Found Deceased UK - Leah Croucher, 19, Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes, 14 Feb 2019 #4

[dotr]

Could more than one person be involved in Leah’s disappearance?

Joseph McCann was released from prison on FEB 15th 2019, the day Leah
went missing.

Serial rapist Joseph McCann said he wanted 'clean young girl' before being freed

‘Most worryingly’, prison officers identified that McCann – ‘with
the collusion of his family – was attempting to find a “young girl”
for his release’.

He was part of a traveller family (his mum and dad lived in Aylesbury).

There was a traveller site in Furzton at the time when Leah went missing; were
they connected to McCann?

He is quoted as telling the young girls he was attacking that they were:

“Part of a gypsy initiation ritual.”
''It is normal, it is what they do in the traveller community''

Monster raped 11 victims, aged 11 to 71, after being let out of jail by MISTAKE

Could Leah have been abducted by a family member of McCann’s as
'a welcome home gift' for his release?

It is also worth noting that the police arrested four men and two
women on suspicion of assisting McCann at addresses in
Cheshunt, Watford, Aylesbury and Birmingham.

8 weeks after Leah went missing, Joseph McCann began his two week spree of
terror against young women and children. he was quoted as saying to police on
his capture:

“If you had caught me for the first two, the rest of this wouldn’t
have happened,”

What did he mean by this?
Who were the first two??

Is this the reason Leahs case was not investigated properly
or given the coverage it should have received?

Has there been a massive cover-up due to the fact the Joseph McCann was
released by the police by MISTAKE.

Welcome to Ws!
Ws thread..
GUILTY - UK - Joe McCann, multiple victims kidnapped & assaulted, April / May 2019

 

[justiceforleahh]

Details of police intelligence from 2003, which said McCann and a relative had been involved in the abuse and sexual exploitation of young teenage girls, was discussed at a meeting attended by the offender manager responsible for his case between 2010 and 2013.

 

[WiseOwl]

I have mentioned the possibility of Joseph McCann being involved in Leah's disappearance before.

The day he was released he was supposed to register at a probation service at 9am. At the time he was said to be living with his mother in Aylesbury, but is it possible he might have had to use one in Milton Keynes? There are two probation places in MK and interestingly one is at Highgrove Hill, just off Watling Street. Watling Street is the main road that runs past The Premier Inn, which is where Leah's phone was last in use at 8.34 the morning she disappeared. If McCann did use the MK probation office then it would place him in MK around the same time that Leah's phone was switched off - coincidence? A remarkable one if it was true.

I have tried to find out which probation service McCann used that morning but without luck. I even asked an MK Citizen reporter if they knew, this was the reply I received (May 2019):

'We put a question about this into police a couple of weeks ago and they said they were not ruling out a link with McCann. But they would have interviewed him about Leah by now, so we're assuming he knows nothing about her.'

Never assume is what I say!

It's not just McCann though, the whole case surrounding Leah seems very strange and the TVP certainly have been reluctant to investigate her disappearance thoroughly.

 

[HollyHunter9]

One thing I've always found mysterious about Leah's disappearance is the lack of info from her phone. I have only recently come to realise just how much information can actually be tracked through phone data from following Bernadette walkers case here on WS. Recently during the trial of her murder an expert was asked if data would show whether a phone is manually switched off or if it broken/submerged in water. (I had always wondered this about Leah's phone). Was it switched off the morning of her disappearance or did something else happen to it? Perhaps it ended up in furzton lake? Would the police know this information? Also, she turned off her location settings the night before, were they ever switched back on? Most phones have fitness apps which track how many steps you do and they sometimes do this even if the phone is switched off (info again from Bernadette walkers trial).

Here is the link which better explains the point I'm trying to make...
"Earlier in the day, the jury had heard from Martin Griffiths, an expert in cell site data analysis, who explained to the jury how it was possible to say where handsets were, and at what time.
He also gave an explanation on what may have happened when phones were disconnected from the network. He said disconnections were split into two categories, an ‘explicit’ disconnection, which could include the phone being switched off, put into airplane mode or running out of battery, or an ‘implicit’ disconnection, which could include a phone being smashed on the ground or submerged in water."
Bernadette Walker Murder Trial: College classmates describe trying to contact missing teenager after her disappearance
Link to Bernadette thread with more info..
Still Missing - UK - Bernadette Walker, 17, left parent's car, Peterborough, 21 July 2020 *Arrests* #3

 

[WiseOwl]

One thing I've always found mysterious about Leah's disappearance is the lack of info from her phone. I have only recently come to realise just how much information can actually be tracked through phone data from following Bernadette walkers case here on WS. Recently during the trial of her murder an expert was asked if data would show whether a phone is manually switched off or if it broken/submerged in water. (I had always wondered this about Leah's phone). Was it switched off the morning of her disappearance or did something else happen to it? Perhaps it ended up in furzton lake? Would the police know this information? Also, she turned off her location settings the night before, were they ever switched back on? Most phones have fitness apps which track how many steps you do and they sometimes do this even if the phone is switched off (info again from Bernadette walkers trial).

