Man convicted after walking into a police station and confessing to murder more than 40 years on
25 October 2022, 14:36 | Updated: 25 October 2022, 14:38
A man has been convicted after confessing to a murder he committed more than 40 years ago.
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John Paul, 61, walked into Hammersmith police station in May last year and told officers he had killed Anthony Bird in Kensington in 1980.
Porter and part-time barman Mr Bird was found dead at his property in Kensington Gardens Square, in west London on the afternoon of 6 June 1980 after he did not show up to work.
Police found his body, bound with electrical cable and with a number of marks and bruises.
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The property had been ransacked and a number of electrical items and alcohol had been stolen.
Officers were unable to make any progress on the investigation and the case went cold for decades.
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After Paul's confession 41 years later, he was arrested and charged, although he later pleaded not guilty to the murder.
The investigation revealed that Paul’s fingerprints matched three prints lifted from the original crime scene.
The Old Bailey heard how the Paul and Mr Bird had met on the evening of 3 June 1980, before they went back to Mr Bird's home in Kensington.
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Paul told an officer: "He approached me and just spoke to me and just talked me into having sex with him.
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"He took me back to his place. I tied him with cord. I think the cord was black, I'm not sure. I tied him with a cord, his ankles, his hands, his arms, on the bed naked.
"There was a piece of wood. I used the piece of wood to batter him."
Paul later said that he was out to steal something that evening and had gone back to Mr Bird's flat with the intention of robbing him.
Having killed Mr Bird, Paul returned to the flat later that night, stealing items from within the property.
Following Paul’s conviction, Anthony’s family said: “We came to terms with the death of Anthony Bird many years ago but we’re pleased that after 42 years his killer has come forward and been convicted.
Sadly his brother died last year and was therefore unable to take comfort from the closure that the court case has brought.”
Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Reeves from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command said: “It is not every day that someone walks into a police station confessing to murder decades ago.
"I would like to praise the officers and staff at Hammersmith Police Station who dealt with Paul in such a calm and effective manner. This was a man evidently suffering with a mental illness and they listened to what he had to say, asking the right questions to establish the truth and inevitably leading to his conviction.
“We may never fully know the reasons why on that day in May 2021 Paul confessed to the murder. However, the result of this case coming years after his death has finally brought answers to Anthony Bird’s family.
“We know it’s unlikely that police will solve every non-recent case. However, they remain under review and given the advances in technology, officers work on these cases tirelessly in hope of bringing offenders to justice."
Paul will be sentenced at a later date.
