Dorothy Leyden

On a rainy Saturday night in April 1971, seventeen-year-old Dorothy Leyden went to see Motown star Jimmy Ruffin perform at Manchester’s Golden Garter nightclub. She laughed with her friends, caught a towel thrown from the stage, and left just after 1am to make her way home.

She never arrived.

A few hours later, Dorothy was found beaten to death behind a pub in Collyhurst. Witnesses had seen a young woman being dragged through the dark, screaming for help - but by the time police arrived, it was too late.

In this episode of Manchester Murders, Susan tells the haunting story of Dorothy’s final night, the massive police investigation that followed, and the disturbing pattern of attacks on other women in the same area. Decades later, despite forensic breakthroughs and renewed appeals, Dorothy’s killer has never been identified.

This is the story of a teenage girl whose life was cut short, and of a city still waiting for answers.

I learned of Dorothy’s case when I was researching Trevor Hardy, the “Beast of Manchester”. That’s one of those big, famous cases, so it might be a while until the episode is ready, but I promise it’s coming.

Something that intrigued me with this one was that when I was looking through the old newspaper reports, I came across two more very similar (but happily non-fatal) attacks on young women in the same area, at about the same time.

So presuming they were all committed by the same man, who knows what else he has got away with. There’s a man out there, in his 70s now most likely, who did this. He may have a wife, a family, grandchildren. And this huge secret.

I hate that idea. I can only hope karma got him if the police didn’t.

Another thing that occurred to me after this episode was complete…Angel of the Meadow was likely killed in the early to mid 70s. She had been beaten, with injuries to her neck and jaw. She was found less than a mile from where Dorothy was killed. There’s a full forensic profile with no name attached.

We must assume that the police have compared the two profiles and found they aren’t a match, but I’m curious. I might even submit a Freedom of Information Request. I’ll let you know what comes back…

A follow up: I did indeed submit an FOI request. Unfortunately, as seems to be the case for all FOI requests submitted to GMP for unsolved cases, the response was that although they hold the information required, they are unable to release it.

I guess that means it was something which was considered and ruled out. But if not, hopefully they will consider it now.