Here is the link which better explains the point I'm trying to make...
"Earlier in the day, the jury had heard from Martin Griffiths, an expert in cell site data analysis, who explained to the jury how it was possible to say where handsets were, and at what time.
He also gave an explanation on what may have happened when phones were disconnected from the network. He said disconnections were split into two categories, an ‘explicit’ disconnection, which could include the phone being switched off, put into airplane mode or running out of battery, or an ‘implicit’ disconnection, which could include a phone being smashed on the ground or submerged in water."
Bernadette Walker Murder Trial: College classmates describe trying to contact missing teenager after her disappearance
Link to Bernadette thread with more info..
Still Missing - UK - Bernadette Walker, 17, left parent's car, Peterborough, 21 July 2020 *Arrests* #3

That's an excellent post Holly.

It does make you think just how thorough has the TVP been in their investigation into Leah's disappearance. It would be interesting to know if they used an expert in checking the data from Leah's phone and what information they gleaned from it (if any).

The impression I get is that the Croucher family have never been very happy with the investigation by the TVP and who can blame them? I really don't want to read that they've given up hope of ever finding Leah but it must be tough for them.

 

[HollyHunter9]

That's an excellent post Holly.

It does make you think just how thorough has the TVP been in their investigation into Leah's disappearance. It would be interesting to know if they used an expert in checking the data from Leah's phone and what information they gleaned from it (if any).

The impression I get is that the Croucher family have never been very happy with the investigation by the TVP and who can blame them? I really don't want to read that they've given up hope of ever finding Leah but it must be tough for them.

Thank you WO. I was just astonished at just how much info can be actually be found out from a mobile phone. Yet very little info has been released about Leahs phone. I wonder if this on purpose by the police or have they not actually investigated this info?

I really feel for the croucher family as other investigations seem to have so much more info available. I just hope the reason is strategic by the police rather than lack of interest.

 

[Lindsay Lou Who]

Thank you WO. I was just astonished at just how much info can be actually be found out from a mobile phone. Yet very little info has been released about Leahs phone. I wonder if this on purpose by the police or have they not actually investigated this info?

I really feel for the croucher family as other investigations seem to have so much more info available. I just hope the reason is strategic by the police rather than lack of interest.

I like yourself would hope this is a strategy the TVP are using, maybe to lure someone into a false sense of security. However unfortunately TVP appear to believe Leah is a missing person of her own accord! Unless this is also a ploy to lull a certain someone into a false sense of security?

My heart breaks for Leah's family, still no answers over two years later about their beautiful daughter. And then the very tragic death of their son Haydon. Its unthinkable.

 

[Algorithmwillgetyou]

Some great points coming up on Leah's thread. I do wonder if TVP know more than they have released because as far as I'm aware I don't believe women in the local area were warned to be careful when walking alone in the area. There has been some big breaks in a number of missing persons cases lately...suzanne morphew, Alan White etc. I do hope Leah's family have not given up hope of finding her. I wonder is there a way the 20k reward could be donated to the family instead so they could perhaps use it to hire a private investigator?

Such a good idea !!

 

[Scorpiette]

All Leah Croucher's money has gone from her bank account, her devastated family reveals

 

[Skigh]

All Leah Croucher's money has gone from her bank account, her devastated family reveals

I hope that this gets press or other attention and her bank is shamed into re funding the money.

 

[JuicyLucy]

All Leah Croucher's money has gone from her bank account, her devastated family reveals

Bit of a misleading headline! For a moment I thought it was saying that account activity suggests she might be alive after all.

I wonder why her parents never applied for a guardianship order if they were concerned her money was being swallowed up unnecessarily?

What is Guardianship - Missing People

 

[Scorpiette]

Bit of a misleading headline! For a moment I thought it was saying that account activity suggests she might be alive after all.

I wonder why her parents never applied for a guardianship order if they were concerned her money was being swallowed up unnecessarily?

What is Guardianship - Missing People

That's a very good point. would have thought that the parents would be advised about this?

 

[WiseOwl]

The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act didn't come into force until 31 July 2019. This was nearly 6 months after Leah disappeared so it's more than likely that the Croucher family were not aware of this at the time, being wrapped up in Leah's case.

