence Siddons, 83, who campaigned to bring her killer to justice, was in court to hear the appeal judges say they had "no lurking doubt" about the safety of 53-year-old Brookes's conviction. A friend of 16-year-old Lynn, Fitzroy Brookes, confessed to the murder, but was acquitted at his trial after accusing his stepfather Michael of the murder. Brookes was later tried and convicted, but appealed against the verdict in 1998, saying he could not get a fair trial following publicity about the case, but his appeal was rejected.

But while speaking to his teenage client before and during the trial, it became clear to him that the real killer was the boy's stepfather, Michael Brookes. It also highlights the need for the right to appeal against indecent or unreliable decisions made by judges, juries and courts. A defendant must be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and there are many jury decisions like this in which this criterion has not been observed. They were bringing a civil case against Michael Brookes, who would eventually be jailed for life for the murder of Miss Siddons, 18 years after she was found stabbed to death in bushes. His conviction followed a rare civil suit brought by Lynn's family after police decided not to charge him with murder. Miss Siddons's late grandmother, Flo Siddons, campaigned hard to bring Brookes to justice and was handed a string of awards for her tireless work.In 1978, 16 year-old Lynn Siddons was murdered on a canal towpath in Derby and her body left hidden in bushes. She had been stabbed 43 times, strangled unsuccessfully, and finally drowned in a puddle. Algae was found in her lungs. A 15 year-old boy was seen by eyewitnesses to leave the crime scene alone, and his age helps to explain why the killer had had so much trouble in killing the girl. The boy, who was recognized by the witnesses, was taken in for questioning, charged with murder, and tried in November. The confirmation of Brookes as the killer is the culmination of a lengthy campaign waged by Florence Siddons. The motive for the murder is readily apparent, because teenage girls always look up the age range for sexual and romantic encounters, never down it, and in addition to his age, no doubt the boy's evident puniness and his murderous potential would have added to his unattractiveness for her. Show Sponsor: Care/Of - Find the right vitamins, protein, and now collagen too, personalized just for you. At the end of the trial we were just over the moon that we had got justice for Lynn. That was all we ever wanted."

Music used in this episode: "The Descent" by Kevin Macleod. All music used is sourced from https://filmmusic.io/ and used under an Attribution Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Mr Chittenden, a father-of-three, helped to clear 16-year-old Roy Brookes of the murder of Sinfin girl Lynn Siddons when he was acquitted of the killing in 1978. Speaking at the time, he said: "Lynn Siddons's family had this incredible resolve and Flo was the driving force behind it all. Flo's daughter Gail Holford, said: "It was a long hard fight but my mum was always there at the front. Mr Chittenden said he then made the decision to release the papers to solicitors acting for Miss Siddons's family. For nearly two decades the police had declined to prosecute Brookes for obvious reasons, but after this judgment, they bowed to the mobbing pressure of the press and these women and prosecuted their case in the criminal courts. Michael Brookes and the step-son's story went through the jury like a dose of salts, and into jail he went, where he has pleaded innocence ever since.