Shocking News Concerning Well Known Coal Boater

[Guest]

I once employed a gardner who had murdered his girlfriend. It happened about thirty years previously and he had served twenty plus years in prison. He was open about it, he said that he was young and utterly foolish but that he was a reformed man. A good gardner, but later I head that he died in a gardening accident.

 

There is a fundamental difference to me between a crime possibly carried out in moment of madness and the pre meditated acts of a predatory sex offender.

 

I obviously don't know the circumstances of the murder your gardner was involved in but I'm not sure why it's relevant tbh.

[carlt]

 

I'm in agreement with everyone. March in the guilty bastard and string him up.

Not everyone.

 

I feel the sentence is far too light but remain absolutely opposed to capital punishment.

[WJM]

If it was a moment of madness he would have been convicted of manslaughter, not murder. Do we think our boating man is capable of reform?

[Guest]

If it was a moment of madness he would have been convicted of manslaughter, not murder. Do we think our boating man is capable of reform?

As I say I don't know the circumstances you obviously do.

 

As to 'our' boating man... Well given he has 'previous' I would say he has had the chance to 'reform' and he blew it.....

[Naughty Cal]

If it was a moment of madness he would have been convicted of manslaughter, not murder. Do we think our boating man is capable of reform?

 

Given hi previous pobably not

[Tim Lewis]

 

But who owns the boats though?

 

BenC tells us in post number 7 they are owned by someone else, not James Bill.

 

 

MtB

 

The boats (as well as Tug Major) are owned by a relative.

 

Tim

[billS]

Respectfully, I disagree. The association between the boats and this story will make it much harder to sell them. For that reason, if they do sell, it is likely to be for under their market value.

 

I don't know. My friend used to own a Jaguar which had previously been owned by Reggie Cray. That actually increased it's value, but I guess that he was perceived by some as more of a glamorous figure.

 

I suspect that the association with the story will disappear fairly quickly. This was just a short chapter in the long history of these boats.

Edited March 25, 2014 by billS

[WJM]

Didn't the Hitler Youth Pope's VW Golf sell for a fortune?!

[Guest]

Didn't the Hitler Youth Pope's VW Golf sell for a fortune?!

Again you are making a completely invalid comparison. Even if it's true and I don't know if it is.

 

That will be because of the historical notoriety associated with its user. There is bound to be somebody attracted by that. I seriously doubt these boats would increase their value on basis they have been briefly associated with the rape of an underage girl do you?.

[ditch paddler]

Ok perhaps "under wraps" was the wrongs phrase, I just wondered if due to the sensitivity nobody had mentioned it on here yet. It's been hinted at several times on the LB Facebook page over the last 6 or so weeks soI'm suprised to see the story only 'break' today. I guess the conviction must have been recent and the arrest is what has been spoken lf previous. He's definitely been inside on remand I would imagine as he 'disappeared' around New Year and I was told then that he'd been "locked up for kiddy fiddling".

 

It feels a bit wierd admitting this, but I went out for a drink several times with him over the xmas period when we were moored in the same spot for a few nights. He was told me loads about himself which I have since found out was all a load of crap. It's quite shocking to find out just how easily somebody managed to pull the wool over my eyes and that I befriended somebody who bad this in their past. Makescme feel a bit strange to be honest.

I know exactly how you feel Junior, I to have recently had some contact with him (between August and Christmas last year), whilst I have been setting up my coal boat business he had been very helpful in supplying contacts for insurance and surveyors, pricing etc and was generally very helpful on the subject.

 

But hearing this news which I new nothing off until this morning has also made me feel shocked and sickened. I hope he gets all he deserves and more, and hope I never have the misfortune to ever see or hear of him again SICK BA**ARD!

 

All this aside the boats have a great history and I truly hope they find themselves a new owner and we can all separate the connection between them and him.

[Jim Batty]

I'm lost for words.

 

Northampton Chronicle & Echo News Article

 

Makes me shudder! Who knows what goes on inside people's heads.

 

We bought coal from him a couple of times each winter in West London a few years ago.

 

Actually we stopped buying from him when he scratched the sh*t out of our cabin roof scraping half a dozen bags across it -- after I specifically asked him twice to drop them in the bow to avoid this. My impression was he didn't give a toss. But rape is a whole different league of nastiness.

[bottle]

I think my feelings have already been expressed by other posters.

 

I only saw him once, he was boasting how fast he had done a certain run whilst bashing the hell out of the lock gates. Bottom and top sets when going up.

 

His demeanour caused a dislike of him for me and the other half.

[Loafer]

Not everyone.

 

I feel the sentence is far too light but remain absolutely opposed to capital punishment.

He doesn't have to be executed. But he could still be strung up. Maybe by his testicles!

