Age: 63
Sex: male
Date: 9 Oct 1996
Place: Linley Avenue, Haxby, York
Geoffrey Leeming was beaten and stabbed to death in his garage at his home in Linley Avenue, Haxby, on 9 October 1996.
He had been stabbed through the heart with a kitchen knife after going out to check his garage whilst his wife was watching television at 7.30pm.
At the time of his murder his wife had been in the house watching the television program Coronation Street, and the murder became known as the Coronation Street Murder. She had gone out to look for him after he had not returned by the end of the show at 8pm to find him lying in a pool of blood in the garage.
The murder weapon, a 6in kitchen knife, was found the following day in some grass further down Linley Avenue.
It was thought that his killer would have had blood-stained clothing.
It was reported that there were no signs of a break in.
The knife used to kill him was found along with 1,378 exhibits and nearly 1,000 statements were taken.
It was initially thought that he had been killed after disturbing a burglar, however, his wife, son and daughter were later charge with conspiracy to murder in July 1997 but the charges against them were later dropped after the magistrates heard that the charges were based on suspicion alone and that there was no evidence against them.
It was also suggested that he could have been the victim of a hit man.
It was noted that Geoffrey Leeming’s son, who was later charged with his murder, had been due to attend York Crown Court the day after the murder, 10 October 1996, where he had lodged an appeal against his sentence for taking and driving away a mechanical digger when over the drink-drive limit, which he failed to attend due to the murder of his father.
He was charged on 14 July 1997. He had been arrested on the Friday along with his mother and sister and another 37-year-old man.
Geoffrey Leeming was a former soldier, and had lived with his wife in a semi-detached bungalow in Linley Avenue, Haxby, near York. They had only been living there for the previous 18 months. He had three children and prior to retiring had worked in his son's drainage company and had also run his own removals business.
In May 1997 his wife moved to Bishopthorpe after complaining of a whispering campaign accusing her of being behind his murder, where she had taken up running the Marcia public house. It was there in July 1997 that she was arrested.
His wife later died from cancer in 2005.
see Wolverhampton Express and Star - Monday 14 July 1997
see Daily Mirror - Saturday 12 July 1997
see Dundee Courier - Friday 11 October 1996
see Halifax Evening Courier - Saturday 12 October 1996
see Daily Mirror - Friday 11 October 1996
see Western Daily Press - Tuesday 15 July 1997
see Huddersfield Daily Examiner - Monday 14 July 1997