Coordinates: 50°54′10″N 1°36′35″W / 50.902675°N 1.6097344°W / 50.902675; -1.6097344

Minstead
Minstead
Minstead  Minstead shown within Hampshire
Population	637 [1]
OS grid reference	SU275115
District	New Forest
Shire county	Hampshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LYNDHURST
Postcode district	SO43
Dialling code	023
Police	Hampshire
Fire	Hampshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	New Forest East
List of places: UK • England • Hampshire

The village stocks

Trusty Servant Inn

Sign for the Trusty Servant inn

Furzey Gardens

All Saints Church

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's grave

Minstead is a small village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Lyndhurst. There is a shop and a pub, the Trusty Servant. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's grave is under a large tree at the back of the 13th century All Saints' church.

Overview[link]

Minstead is a small village and civil parish in the New Forest. The majority of the parish area is a complex of woodland, heathland, acid grassland, scrub and valley bog, supporting a great richness and diversity of wildlife.^[2] One mile north of the village at Lower Canterton lies the Rufus Stone. This stone is said to mark the place where in 1100 the then King of England, William Rufus, was killed by an arrow whilst out hunting.^[3]

Nearby Furzey Gardens contain 8 acres (3.2 ha) of landscaped gardens containing many interesting and rare plants. There is also a gallery, open to the public from March to October, as well as a tree house and play area for children.

The village pub is called The Trusty Servant and has an unusual sign of a man with a donkeys ears, a pig's snout and a stag's feet. The snout has padlocked lips to signify discretion. This implies some past link with Winchester College, where a similar wall-painting of this legendary creature (Hircocervus) hangs outside the kitchen of the College.^[4]

History[link]

People have lived in the area of Minstead since prehistoric times. Paleolithic tools have been found here, and there are several Bronze Age barrows within the parish.^[3] There is an Iron Age hillfort at Malwood covering 1.8 hectares.^[3] It was on or near this hillfort that a medieval beacon was situated, receiving signals from Marchwood and from Freshwater on the Isle of Wight.^[3][5][6] There is a modern house in the middle of the hillfort which is privately owned.^[5]

Minstead is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. Before the Norman Conquest, Minstead, assessed at three-and-a-half hides, was held by a Godric Malf, whose sons in 1086 were holding half a hide as the remaining 3 hides had been taken into the New Forest.^[7]

The name "Ivez" or "Ives" was an alternate name for Minstead in the 12th and early 13th centuries.^[8] The manor was closely associated with the manors of Bisterne and Totton.^[8] In 1186–7 tallage was due to the king from "Ivez, Budesthorn (Bisterne) and Todinton (Totton)" which had belonged to Hugh de Ivez and Robert son of Ulf.^[8] In 1248–9 Andrew de Ivez or Minstead (as he is alternately called) was said to hold jointly with John de Bettesthorne, then a minor, half a hide in Testwood, Eling and Bisterne by serjeanty.^[8] In 1255–6 John de Bettesthorne and William de Ivez were said to be holding their land conjointly by the above serjeanty, while in 1279–80 they were given as John de Bettesthorne and William de Minstead.^[8] After this time the name of "Ivez" disappears, but the Minsteads and the Bettesthornes continued to hold land side by side in Minstead and Totton.^[8]

In the 15th century these lands passed by inheritance to the Berkeley family of Bisterne. In 1460 Maurice Berkeley of Bisterne died in possession of the whole manor, leaving a son and heir also called Maurice.^[8] His son William apparently forfeited his estates because of his involvement in the rebellion of the Duke of Buckingham against Richard III, but by 1494 the estate must have been back in the hands of the family because William's wife Katherine died in possession of the manor.^[8] Her daughter Werburg, aged six years, inherited the estate, and later married Sir William Compton of Compton Wynyates (in Warwickshire), Groom of the Bedchamber and favourite courtier of Henry VIII.^[8]