 

Just recalled a moment in a briefing room prior to Gulf War One. We were being told that if the Iraqis shot you down and caught you, then they would cut off your testicles, shove them in your mouth and then sew your lips up.

 

From the back of the room: "Blimey. Fancy having your lips sewn up!"

 

Made I larf.

Similar occasion, we were also advised that if you had a moustache, they would string you up by that, using some sort of huge bulldog clip.

 

I got trampled in the stampede for the bathrooms!

Plenty of suggestions there, methinks!

[churchward]

Ok perhaps "under wraps" was the wrongs phrase, I just wondered if due to the sensitivity nobody had mentioned it on here yet. It's been hinted at several times on the LB Facebook page over the last 6 or so weeks soI'm suprised to see the story only 'break' today. I guess the conviction must have been recent and the arrest is what has been spoken lf previous. He's definitely been inside on remand I would imagine as he 'disappeared' around New Year and I was told then that he'd been "locked up for kiddy fiddling".

 

It feels a bit wierd admitting this, but I went out for a drink several times with him over the xmas period when we were moored in the same spot for a few nights. He was told me loads about himself which I have since found out was all a load of crap. It's quite shocking to find out just how easily somebody managed to pull the wool over my eyes and that I befriended somebody who bad this in their past. Makescme feel a bit strange to be honest.

I know how you feel I think but however "unclean" you may feel it is not your fault and these people just look like the rest of us otherwise it would be easy for the police to catch them. Apart from their dark and disgusting flaw they often seem quite normal otherwise. Fortunately their vile sickness is not catching.

 

I had a similar experience a few years ago when a fellow volunteer on the railway I signal on was jailed for the rape of a minor in his life away from the railway. I felt sick inside that I knew him let alone was friendly and shared a joke or two. It didn't matter either that the crime was committed many years previously and had only just come to light when the victim felt old and strong enough to lodge a complaint it was still gut wrenching to be associated with the person who committed the act.

Edited March 25, 2014 by churchward

[bizzard]

Well he's gone and got himself a big tug now. Its possible that he'll end up in Reading jail where I believe these kind of perverts are put. If so maybe we could detail and dispatch the one and only Mike the boilerman to visit him being as he lives in Reading, perhaps take him a cake made of Taybright and to cross examine him some more and extract some truth out of the bloke and report back.

Years ago when I lived on land I had a spare room which I sometimes rented out, 'short term only'. Well a van couriers and mini cab firm that I maintained vehicles for had a driver who fallen out with his mrs and needed temporary accommodation. I knew this bloke and thought he was a strange sort of div.and didn't when asked by his boss, his controller could I put him up I refused, however he kept on at me and I gave in on condition that it would be for no more than a couple of weeks.

Well he moved in to my spare room and his feet didn't half stink, it was putrid, his habit was to walk about about in his socks which caused me to wear a peg on my hooter at all times.

Anyway I was watching the telly one evening whilst he was in his room. Mmm I thought, I'll be kind and ask him if he would like to watch my telly for a bit as there was none in his room providing he put his shoes on. So in he came. The program that happened to be on was a documentry narrated by Anthony Burton describing places of interest on Brunels railway from Paddington to Bristol. He covered the usual places on the line like Windsor, Eton, Maidenhead bridge ect and then got to Reading where apparently the jail backs on the railway which the movie camera depicted. At this point my lodger said ''I've looked out of that prison window a few times, mmm I thought, I knew he'd done time for something as many mini cab drivers in the London metropolitan area have but I didn't know what.

The next day I made enquiries as to what kind of inmates Reading jail housed, and was told perverts and sex offenders and his boss told me he was had up for child molesting and done time for it a couple of times.

Well at the time my young nephews often came over to play with my model railway and had done so in the evenings whilst the lodger was there, luckily I had a sixth sense about him somehow and always remained in whilst my nephews were there.

When I found out from his boss what his jail sentances were for I needless to say kicked him out of my room pronto along with his belongings. I think he went back to his Mrs, but continued to mini cab.

 

Ps, Perhaps MTB could also check and report back if this blokes feet stink, could be sigsnifficant.

Edited March 25, 2014 by bizzard

[NigelMoore]

All this aside the boats have a great history and I truly hope they find themselves a new owner and we can all separate the connection between them and him.

 

As someone who knows the owner well, I can assure everyone that the working pair are still owned by the trading company and Major is owned privately. James Bill operated both from time to time, and his referring to them as ‘his’ boats was simply the convention of a boat master. If he made any more claim than that to anyone, it was false.

 

The owner of the company and of Major assures me he is not a relative. I know him to be someone keenly interested in the commercial history of the canals, and a zealous advocate for freight use of them still. He befriends a great many people and involves himself with the education of young people [relatively speaking, i.e. 20's to 30's] in anything to do with the waterways.

