Age: 71
Sex: male
Date: 2 Aug 1988
Place: 3 Upper Park Avenue, Rushden, Northamptonshire
Percy Francis was found stabbed and hit with an object at his bungalow at 3 Upper Park Avenue, Rushden on Tuesday 2 August 1988.
He was last seen alive on the Monday.
It was known that Percy Francis had been a homosexual and had had hundreds of young men to his bungalow for sex sessions.It was said that men would often arrive two or three at a time.
It was noted that nothing had been stolen from his bungalow and that there was no sign of a break-in having taken place and it was thought that whoever had been in his home had been there with his permission.
It was said that two weapons had been used and that he had suffered wounds to his head and body and had died from loss of blood and shock.
It was also determined that someone had cut his hair in the two days before his murder. It was thought that a certain known youth might have cut his hair, but he was never traced.
Another man that the police said that they were trying to trace was a 26-year-old who it was said had moved to the Midlands in fear after having been attacked twice by Donald Nilsen, the man convicted of six murders and two attempted murders. He was said to have often dressed as a Marilyn Monroe look-alike. THe police said that they wanted to speak to him in order to rule him out of the murder inquiry.
The police said that they had traced about 200 people that had visited his bungalow but said that they knew that there were many others who had not been traced.
Percy Francis had been a retired shoemaker.
see www.northantstelegraph.co.uk
see Sunday Mirror - Sunday 18 December 1988
see Liverpool Daily Post (Welsh Edition) - Thursday 04 August 1988
see Rushden Heritage
see Rushden Heritage
see Mace Archive