Perhaps someone from the TVP could of informed them about this at the time?

 

[JuicyLucy]

The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act didn't come into force until 31 July 2019. This was nearly 6 months after Leah disappeared so it's more than likely that the Croucher family were not aware of this at the time, being wrapped up in Leah's case.

Perhaps someone from the TVP could of informed them about this at the time?

TVP or one of the support groups, like Missing People. Afaik, the Guardianship Act came about because of pressure from Claudia Lawrence's family (I think it's also called Claudia's Law) so the informal network that exists between families of long-term missing people would also be aware of it.

The bank should have known too tbf. It seems inconceivable that they've been asking the bank for help all this time and nothing was said.

JMO

 

[Ruthbullock]

They will absolutely have been aware of this law, but were perhaps hoping by keeping them going it would give her some contact and now have no way of taking over those contracts. I think they kept her memory and their hope alive allowing the direct debits to continue and are now using its ending to invigorate interest in her case via the press. It does emphasise how long she has been missing.

 

[WiseOwl]

They will absolutely have been aware of this law, but were perhaps hoping by keeping them going it would give her some contact and now have no way of taking over those contracts. I think they kept her memory and their hope alive allowing the direct debits to continue and are now using its ending to invigorate interest in her case via the press. It does emphasise how long she has been missing.

It clearly states in the MK Citizen that Leah's parents tried to stop the direct debits from continuing but the bank refused:

From today's MK Citizen (BBM):

Her parents, John and Claire, are convinced their daughter did not vanish voluntarily but still cling on to the hope that one day she will contact them.

But their request to the bank to freeze Leah's direct debits. including her monthly phone contract payments, from her account was refused - and now all her money has gone.

"This means the bill we were trying to protect is no longer being paid. Leah's phone bill. There is now no way that any of us can contact her," said Claire.

"All we know is that her bank wouldn't help us to stop her direct debits and now all her money has gone. Paying bills that didn't need to be paid."

Also as I said earlier Claudia's Law did not come into force until 6 months after Leah had gone missing so they might not have been aware of it at all.

 

[crazychris]

Just thought that maybe legally the bank was right. The contract for her phone was probably made between the phone provider and Leah so could not just be ended by a third party unless she'd died. Say she was still alive and had just left home and wanted to use her phone but her parents had cut it off by stopping payments.

 

[WiseOwl]

Just thought that maybe legally the bank was right. The contract for her phone was probably made between the phone provider and Leah so could not just be ended by a third party unless she'd died. Say she was still alive and had just left home and wanted to use her phone but her parents had cut it off by stopping payments.

I really don't know Chris, perhaps it's up to the bank in question to make a decision on a missing person's case?

This is what it states in Claudia's Law:

The financial and administrative burdens faced by families of missing loved ones will be eased after legislation was laid today (28 June 2019) to pave the way for ‘Claudia’s Law’.

Named after Claudia Lawrence who went missing in 2009, the law creates a new legal status of guardian of the affairs of a missing person, allowing families to act in their best interests after they have been gone for 90 days or longer.

It will mean that families can step in and safeguard their loved one’s assets in their absence – for example, suspending direct debits for mobile phone and utility bills or making mortgage payments.

It does state suspending direct debits for mobile phones amongst other things.

'Claudia’s law’ to lift families of missing people out of legal limbo

Also today's MK Citizen article about Leah's bank account:

All Leah Croucher's money has gone from her bank account, her devastated family reveals

 

[Jenesaisquoi]

I was thinking perhaps the family wanted to continue the phone bill but not the other direct debits? Maybe there is something in the law that specifies that it is all or nothing? But that wouldn’t really make sense if a legally-trusted someone was allowed to make decisions on the misper’s behalf.

 

[JuicyLucy]

It doesn't really make sense. I find it hard to believe there was no one at all - not the police, not the bank, not one of the people or organisations supporting them, including the MK Citizen - who knew about the new guardianship law. If they had used it to stop other direct debits, the phone contract could have continued longer.

If they were too preoccupied at the time (which is understandable, of course), it's bizarre that no one has suggested it since, while the money dwindled, particularly if the bank was being unhelpful. A guardianship order is made by the courts and the bank would have to comply, as would the phone company if they wanted to transfer the contract to a different account.

Even then, if it were your daughter missing, and that phone contract continuing was important to you, wouldn't you keep paying in enough to make sure it did? There's nothing to stop anyone paying in to that account, guardianship or not.

Like so much about the comms on this case, it's very odd imo.