Jump to content

Murder of Vera Holland: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m →Developments in recent years: remove extraneous space
Adding short description: "1996 murder in Reading, Berkshire, England"
 
(24 intermediate revisions by 16 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|1996 murder in Reading, Berkshire, England}}
⚫
'''Vera Holland''' (8th April 1949<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?r=198994316:5721&d=bmd_1571680280|title=Vera Vince|last=|first=|date=|website=FreeBMD|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref> - 14-16 November 1996) was a mother of three who was murdered in [[Reading, Berkshire]], in November 1996. Her murder remains unsolved.
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{infobox civilian attack
|title=Murder of Vera Holland
|location=[[Reading, Berkshire]], England
|date=14–16 November 1996
|type=[[Homicide]] by strangulation
|victim=Vera Holland, aged 47
|perpetrator=Unknown
|motive=Unknown
}}
⚫
'''Vera Holland''' (8 April 1949<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?r=198994316:5721&d=bmd_1571680280|title=Vera Vince|website=FreeBMD|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref> – 14–16 November 1996) was a mother of three who was murdered in [[Reading, Berkshire]] in November 1996. Her murder remains unsolved.


== Background ==
== Background ==
{{infobox person
⚫
Vera Holland was born Vera Vince in London on 8<sup>th</sup> April 1949. She married Edward Bennett in 1967<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?r=237926160:8312&d=bmd_1571680280|title=Vera Vince|last=|first=|date=|website=FreeBMD|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref> with whom she had two children. Her second husband was Richard Stevens who she married in 1978<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?r=260011151:6403&d=bmd_1571680280|title=Vera Bennett|last=|first=|date=|website=FreeBMD|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref> and the couple had one child together. She married her third husband, Brian Holland, in 1991.
|name=Vera Holland
|birth_name=Vera Vince
|birth_date={{birth date|1949|4|8|df=y}}
|birth_place=[[London]], England
|death_date=14–16 November 1996 (aged 47)
|death_place=[[Reading, Berkshire]], England
|death_cause=[[Homicide]] by strangulation
|spouse={{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Edward Bennett|1967}}
* {{marriage|Richard Stevens|1978}}
* {{marriage|Brian Holland|1991}}
}}
|children=3
}}
⚫
Vera Holland was born Vera Vince in London on 8 April 1949. She married Edward Bennett in 1967<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?r=237926160:8312&d=bmd_1571680280|title=Vera Vince|website=FreeBMD|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref> with whom she had two children. Her second husband was Richard Stevens who she married in 1978<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?r=260011151:6403&d=bmd_1571680280|title=Vera Bennett|website=FreeBMD|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref> and the couple had one child together. She married her third husband, Brian Holland, in 1991.


At the time of her death, Vera, 47, was living with her husband Brian, 41, on St Barnabas Road, Shinfield Rise, south [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]]. The couple shared a milk delivery round in nearby [[Wokingham]].
At the time of her death, Vera, 47, was living with her husband Brian, 41, on St Barnabas Road, Shinfield Rise, south [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]]. The couple shared a milk delivery round in nearby [[Wokingham]].


== Disappearance ==
== Disappearance ==
On the evening of Thursday 14<sup>th</sup> November 1996, Vera left her home at 6.10 pm to make a three minute walk to the [[KFC|Kentucky Fried Chicken]] restaurant on Shinfield Road. The time of year meant that it was dark when she left. There was no sign of her on CCTV reaching her destination and it’s believed that she never made it to the restaurant. Her husband, Brian, reported her missing at 10.45 pm when Vera failed to return home.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Mum's Body Left On Blazing Pyre|last=|first=|date=18 November 1996|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref> At the time of her disappearance, Vera had been wearing a three-quarter length pink coat, green tartan skirt, black jumper and black shoes.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wokinghampaper.com/family-appeal-catch-vera-holland-murderer/|title=Family appeal to catch Vera Holland’s murderer|last=|first=|date=|website=Wokingham Today|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=11 November 2016|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref>
On the evening of Thursday 14 November 1996, Vera left her home at 6.10 pm to make a three-minute walk to the [[KFC|Kentucky Fried Chicken]] restaurant on Shinfield Road. The time of year meant that it was dark when she left. There was no sign of her on CCTV reaching her destination and it's believed that she never made it to the restaurant. Her husband, Brian, reported her missing at 10.45 pm when Vera failed to return home.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Mum's Body Left On Blazing Pyre|date=18 November 1996|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref> At the time of her disappearance, Vera had been wearing a three-quarter length pink coat, green tartan skirt, black jumper and black shoes.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wokinghampaper.com/family-appeal-catch-vera-holland-murderer/|title=Family appeal to catch Vera Holland's murderer|website=Wokingham Today|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref>


