Families of criminals shown in 1950s notebook urge police to release more information about offences
Families who unearthed the criminal pasts of their relatives from a policeman’s notebook sold on eBay are calling on the police to release more information about their previous offences.
The pocketbook, which belonged to an unknown Nottinghamshire police officer, contained 250 mugshots of criminals from the 1950s, accompanied by a handwritten description of their charges.
Richard Cartwright, a local history specialist, has sold half of the pages to inquisitive descendants on his online account since he discovered it at an auction house in Nottingham three years ago.
Some of the crimes committed include bigamy, larceny and driving offences, but the pages also hold appeal photographs and information concerning missing people and released prisoners.
After finding out about the hidden pasts of their relatives, many of the buyers are eager to trace the criminal histories further through official records they hope are held by the police.
Francesca Kazan, a retired academic who lives in north London, was “shocked” when she recognised her stepfather’s police photograph when scanning the online retail site.
In 1950 Derek Clayton-Wright, a middle-class gun runner who posed as an “ace pilot” in the RAF, used his charm and good looks to court her mother, who worked as a bar hostess in Chelsea.
Dr Kazan, at age eight, was sent to live with his sister in Warwickshire when he fled with her mother to Tangier, Morocco, to escape the jurisdiction of the British authorities pursuing him for an undisclosed crime.
Because her stepfather had already twice been imprisoned for fraud, she suspects the mugshot was taken after he was arrested for an illegal money scheme related to his “property business”.
But Dr Kazan wants confirmation from Nottinghamshire Police to understand the entire history of the man she knew as a “friendly” stepfather.
She told The Telegraph: “The first thing I found on the internet was the first boat that he owned- which was a gigantic yacht bought illegally. I put his name in on Ebay and it came up with this picture of him in the mugshot. I was shocked because he was totally recognisable. But, I still could not believe it so I bought the photographs within ten seconds. I was intrigued that It was from Nottingham police and I am now curious to find out more details as to why they wanted him at this particular time.”
“He died in 1966 of a drugs overdose at Dartmoor prison- a year after he had been put there for another criminal charge- and I would like to know what his crimes were then. I want more police confirmation of them because my mother was very evasive about the nature of his crimes.”
Mr Cartwright, who is based in Redditch, sold the pages individually for £5.99 to people mainly in the Nottingham area on his Ebay account titled Hove Books.
He said that many of the criminals, who were often dressed in suits and ties, seemed to be travelling across the country at the time of their capture as a fixed address was absent from a lot of the records.
But the descriptions were extremely detailed, often stating whether the offenders drank or smoke as well as commenting on distinctive features such as tattoos and accents.
Some customers were completely unaware of their relatives criminality, including one lady who was “astonished” her grandfather was “going round in the 50’s robbing jewellery shops”, according to Mr Cartwright.
He said he received a call from Nottinghamshire Police, who asked where he had gotten the notebook from as even they were unaware of its existence.
A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police said those personally affected could call them.
Pat Stocker, the data protection officer, added: “These items are clearly from a different time in our history and I would like to reassure the public that - in today's world - Nottinghamshire Police has robust processes and policies in place to ensure that personal data is handled appropriately and is managed in accordance with modern day data protection legislation.”