From that time onwards, Minstead remained in the Compton family. In 1670 Richard Compton appeared before the court held at Lyndhurst, to assert formally his claim to the manor.^[8] The record of this court shows the special privileges attached to the manor of Minstead. He claimed for himself and the tenants of the manor common of pasture and common of mast "without paying anything therefor," free ingress and egress in the waste lands of the forest, to search for all his animals there straying, the right to hold view of frankpledge twice a year, the right to estrays found in the manor and honey found in the woods; also to have all his woods in the custody of his own woodward appointed at the court baron of the manor and his manor free of forest officials. He also claimed the right to the left shoulder of all deer found within the woods of the manor. Finally on the day of the holding of the view of frankpledge he claimed for himself and his steward the right to kill and carry away one deer.^[8]

Henry Compton was High Sheriff of Hampshire in 1758 and was a noted racing man, being an original member of the Jockey Club founded in 1753.^[8] His son John, who inherited his father's properties, was Sheriff of Hampshire in 1797. His son Henry became Sheriff of Hampshire in 1819 and took a prominent part in suppressing the 1830 Swing Riots at Fordingbridge.^[8] His son Henry who succeeded him was Sheriff in 1871, and on his death in 1877 his son Henry Francis Compton became lord of "the manor of Minstead and Brook."^[8]

Minstead manor house, which was a brick building in a park of 400 acres, was a pre-18th century building^[6] enlarged at the end of the 18th century, but it was demolished in 1950.^[6]

All Saints' church[link]

The village church is the church of All Saints. The chancel and nave, which are of stone, date from the 13th century.^[5] The rest of the building, in red brick, is of 18th-century or later date, including the tower.^[5] The font is 12th century. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is buried in the churchyard.^[5] The church has two large galleries and a three-decker pulpit.^[8] The church also boasts an unusual "luxury" pew, complete with its own fireplace.^[8]

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle[link]

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's grave is under a large tree in the churchyard. Sir Arthur was originally buried in a vertical position in Crowborough and re-interred in Minstead by the family of his deceased first wife after the death of the second Lady Conan Doyle. Minstead figured prominently in Conan Doyle's historical novel The White Company. Alleyne Edricson, the main character is the second son of the late Franklin of Minstead and brother of the Simon, Socman of Minstead.

Minstead Hall[link]

Minstead Hall was originally called the Hut and comprised two munition huts left over from the 1st World War and originally sited in Romsey. The Hall was given to the village of Minstead in 1920 by David Hanbury. However when he died in 1948 his will did not state that fact. The village therefore had to purchase it from his estate. Lady Congleton loaned the village the money and after much fund raising the loan was finally repaid in 1963. The Social Club, which uses a separate part of the building, was formed in that period. The Hall is run by a Management Committee and is a registered charity (No. 301892). An AGM is held in May every year.

The Hall is the largest of its kind in the New Forest and is used for auctions, dances, theatrical productions, an annual Flower Show, a bridge club, pre-school play group and many other events organised both from inside and outside the village.^[9] One of the main users of the hall is Junior Minstead a children's club. Each year they put on a pantomime which is locally famous. Those who take part share their memories on a wiki.^[10]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Minstead

• Minstead Parish Council
• Minstead Hall
• Minstead Panto Memories
• Wild Wood Web - Website of the Minstead Study Centre
• Minstead Village Shop
• Furzey Gardens

v t e Towns, villages and hamlets in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England Allum Green Ashlett Ashley Ashurst Bank Bartley Barton on Sea Bashley Battramsley Beaulieu Beckley Bickton Bisterne Blackfield Blashford Blissford Bolderwood Boldre Bramshaw Bransgore Breamore Brockenhurst Brook Brookheath Bucklers Hard Burgate Burley Bull Hill Cadnam Calshot Colbury Copythorne Crow Damerham Denny Lodge Dibden Dibden Purlieu Downton East Boldre East End East Mills Emery Down Ellingham Everton Exbury Fawley Fordingbridge Fritham Frogham Furze Hill Godshill Gorley Lynch Hale Hangersley Harbridge Hardley Hightown Highwood Hinton Holbury Hordle Hungerford Hyde Hythe Ibsley Keyhaven Langley Lepe Linbrook Linford Linwood Lopshill Lower Daggons Lymington Lyndhurst Marchwood Martin Milford on Sea Minstead Mockbeggar Netley Marsh New Milton Norley Wood North Charford North Gorley Ogdens Ossemsley Ower Pennington Picket Hill Picket Post Pilley Portmore Poulner Ringwood Rockbourne Rockford Sandford Sandleheath Shobley Sopley South Baddesley South Charford South Gorley Stuckton Sway Tinkers Cross Tiptoe Totton and Eling Turmer Walhampton Whitsbury Winsor Woodgreen Woodlands Wootton

