Secrets of Solihull child killer linked to unsolved murder and disappearances in city

Brian Field was linked to the murder when a sample of his DNA was fed into a national police computer system after he was stopped during a routine drink-drive test
-Credit:PA


A child killer from Solihull may have taken murderous secrets to his grave when he died in prison. Former gardener and handyman Brian Field has long been linked to unsolved murders and disappearances in Birmingham.

The 87-year-old paedophile was jailed for life in 2001 after pleading guilty to murdering 14-year-old Roy Tutill. Field had kidnapped and sexually assaulted the teenager, who hitchhiked between home and school in order to save money to buy a bike, in Surrey, in April 1968.

Father-of-two Field was trapped only after a tiny speck of DNA was matched to him when he was stopped by police for a drink driving offence. After 33 years it was one of the longest time periods between a crime being committed to it being solved.

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It emerged this week that Field had stomach cancer and died of natural causes at HMP Full Sutton, in Yorkshire, on February 4, last year.

READ MORE: Schoolboy murderer Brian Field cause of death emerges amid life sentence

But during the three decades he roomed free on the streets, did he kill again? He has long been linked to the disappearance of schoolboy pals Patrick Warren, 11, and 13-year-old David Spencer from Chelmsley Wood.

The pair were dubbed the "Milk Carton Kids" because they were the first faces to appear in a series of missing persons appeals carried on the cardboard containers after they vanished on Boxing Day in 1996.

Brian Field a farm labourer abducted Roy Tutill as he hitch-hiked between home and school in order to save money to buy bicycle
Brian Field, a farm labourer, abducted Roy Tutill as he hitch-hiked between home and school in order to save money to buy a bicycle -Credit:PA

Field lived nearby at the time of the disappearance. He was also employed as a gardener in the mid-1990s and worked at home - now owned by a famous TV personality and former sportsperson - in Warwickshire.

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A property developer shared a haunting recollection about Field after speaking with the former owner of the property during the 1990s. The ex-owner discovered that Field had dug a deep trench despite only asking him to raise two slabs.

It had been dug to such a depth that brickwork close to the trench later suffered subsidence.

Roy Tutill
Roy Tutill -Credit:Other

The developer, who shared these details with West Midlands Police, said: “He (Field) had unrestricted access to a place that was, essentially, derelict for eight to 10 hours a day. The then owner certainly felt all this was significant. He wanted to know if there was a body buried there.”

Detectives questioned Field in prison about the boys, but he was never charged and always denied any involvement in their case. Police said the case remains as an open investigation subject to regular review by its review team.

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The force has previously said that new evidence or developments will be "thoroughly investigated." The force said he remained a person of interest "due to his offending history."

Field has also been linked to the killing of 15-year-old Mark Billington. The teen went missing from his home in South Yardley on September 1, 1984.

David Spencer and Patrick Warren were 13 and 11 when they vanished from the streets of Chelmsley Wood on Boxing Day 1996 - 25 years on, people are being asked to light a candle to remember them
David Spencer and Patrick Warren were 13 and 11 when they vanished from the streets of Chelmsley Wood on Boxing Day 1996 - 25 years on, people are being asked to light a candle to remember them -Credit:SWNS

He was found hanging from a tree in Meriden, around seven-miles from his home, two-months later. An inquest initially gave an open verdict four years later. Detectives then launched a murder inquiry, but Mark’s killer has never been brought to justice.

Field served half his sentence for child sex offences and was released from jail just months before Mark disappeared. Mark's family believe Field was involved as he lived a ten-minute walk from where the teen was last seen.

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“If Field hadn’t been released early, there would be no way he could have got Mark and he might be alive now. It’s heartbreaking," said Mark's mum Winifred previously.

"I’m convinced that evil man killed our son. Field is a wicked man and I want justice for Mark. The police have failed our family at every turn by not doing their job properly and that failure is something we have to live with every day of our lives.”

Murdered schoolboy Mark Billington
Murdered schoolboy Mark Billington

West Midlands Police said in a statement: “In respect of Mark Billington, his death in 1984 was treated as suicide and the Coroner returned an open verdict. Following this in May 1998 all the information was reviewed and it was subsequently dealt with as a murder investigation.

“This remains an open investigation subject to periodic review or review upon new intelligence or information. It would be inappropriate to comment on individual suspects.”