An engineer who murdered a schoolboy 33 years ago
An engineer who murdered a schoolboy 33 years ago was jailed for life today (Thurs) after he was arrested after a drink drive incident in 1999.
Brian Field, 65, sexually abused and strangled 14-year-old Roy Tutill in 1968 in a case which caused a national outcry.
But despite a huge manhunt, Field eluded justice until a ‘Cold Case Review’ opened by Surrey police looked again at crimes which had remained unsolved for years.
A mouth swab taken at the scene matched semen samples left at the scene of the murder of the schoolboy.
And Field was finally was tracked down to his home in Rowood Drive, Solihull were he had started a new life.
Milking machine engineer Field appeared grey and haggard as he spoke only to confirm his name and admit strangling the teenager in a quavering voice.
On the day Roy Tutill vanished – April 23, 1968 – he hitch-hiked the 15 miles to school from his home in Wheelers Lane in the village of Brockham, near Betchworth.
The youngster, known to his pals as ‘Tutts’ had been trying to save bus fares so he could buy a new bicycle and model trains.
He disappeared shortly after leaving fee-paying Kingston Grammar School that afternoon.
His body was found dumped three days later in woodland owned by newspaper tycoon Lord Beaverbrook near Givons Grove, Leatherhead.
The boy was wearing his striped school blazer and his satchel was found nearby.
He had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
The case dominated the front pages of newspapers at the time as detectives quizzed more than 10,000 people and took more than 2,000 statements.
Field was arrested on February 22 this year after the routine sample he offered months earlier was fed into the national DNA database.
Officers also interviewed Chief Inspector Philip ‘Paddy’ Doyle, who was devastated that he had not been able to solve Surrey’s only outstanding child murder when he retired to Ireland 25 years ago.
The grey haired former detective was in court today to see Field confess to the crime.
Police throughout the country will now re-open hundreds of cases of sexually abused and missing children dating back to the 1960s.
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