THE DEVASTATED daughter of murdered businesswoman Penny Bell has revealed a new prime suspect could crack the cold case open decades on.
Penny was savagely stabbed to death 50 times as she sat in her Jaguar car in a leisure centre car park in west London.
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The shocking crime took place more than three decades ago, on June 6, 1991, but her killer has never been caught.
Now, 33 years on from the murder, a new name is in the frame for the brutal slaying after her daughter Lauren Bell teamed up with a retired detective who led the original hunt for Penny’s killer.
They say they have uncovered a raft of new evidence, including a fresh motive, which is among a comprehensive dossier Lauren has put together with former Detective Superintendent Brian Edwards.
Lauren said: “I have worked tirelessly with Brian for over three years now, and this has uncovered new information we believe could lead to solving my mum’s murder.
“I have never given up hope of bringing Mum’s killer to justice. Time does not diminish the crime.
“A savage murder 33 years ago is still a murder, and Mum’s killer is walking around having enjoyed decades of freedom.
“So many historical crimes are now being solved thanks to huge advancements in DNA science and we hope this will apply to Penny’s murder too.”
Lauren and Brian teamed up three years ago on the 30th anniversary of Penny’s murder and have handed over their dossier to the Met’s cold case team.
However, they fear a lack of funding and staffing may be stalling the police inquiry, with Scotland Yard insisting that while the case remains live and ongoing, they have not found new evidence in the material.
Lauren said: “Brian has an extensive knowledge of the case stretching back three decades and was Detective Superintendent when he led mum’s original murder inquiry.
“Our investigation and our findings are legitimate. We haven’t had a credible new line of inquiry for 30 years, so we don’t say it lightly. We have put forward a significant person of interest who has not been pointed at before as well as a new motive.
“Brian is the man who knows the most about this case and his knowledge is gold dust – we are not a couple of Miss Marple armchair sleuths.”
Brian added: “Lauren and I have uncovered new information that opens up fresh lines of inquiry and points to a clear motive for Penny’s murder. I have given all the information to police and met with them to explain its significance.
“I have also followed up the meeting by writing to senior officers who replied telling me the case is still live and ongoing. I believe the new evidence is strong enough to reopen the investigation with a new
team.
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“It’s not just a question of reviews and going back over old ground but re-opening the investigation to follow up new leads. It’s the least that Penny and Lauren deserve.
“I retired in 1999, but Penny’s murder is one of those cases that has always troubled me. When Lauren got in touch, I didn’t have to think twice about trying to help her find out why and by who her mum had been murdered.
“I remember her as a little girl at the time of Penny’s murder and wondering what impact it would have on her life. Penny would have been proud of her.”
Lauren is now hoping for some political leverage to move the case forward once a new government has formed after July 4’s election.
Timeline of Penny Bell’s murder
PENNY was murderd in a frenzied attack as she sat in her luxury Jaguar in a West London car park.
- 9:40am – Penny informs builders she is running late for an appointment and leaves in her Jaguar XJS.
- 9:50am – Witness says she saw a man enter a Jaguar and is convinced Penny is the driver.
- 10:30am – It is believed this was around when Penny was murdered.
- 11:00am – Her lifeless body is seen in the driver’s seat of her car in the Gurnell Leisure Centre car park. Passersby assume she’s sleeping.
- 12:15pm – Cops are finally alerted, and her death is discovered. She had been stabbed more than 50 times.
She said: “This is our last roll of the dice. So many years have passed that we are running out of time to nail Mum’s killer.
“It has certainly taken its toll on me and my family, but I have to keep going because Mum doesn’t have a voice.
“It’s vital to keep talking publicly about this, so it keeps the spotlight on the Metropolitan Police and what they are doing about it.
“It’s been so long but I still have hope. Mum’s murder was so needless, so senseless. She had no known enemies, was involved in nothing illegal, was a loving mum, friend and a volunteer Samaritan who helped people. She was also a brilliant and successful businesswoman.
“On her 30th anniversary, I read her coroner’s report for the first time. The ferocity of the attack resulted in so much blood loss all over her car and yet we have not a single piece of DNA or scientific evidence to help the inquiry.
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“My daughter is now nine, the same age I was when my mum was murdered. Sadly, most of my memories of Mum were wiped because of the trauma of her killing.
“Despite loads of therapies over the years, those memories have never returned. I remember the day of her murder, coming home one day from school, like any other day.
“Our front door was opened by a man I didn’t know. That man was Brian, and it was the moment my world changed forever.
“It’s incredible to think I was just a little girl when I first met Brian, and all these years later, we are now working together, still trying to solve Mum’s murder.”
Stumped cops for decades
The murder of the popular, wealthy businesswoman who appeared to have the perfect life has stumped detectives for decades.
Penny was loved by many and known as glamorous, fun, and vivacious. She was also kind, gentle and generous.
She ran a highly successful recruitment agency in London supplying catering staff for high-profile events such as Wimbledon tennis and Henley Royal Regatta.
She was devoted to her family, husband Alistair and her two children, Matthew, 11, and Lauren, nine.
It has certainly taken its toll on me and my family, but I have to keep going because Mum doesn’t have a voice.
Lauren Bell
She volunteered as a Samaritan, helping desperate people in crisis and had many friends who insisted she was one of the loveliest people you could meet.
Above all, she had a reputation for moral integrity. So, who would have wanted her dead in such a cruel and spiteful fashion? And why?
Police have always been convinced she knew her killer. The ferocious and frenzied attack, resulting in 50 stab wounds to her chest and arms, most certainly points to a personal motive.
But how was her killer able to get away with such a violent attack in a public space and then slip away without a trace?
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At the time of her murder, Penny and Alistair were having extensive renovation work done to their dream house in Denham, Buckinghamshire.
Penny had worked hard to provide for her family and was a talented businesswoman, meaning the family was well off and living a charmed life.
But she was also extremely generous to others and would have helped anyone in need.
On the day of her murder on June 6, 1991, Penny left the family home just before 10am, telling builders she was off to an urgent appointment. Despite Penny always being meticulous with diary keeping and admin, nothing was ever noted down about the meeting.
I was just a little girl of nine when mum was killed and now, I’m a mum to my own daughter.
Lauren
Around two hours later her lifeless, bloodied body was found slumped over the steering wheel of her beloved powder blue Jaguar sports car.
Was she lured to her death by someone she knew? Her car was parked in the grounds of Gurnell Leisure Centre in Perivale, west
London.
There was no sign of robbery or sexual assault. Just evidence of an out-of-control attack and how Penny had fought to the last to survive.
Inside the car, Laura Ashley wallpaper samples for her home had been carefully laid out on the central console.
Was she about to show them to someone or had she been looking at them as she waited for her mystery appointment to arrive?
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At the time, detectives believed she had been killed by someone she knew and were confident that a forensic look at her life and those close to her would rapidly unveil her killer.
Husband Alistair immediately fell under suspicion as the man closest to her, but he was quickly eliminated and categorically cleared of any involvement in his wife’s murder.
A further mystery stumped police when it emerged that three days prior to her killing, Penny withdrew £8,500 in cash from the bank. The cash has never been accounted for.
But, despite a £1.5 million investigation, 8,000 interviews and a £20,000 reward, no one was ever charged with Penny’s murder, and it has languished in cold case archives.
Lauren said: “I was just a little girl of nine when mum was killed and now, I’m a mum to my own daughter.
“Penny deserves justice and I’ll never give up until it happens.”