== Discovery of the crime ==
== Discovery of the crime ==
Motorists on the A327 road, between [[Shinfield]] and [[Arborfield]], alerted fire services to a blaze by the side of the road at 5.30 am on Saturday 16<sup>th</sup> November 1996 at an illegal fly-tipping site at Two Bridges.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/watch-family-plea-help-catch-12163994|title=Family plea for help to catch Shinfield mum's killer 20 years after 'horrific' death|last=|first=|date=11 November 2016|website=BerkshireLIve|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> The site was about three miles south of Vera’s home.
Motorists on the A327 road, between [[Shinfield]] and [[Arborfield]], alerted fire services to a blaze by the side of the road at 5.30 am on Saturday 16 November 1996 at an illegal fly-tipping site at Two Bridges.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/watch-family-plea-help-catch-12163994|title=Family plea for help to catch Shinfield mum's killer 20 years after 'horrific' death|date=11 November 2016|website=BerkshireLIve|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> The site was about three miles south of Vera's home.


Once the fire had been extinguished, Vera’s body was discovered in a beige carpet on a pile of rubbish which included logs and tyres. Traces of her blood were found on the carpet and she was partially clothed in her undergarments: a suspender belt and petticoat. The post-mortem found that Vera had died of strangulation and there was bruising to her face. There was no sign of sexual assault. The other items of clothing which Vera had been wearing at the time of her disappearance were found in the burning pile<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=|title=Police: 'We May Never Find Vera's Killer'|last=|first=|date=17 October 1997|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref>.
Once the fire had been extinguished, Vera's body was discovered in a beige carpet on a pile of rubbish which included logs and tyres. Traces of her blood were found on the carpet and she was partially clothed in her undergarments: a suspender belt and petticoat. The post-mortem found that Vera had died of strangulation and there was bruising to her face. There was no sign of sexual assault. The other items of clothing which Vera had been wearing at the time of her disappearance were found in the burning pile.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=Police: 'We May Never Find Vera's Killer'|date=17 October 1997|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref>


== Police investigation ==
== Police investigation ==
Eighty police officers from [[Thames Valley Police]] were involved in the investigation into Vera Holland’s death in the first year. At the height of the investigation 1,669 people were interviewed and 777 statements were taken. Over 100,000 leaflets appealing for information were sent out to local people.<ref name=":0" />
Eighty police officers from [[Thames Valley Police]] were involved in the investigation into Vera Holland's death in the first year. At the height of the investigation 1,669 people were interviewed and 777 statements were taken. Over 100,000 leaflets appealing for information were sent out to local people.<ref name=":0" />