 

The pair are now being looked after by someone who has moved onto them as a live-aboard. From what I have heard, the disgraceful ‘vandalisation’ was not so much a work of ‘revenge’ or spite, but rather an opportunistic theft, by people knowing that under the circumstances, they would be likely unattended.

 

Ara’s mast is regretted most, as it had all the original fittings, whereas that of Archimedes was a brand new replacement.

[IanM]

 

As someone who knows the owner well, I can assure everyone that the working pair are still owned by the trading company and Major is owned privately. James Bill operated both from time to time, and his referring to them as ‘his’ boats was simply the convention of a boat master. If he made any more claim than that to anyone, it was false.

 

The owner of the company and of Major assures me he is not a relative. I know him to be someone keenly interested in the commercial history of the canals, and a zealous advocate for freight use of them still. He befriends a great many people and involves himself with the education of young people [relatively speaking, i.e. 20's to 30's] in anything to do with the waterways.

 

The pair are now being looked after by someone who has moved onto them as a live-aboard. From what I have heard, the disgraceful ‘vandalisation’ was not so much a work of ‘revenge’ or spite, but rather an opportunistic theft, by people knowing that under the circumstances, they would be likely unattended.

 

Ara’s mast is regretted most, as it had all the original fittings, whereas that of Archimedes was a brand new replacement.

 

That's all good news about the boats Nigel (apart from the missing items of course).

 

I've just smiled to myself realising that I care more about the fate of the boats than their former 'master' who should rot in jail.

Edited March 25, 2014 by IanM

[Emerald Fox]

One need go no further than Heathrow Airport and see who's in the queue every day for planes to Bangkok (geddit??!!) and Phuket (geddit ??!!) - the 12 year olds there don't complain - and if they did their parents would slap them! British Airways and Thai Airways are well aware of the paedophiles they're carting to-and-from Britain to Thailand. Same with Finnair - child molesters from Finland, and SAS - child fanciers from Sweden, Denmark & Norway. Creepy lot! Just saying... next time you're off to Thailand, have a look in your queue and see if you can spot 'em!

[PaulG]

One need go no further than Heathrow Airport and see who's in the queue every day for planes to Bangkok (geddit??!!) and Phuket (geddit ??!!) - the 12 year olds there don't complain - and if they did their parents would slap them! British Airways and Thai Airways are well aware of the paedophiles they're carting to-and-from Britain to Thailand. Same with Finnair - child molesters from Finland, and SAS - child fanciers from Sweden, Denmark & Norway. Creepy lot! Just saying... next time you're off to Thailand, have a look in your queue and see if you can spot 'em!

So how, exactly, do you distinguish between legitimate travelers and paedophiles?

I think we should know....

[Emerald Fox]

Dunno - but I used to work with a man in his 50s who was booking a holiday to Thailand and said to me "There are good girls in Thailand" (wink wink) - and I thought that was a bit yucky.

[Guest]

Emerald Fox, on 25 Mar 2014 - 3:14 PM, said:

One need go no further than Heathrow Airport and see who's in the queue every day for planes to Bangkok (geddit??!!) and Phuket (geddit ??!!) - the 12 year olds there don't complain - and if they did their parents would slap them! British Airways and Thai Airways are well aware of the paedophiles they're carting to-and-from Britain to Thailand. Same with Finnair - child molesters from Finland, and SAS - child fanciers from Sweden, Denmark & Norway. Creepy lot! Just saying... next time you're off to Thailand, have a look in your queue and see if you can spot 'em!

 

Are you just saying that for effect -

 

You seem to be saying that makes it OK.

[Alastair]

So how, exactly, do you distinguish between legitimate travelers and paedophiles?

I think we should know....

The police hear liase with police abroad. If they think that the person is travelling back with something incriminating, their collar is felt at the airport.

I have a friend who is involved with this work. It fair sickens his stomach.

[mark99]

I photo-ed the boat pair only last week and saw signs of life onboard. Glad it's a legit lodger.

[bizzard]

Those blokes usually wear gaudy coloured holiday shirts not tucked in an attempt to hide their huge paunches. They also tend to wear either silly long shorts or short longs whichever way you look at em. They also look like a walking H.Samuel advert and like to adorn themselves with gold, fake gold chains around their necks with fake gold plated blocks of metal dangling on them, charm bracelets and fake gold Rolex watches on every wrist with fake gold sovereign rings on every finger and mobile phones poking out from everywhere.

All to try and impress the Thai girls you understand.

Edited March 25, 2014 by bizzard

[stort_mark]

.... in the queue every day for planes to Bangkok (geddit??!!) and Phuket (geddit ??!!) - ...

 

No. You lost me. Although I confess I was losing interest after you stereotyped every person who travels to Thailand and that entire Asian nation.