The prosecution claimed that John, prior to being seen in the garden digging, had taken Mrs. Bolshaw’s car, parked it on the verge of the dual carriageway, walked over a mile along the A540 Chester High Road, climbed over a fence, descended fifteen feet down a bank, and walked eight miles home along the Wirral Way (a disused railway line and country park area).

• Why would John have risked walking along the A540 carrying stolen jewellery from a house where a murder had just been committed? Anyone walking along the Chester High Road would have attracted attention from passing motorists; it is not an urban road. There are very few houses, no pavements, so attention would automatically be drawn towards anyone walking there.

• The particular part of the Wirral Way that the prosecution claimed John had walked along passes through a built up area where he could easily have been seen. Why would he have picked such a route when several other less risky access points to the Wirral Way were available, and where cars could easily be parked, including a ‘pub car park? (See appendix 3)

• What had John done with his own car, which he claimed to have gone to 5 Buffs Lane in? If he hadn’t gone there in his own car, how had he got there? Checks were made with taxi firms but no one had dropped a fare off by Buffs Lane.
  
  
• No one reported seeing a person of John’s description walking anywhere in the area, although several sightings of other males were reported. (See 4.19)

 

Like other aspects of the prosecution’s case, this was speculation built on no firm facts and does not make any sense.