Fingerprint and blood tests were carried out on Brian Holland and the family home was sealed for three days while forensic teams searched the house, they took away over one hundred forensic samples.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title='Who Would Want To Murder My Wife?'|last=|first=|date=25 November 1996|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref> A week after Vera’s disappearance, road checks were held on the A327 where Vera’s body was found and a female police officer, dressed in clothing like Vera’s on the night she disappeared, re-enacted the walk she would have made to the KFC restaurant in the hope that someone’s memory would be jogged.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Vera's Steps To Be Re-Traced|last=|first=|date=21 November 1996|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref> A fortnight after Vera’s disappearance, further road checks were carried out on the A327.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Police Roadcheck Planned In Bid To Boost Murder Inquiry|last=|first=|date=28 November 1996|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref> In February 1997, police put up two road signs in the area where Vera’s body was found, appealing for information.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Police Hope Sign Will Point To Killer|last=|first=|date=4 February 1997|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=|title=Phone Calls Give Police Hope in Holland Murder|last=|first=|date=13 February 1997|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref>
Fingerprint and blood tests were carried out on Brian Holland and the family home was sealed for three days while forensic teams searched the house, they took away over one hundred forensic samples.<ref>{{Cite news|title='Who Would Want To Murder My Wife?'|date=25 November 1996|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref> A week after Vera's disappearance, road checks were held on the A327 where Vera's body was found and a female police officer, dressed in clothing like Vera's on the night she disappeared, re-enacted the walk she would have made to the KFC restaurant in the hope that someone's memory would be jogged.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Vera's Steps To Be Re-Traced|date=21 November 1996|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref> A fortnight after Vera's disappearance, further road checks were carried out on the A327.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Police Roadcheck Planned In Bid To Boost Murder Inquiry|date=28 November 1996|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref> In February 1997, police put up two road signs in the area where Vera's body was found, appealing for information.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Police Hope Sign Will Point To Killer|date=4 February 1997|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|title=Phone Calls Give Police Hope in Holland Murder|date=13 February 1997|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref>


Witness statements provided police with a number of leads regarding vehicles in the area at the time:
Witness statements provided police with a number of leads regarding vehicles in the area at the time:


* Two sightings of a light-coloured Ford Fiesta shortly after 5am on Saturday 16<sup>th</sup> November near the entrance to Hall Farm, just the other side of a bridge from the site where Vera’s body was found. One witness said the car was white, another said it was beige. It was seen to drive off at speed on to the farm estate.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=|title=Vera Holland Killing - Two Arrested|last=|first=|date=17 December 1996|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref>
* Two sightings of a light-coloured Ford Fiesta shortly after 5am on Saturday 16 November near the entrance to Hall Farm, just the other side of a bridge from the site where Vera's body was found. One witness said the car was white, another said it was beige. It was seen to drive off at speed on to the farm estate.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|title=Vera Holland Killing - Two Arrested|date=17 December 1996|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref>
* A white Transit van seen several times for lengthy spells on Friday 15<sup>th</sup> November in the location where Vera’s body was found.<ref name=":1" />
* A white Transit van seen several times for lengthy spells on Friday 15 November in the location where Vera's body was found.<ref name=":1" />
* A black Ford Granada was seen in the area on the night when Vera went missing.<ref name=":1" />
* A black Ford Granada was seen in the area on the night when Vera went missing.<ref name=":1" />


== The carpet ==
== The carpet ==
In February 1997, the police made an appeal for more information about the carpet which Vera’s body was found in. It was a section of bedroom quality carpet measuring 9ft 4in by 8ft 2in square and was fawn coloured / beige. It had two furniture sized indentations on one side – possibly from matching pieces of bedroom furniture - and two radiator pipe holes on the opposite side. Soil and weeds growing on the carpet led police to believe that it had been stored outside before.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Who Is Owner Of Murder Carpet?|last=|first=|date=26 February 1997|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref> Police believed that Vera’s body had been left inside the carpet for more than a day before it was taken to the fly-tip – they believed she was killed and then placed in the carpet until the Friday evening. Witnesses stated that Vera’s body was not at the site before 4pm on Friday 15<sup>th</sup> November. After the appeal was made, police said that almost forty people contacted them with information about the carpet.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Public Respond to Vera Carpet Appeal|last=|first=|date=3 March 1997|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref>
In February 1997, the police made an appeal for more information about the carpet which Vera’s body was found in. It was a section of bedroom quality carpet measuring 9ft 4in by 8ft 2in square and was fawn coloured / beige. It had two furniture sized indentations on one side – possibly from matching pieces of bedroom furniture - and two radiator pipe holes on the opposite side. Soil and weeds growing on the carpet led police to believe that it had been stored outside before.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Who Is Owner Of Murder Carpet?|date=26 February 1997|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref> Police believed that Vera’s body had been left inside the carpet for more than a day before it was taken to the fly-tip – they believed she was killed and then placed in the carpet until the Friday evening. Witnesses stated that Vera’s body was not at the site before 4pm on Friday 15 November. After the appeal was made, police said that almost forty people contacted them with information about the carpet.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Public Respond to Vera Carpet Appeal|date=3 March 1997|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref>


