John Clancy

John Clancy and Alan Hayes were found dead in a semi-derelict boarded-up terraced house in Maria Street in Halliwell, Bolton in April 1987.

They had both been tramps. The property in Maria Street was described in the press as the 'Bolton House of Horror'.

They were found partially buried under rubble by a 30-year-old man that had been in the house looking for wood to build an outhouse at his home in Lily Street, Bolton.

Their inquest returned a verdict of unlawful killing in the case of Alan Hayes and an open verdict in the case of John Clancy.

The Coroner said that there were several possibilities on how they came to die, one being that the two men had been involved in a fight and another that a third man attacked both of them. He added that it was significant that there were no signs of self-defence, as neither men had injuries to their hands.

The inquest found that Alan Hayes had been murdered by repeated blows from a 5lbs block of concrete to his head whilst John Clancy died from brain haemorrhage due to head injuries.

However, a chief superintendent said that John Clancy's injuries could have been caused by him falling down the stairs. The police also added that they were not seeking a third person.

The police had had a murder squad of 60 people looking into the case, but concluded that it was illogical for both men to have been attacked by the same individual. They said:

The inquest heard that there had been a violent struggle in the lounge of the house. Forensic tests on 39 items failed to establish that blood from either man was near the body of the other.

Both men had been seen in each other’s company, but were not described as close friends.