New Appeal 30 Years on from Murder of Penny Bell

Businesswoman was found dead in Gurnell Leisure Centre car park

Penny Bell was found dead in Gurnell Leisure Centre car park

The unsolved murder of a woman who was found dead in the car park of the Gurnell Leisure Centre is the subject of a new appeal.

This Wednesday (10 March) Detective Sergeant Susan Stansfield, from the Met's Special Casework Investigation Team, made a public appeal on BBC One's 'Crimewatch Roadshow Live' for any information that can help catch the killer of 43-year-old Penny Bell, who was murdered 30 years ago.

Detective Sergeant Stansfield said, "It is 30 years this year that Penny was killed by an unknown person and we are still, to this day, trying to bring closure to her family who remain hopeful that justice will be served. To help us investigate Penny's death, I am once again asking for anyone who might know who killed this mother of two to come forward and speak to a member of my team.

"A lot can change over 30 years. A partner, family member or friend from the time of the attack may have been too scared to report their information to us in 1991, but circumstances and relationships change and I would implore anyone who knows who committed this crime to call us."

Penny was found slumped over the steering wheel of her Jaguar XJS on June 6 1991. She had been stabbed and slashed 50 times in the chest and arms with a long knife.

Police say that around thirty people who are known to have walked through the car park on that day have not come forward.

The car in which Penny Bell was found stabbed to death

In the months leading up to Penny's death, extensive building work was being carried out at her home in Denham, Buckinghamshire, where she lived with her husband and two children. Builders and decorators were regularly entering and leaving the property.

Penny kept a meticulous record of the spending on the building work. On Monday 3 June, 1991, at around 2.30pm, she went to her bank in Kilburn High Road and withdrew £8,500 in cash from her joint personal account. The money was paid out in used £50 notes and handed to her wrapped in a brown manila envelope. She made no mention of this withdrawal to anyone nor did she refer to it in her financial notes. To this day, the £8,500 is unaccounted for and the reason for its withdrawal remains unknown.

A few days later, on the morning of Thursday 6 June, everything appeared normal at home and at about 9.30am she made coffee for the builders at her home. According to one of the builders, she appeared to be in more of a hurry than usual. During this conversation Penny said that she had an appointment at 9.50am that she couldn’t miss.

She left home at 9.40am in her pale blue Jaguar XJS and that was the last time she was seen alive.

Two women who called the police recounted that they had arrived at the Gurnell centre at about 11.05am and parked next to Penny's Jaguar. Both women saw a person in the driver’s seat of the Jaguar slumped over onto the passenger seat as if asleep. They noticed nothing else unusual and went swimming.

They returned to their car just after midday. The Jaguar was still in situ. One women thought this odd and called over to the other. Upon closer examination, they saw the blood in the car and a wound on Penny’s arm.

Her grey handbag was open and placed behind the front passenger seat and still contained all of Penny's personal effects with nothing, apparently, having been stolen and no signs that anyone had rummaged through the contents.

On the centre console of the car, and under Penny's body, was a wallpaper sample. Officers believe that prior to the attack the wallpaper sample was open across the centre console as if she were looking at it or showing it to someone.

A post-mortem revealed that Penny had suffered over 50 stab wounds but she had not been sexually assaulted. Forensic evidence revealed that the attack began from the passenger seat, but the killer switched to the driver's side.

Police were convinced Mrs Bell knew her killer and a builder who was known to her was arrested after his fingerprints were found in the Jaguar, but he was released without charge.

One witness described the man in the car as about 40 with dark hair, possibly sporting a beard and wearing a bracelet on his right hand. But circulation of the description failed to bring any new leads.

Following extensive media coverage at the time a number of people came forward claiming to have seen a Jaguar car similar to Penny's in Greenford Road the morning of her death driving erratically and a woman answering Penny’s description wrestling with a man and mouthing ‘help me’ to passing drivers. Another witness contacted police to report a possible sighting of Penny at Black Park, Iver, Buckinghamshire, on Thursday 6 June about 9.40am. She describes how a woman fitting Penny's description, driving an identical car met with the driver of a bronze saloon car in Fulmar Common Road. She was sure from the subsequent publicity that it was Penny. Another witness claimed that between 9.50am and 10am he also saw a pale blue Jaguar XJS parked in Fulmar Common Road.

In January, 2019, a new witness contacted the police to report that they believed on the day Penny was killed they saw a man in his underwear who appeared wet, as if he had just washed, walking across the footbridge that crosses the A40 Western Avenue, Greenford. The witness said it was around 10.50am to 10:55am that she saw him and described him as a bronzed/tanned male, tall, with short brown hair which was lighter on top and aged in his early thirties. She added that he was wearing blue striped boxer shorts, a white t-shirt, had a chunky chain link thick bracelet and was carrying a rucksack.

DS Stansfield and her team would like to hear from anyone else who may recall such behaviour or witnessed something similar.

Talking about this latest piece of information, DS Stansfield said, "Following some previous media coverage, a new witness has come forward with what I would call very significant information that might help us catch Penny's killer.

"She didn't see any of the media coverage or reporting at the time and has now put two and two together and spoken to a member of my team. Did you also see something odd at the time that you now might think is connected? Or did you also see this man in his underwear and think nothing of it? If so, we need to speak to you as soon as possible."

DS Stansfield, adds, "It was a clear and sunny day on the morning that Penny was killed and it's estimated that around 300 people are believed to have used the car park or leisure facilities, meaning that there should have been plenty of witnesses who could help our investigation.

"Approximately 250 people who had used the leisure facilities between 9am and 11am were interviewed and eliminated. Over 60 drivers are known to have parked their cars in the car park during this time. No one interviewed had witnessed the attack or the killer's escape; it’s almost as if they vanished into thin air."

Lauren Bell, Penny's daughter, added, "We are grateful for the work of the Metropolitan Police and their determination to help solve this case. Thirty years marks an extremely painful milestone but with the help of Crimewatch and their viewers, we could be one step away from finding the perpetrator who still walks among us. Any information would be life-changing for us as a family and a result would mean we could finally find closure."

Information can be submitted via this link or by calling 020 8785 8267. It can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, by calling the independent charity on 0800 555 111.

A £20,000 reward also remains available to anyone who can provide information that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the killer.

March 11, 2021