== Arrests ==
== Arrests ==
On 17<sup>th</sup> December 1996, at 6.30am, Vera’s second husband, Richard Stevens, 50, and his wife, Kaye, 42, were arrested. Mr and Mrs Stevens lived just a few houses from Vera and her husband, Brian. The couple were held for 13 hours then released on police bail.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Vera's Ex Husband Out On Police Bail|last=|first=|date=19 December 1996|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref>
On 17 December 1996, at 6.30am, Vera's second husband, Richard Stevens, 50, and his wife, Kaye, 42, were arrested. Mr and Mrs Stevens lived just a few houses from Vera and her husband, Brian. The couple were held for 13 hours then released on police bail.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news|title=Vera's Ex Husband Out On Police Bail|date=19 December 1996|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref>


In January 1997, Vera’s husband, Brian, was arrested in connection with her death. He was held for a day before being released on police bail. In March 1997, Brian Holland threatened to take legal action against Thames Valley Police over the handling of his wife’s case.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Death Action Threat|last=|first=|date=11 March 1997|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Holland Case Distress|last=|first=|date=12 March 1997|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref>
In January 1997, Vera's husband, Brian, was arrested in connection with her death. He was held for a day before being released on police bail. In March 1997, Brian Holland threatened to take legal action against Thames Valley Police over the handling of his wife's case.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Death Action Threat|date=11 March 1997|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Holland Case Distress|date=12 March 1997|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref>


No one else has been arrested or charged in connection with Vera Holland’s death.
No one else has been arrested or charged in connection with Vera Holland's death.


== Funeral and inquest ==
== Funeral and inquest ==
On Friday 20<sup>th</sup> June 1997, Vera Holland’s funeral was held at Caversham Crematorium, Reading.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=Family at Funeral of Murdered Vera|last=|first=|date=23 June 1997|work=Reading Evening Post|access-date=}}</ref> On 16<sup>th</sup> October 1997, the inquest into Vera’s death recorded a verdict of unlawful killing. The East Berkshire coroner, Robert Wilson, told the inquest, "It looks like the person who did this will get away with it."<ref name=":0" />
On Friday 20 June 1997, Vera Holland's funeral was held at Caversham Crematorium, Reading.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Family at Funeral of Murdered Vera|date=23 June 1997|work=Reading Evening Post}}</ref> On 16 October 1997, the inquest into Vera's death recorded a verdict of unlawful killing. The East Berkshire coroner, Robert Wilson, told the inquest, "It looks like the person who did this will get away with it."<ref name=":0" />


== Developments in recent years ==
== Developments in recent years ==
In November 2016, on the twenty year anniversary of Vera’s death, two of her children made a new appeal for information alongside Thames Valley Police.<ref name=":4" /> When asked at the time about a possible connection of Vera’s death with imprisoned serial killer, Christoper Halliwell, the head of Thames Valley police’s major crime review team, Peter Beirne, responded that he would, “keep Halliwell in mind”.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/11/police-to-consider-halliwell-link-to-20-year-old|title=Police to consider Halliwell link to 20-year-old murder|last=|first=|date=11 November 2016|website=The Guardian|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref>
In November 2016, on the twenty year anniversary of Vera's death, two of her children made a new appeal for information alongside Thames Valley Police.<ref name=":4" /> When asked at the time about a possible connection of Vera's death with imprisoned serial killer, Christoper Halliwell, the head of Thames Valley police's major crime review team, Peter Beirne, responded that he would, "keep Halliwell in mind".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/11/police-to-consider-halliwell-link-to-20-year-old|title=Police to consider Halliwell link to 20-year-old murder|date=11 November 2016|website=The Guardian|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref>


In January 2017, Thames Valley Police announced that new witnesses had come forward leading to further investigations, but no arrests had been made.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-38796347|title=Vera Holland murder: New witnesses come forward|last=|first=|date=30 January 2017|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref>
In January 2017, Thames Valley Police announced that new witnesses had come forward leading to further investigations, but no arrests had been made.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-38796347|title=Vera Holland murder: New witnesses come forward|work=BBC News |date=30 January 2017|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of solved missing person cases: pre-2000|List of solved missing person cases]]


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Vera Vince}}
[[Category:1990s missing person cases]]
[[Category:1996 murders in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Deaths by person in England]]
[[Category:Female murder victims]]
[[Category:Formerly missing people]]
[[Category:Missing person cases in England]]
[[Category:November 1996 crimes]]
[[Category:Reading, Berkshire]]
[[Category:Unsolved murders in England]]

Latest revision as of 12:58, 20 April 2024

Murder of Vera Holland
LocationReading, Berkshire, England
Date14–16 November 1996
Attack type
Homicide by strangulation
VictimVera Holland, aged 47
PerpetratorUnknown
MotiveUnknown

Vera Holland (8 April 1949[1] – 14–16 November 1996) was a mother of three who was murdered in Reading, Berkshire in November 1996. Her murder remains unsolved.

Background

[edit]
Vera Holland
Born
Vera Vince

(1949-04-08)8 April 1949
London, England
Died14–16 November 1996 (aged 47)
Reading, Berkshire, England
Cause of deathHomicide by strangulation
Spouses
Edward Bennett
​
(m. 1967)​
Richard Stevens
​
(m. 1978)​
Brian Holland
​
(m. 1991)​
Children3

Vera Holland was born Vera Vince in London on 8 April 1949. She married Edward Bennett in 1967[2] with whom she had two children. Her second husband was Richard Stevens who she married in 1978[3] and the couple had one child together. She married her third husband, Brian Holland, in 1991.

At the time of her death, Vera, 47, was living with her husband Brian, 41, on St Barnabas Road, Shinfield Rise, south Reading. The couple shared a milk delivery round in nearby Wokingham.

Disappearance

[edit]

On the evening of Thursday 14 November 1996, Vera left her home at 6.10 pm to make a three-minute walk to the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on Shinfield Road. The time of year meant that it was dark when she left. There was no sign of her on CCTV reaching her destination and it's believed that she never made it to the restaurant. Her husband, Brian, reported her missing at 10.45 pm when Vera failed to return home.[4] At the time of her disappearance, Vera had been wearing a three-quarter length pink coat, green tartan skirt, black jumper and black shoes.[5]

Discovery of the crime

[edit]

Motorists on the A327 road, between Shinfield and Arborfield, alerted fire services to a blaze by the side of the road at 5.30 am on Saturday 16 November 1996 at an illegal fly-tipping site at Two Bridges.[6][5] The site was about three miles south of Vera's home.

Once the fire had been extinguished, Vera's body was discovered in a beige carpet on a pile of rubbish which included logs and tyres. Traces of her blood were found on the carpet and she was partially clothed in her undergarments: a suspender belt and petticoat. The post-mortem found that Vera had died of strangulation and there was bruising to her face. There was no sign of sexual assault. The other items of clothing which Vera had been wearing at the time of her disappearance were found in the burning pile.[7]

Police investigation

[edit]

Eighty police officers from Thames Valley Police were involved in the investigation into Vera Holland's death in the first year. At the height of the investigation 1,669 people were interviewed and 777 statements were taken. Over 100,000 leaflets appealing for information were sent out to local people.[7]

Fingerprint and blood tests were carried out on Brian Holland and the family home was sealed for three days while forensic teams searched the house, they took away over one hundred forensic samples.[8] A week after Vera's disappearance, road checks were held on the A327 where Vera's body was found and a female police officer, dressed in clothing like Vera's on the night she disappeared, re-enacted the walk she would have made to the KFC restaurant in the hope that someone's memory would be jogged.[9] A fortnight after Vera's disappearance, further road checks were carried out on the A327.[10] In February 1997, police put up two road signs in the area where Vera's body was found, appealing for information.[11][12]

Witness statements provided police with a number of leads regarding vehicles in the area at the time:

  • Two sightings of a light-coloured Ford Fiesta shortly after 5am on Saturday 16 November near the entrance to Hall Farm, just the other side of a bridge from the site where Vera's body was found. One witness said the car was white, another said it was beige. It was seen to drive off at speed on to the farm estate.[13]
  • A white Transit van seen several times for lengthy spells on Friday 15 November in the location where Vera's body was found.[12]
  • A black Ford Granada was seen in the area on the night when Vera went missing.[12]

The carpet

[edit]

In February 1997, the police made an appeal for more information about the carpet which Vera’s body was found in. It was a section of bedroom quality carpet measuring 9ft 4in by 8ft 2in square and was fawn coloured / beige. It had two furniture sized indentations on one side – possibly from matching pieces of bedroom furniture - and two radiator pipe holes on the opposite side. Soil and weeds growing on the carpet led police to believe that it had been stored outside before.[14] Police believed that Vera’s body had been left inside the carpet for more than a day before it was taken to the fly-tip – they believed she was killed and then placed in the carpet until the Friday evening. Witnesses stated that Vera’s body was not at the site before 4pm on Friday 15 November. After the appeal was made, police said that almost forty people contacted them with information about the carpet.[15]

Arrests

[edit]

On 17 December 1996, at 6.30am, Vera's second husband, Richard Stevens, 50, and his wife, Kaye, 42, were arrested. Mr and Mrs Stevens lived just a few houses from Vera and her husband, Brian. The couple were held for 13 hours then released on police bail.[13][16]

In January 1997, Vera's husband, Brian, was arrested in connection with her death. He was held for a day before being released on police bail. In March 1997, Brian Holland threatened to take legal action against Thames Valley Police over the handling of his wife's case.[17][18]

No one else has been arrested or charged in connection with Vera Holland's death.

Funeral and inquest

[edit]

On Friday 20 June 1997, Vera Holland's funeral was held at Caversham Crematorium, Reading.[19] On 16 October 1997, the inquest into Vera's death recorded a verdict of unlawful killing. The East Berkshire coroner, Robert Wilson, told the inquest, "It looks like the person who did this will get away with it."[7]

Developments in recent years

[edit]

In November 2016, on the twenty year anniversary of Vera's death, two of her children made a new appeal for information alongside Thames Valley Police.[6] When asked at the time about a possible connection of Vera's death with imprisoned serial killer, Christoper Halliwell, the head of Thames Valley police's major crime review team, Peter Beirne, responded that he would, "keep Halliwell in mind".[20]

In January 2017, Thames Valley Police announced that new witnesses had come forward leading to further investigations, but no arrests had been made.[21]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Vera Vince". FreeBMD. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Vera Vince". FreeBMD. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Vera Bennett". FreeBMD. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  4. ^ "Mum's Body Left On Blazing Pyre". Reading Evening Post. 18 November 1996.
  5. ^ a b "Family appeal to catch Vera Holland's murderer". Wokingham Today. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Family plea for help to catch Shinfield mum's killer 20 years after 'horrific' death". BerkshireLIve. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "Police: 'We May Never Find Vera's Killer'". Reading Evening Post. 17 October 1997.
  8. ^ "'Who Would Want To Murder My Wife?'". Reading Evening Post. 25 November 1996.
  9. ^ "Vera's Steps To Be Re-Traced". Reading Evening Post. 21 November 1996.
  10. ^ "Police Roadcheck Planned In Bid To Boost Murder Inquiry". Reading Evening Post. 28 November 1996.
  11. ^ "Police Hope Sign Will Point To Killer". Reading Evening Post. 4 February 1997.
  12. ^ a b c "Phone Calls Give Police Hope in Holland Murder". Reading Evening Post. 13 February 1997.
  13. ^ a b "Vera Holland Killing - Two Arrested". Reading Evening Post. 17 December 1996.
  14. ^ "Who Is Owner Of Murder Carpet?". Reading Evening Post. 26 February 1997.
  15. ^ "Public Respond to Vera Carpet Appeal". Reading Evening Post. 3 March 1997.
  16. ^ "Vera's Ex Husband Out On Police Bail". Reading Evening Post. 19 December 1996.
  17. ^ "Death Action Threat". Reading Evening Post. 11 March 1997.
  18. ^ "Holland Case Distress". Reading Evening Post. 12 March 1997.
  19. ^ "Family at Funeral of Murdered Vera". Reading Evening Post. 23 June 1997.
  20. ^ "Police to consider Halliwell link to 20-year-old murder". The Guardian. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  21. ^ "Vera Holland murder: New witnesses come forward". BBC News. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Vera_Holland&oldid=1219885593"