All Saints
Painting by Fra Angelico
Also called	All Hallows, Hallowmas
Observed by	Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglican Communion, Lutheranism[1] and Methodism,[2] among other Christian denominations
Liturgical Color	White
Type	Christian
Date	November 1 (Western Christianity) Sunday after Pentecost (Eastern Christianity)
Observances	Church services
Related to	All Hallow's Eve, All Souls' Day

All Saints' Day (in the Roman Catholic Church officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas^[3]), often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown. In the Western calendar it is the day after Halloween and the day before All Souls' Day.

In Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries. In the Catholic Church and many Anglican churches, the next day specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Christians who celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day do so in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual bond between those in purgatory (the 'Church Suffering'), those in heaven (the 'church triumphant'), and the living (the 'church militant'). Other Christian traditions define, remember and respond to the saints in different ways; for example, in the Methodist Church, the word "saints" refers to all Christians and therefore, on All Saint's Day, the Church Universal, as well as the deceased members of a local congregation, are honoured and remembered.^[2][4]

In the East[link]

Eastern Orthodox icon of All Saints. Christ is enthroned in heaven surrounded by the ranks of angels and saints. At the bottom is Paradise with the bosom of Abraham (left), and the Good Thief (right).

Eastern Christians of the Byzantine Tradition commemorate all saints collectively on the first Sunday after Pentecost, All Saints' Sunday (Greek: Αγίων Πάντων, Agiōn Pantōn).

The feast of All Saints achieved great prominence in the ninth century, in the reign of the Byzantine Emperor, Leo VI "the Wise" (886–911). His wife, Empress Theophano—commemorated on December 16—lived a devout life. After her death in 893,^[5] her husband built a church, intending to dedicate it to her. When he was forbidden to do so, he decided to dedicate it to "All Saints," so that if his wife were in fact one of the righteous, she would also be honored whenever the feast was celebrated.^[6] According to tradition, it was Leo who expanded the feast from a commemoration of All Martyrs to a general commemoration of All Saints, whether martyrs or not.

This Sunday marks the close of the Paschal season. To the normal Sunday services are added special scriptural readings and hymns to all the saints (known and unknown) from the Pentecostarion.

In the late spring, the Sunday following Pentecost Sunday (50 days after Easter) is set aside as a commemoration of all locally venerated saints, such as "All Saints of America", "All Saints of Mount Athos", etc. The third Sunday after Pentecost may be observed for even more localized saints, such as "All Saints of St. Petersburg", or for saints of a particular type, such as "New Martyrs of the Turkish Yoke."

In addition to the Sundays mentioned above, Saturdays throughout the year are days for general commemoration of all saints, and special hymns to all saints are chanted from the Octoechos.

In the West[link]

The Western Christian holiday of All Saints' Day falls on November 1, followed by All Souls' Day on November 2, and is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church.

The origin of the festival of All Saints celebrated in the West dates to May 13, 609 or 610, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs; the feast of the dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Martyres has been celebrated at Rome ever since. There is evidence that from the fifth through the seventh centuries there existed in certain places and at sporadic intervals a feast date on 13 May to celebrate the holy martyrs.^[7] The origin of All Saints' Day cannot be traced with certainty, and it has been observed on various days in different places. However, there are some who maintain the belief that it has origins in the pagan observation of 13 May, the Feast of the Lemures, in which the malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were propitiated. Liturgiologists base the idea that this Lemuria festival was the origin of that of All Saints on their identical dates and on the similar theme of "all the dead".^[8]

The feast of All Saints, on its current date, is traced to the foundation by Pope Gregory III (731–741) of an oratory in St. Peter's for the relics "of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors, of all the just made perfect who are at rest throughout the world", with the day moved to 1 November and the 13 May feast suppressed.^[9]

This usually fell within a few weeks of the Celtic holiday of Samhain, which had a theme similar to the Roman festival of Lemuria, but which was also a harvest festival. The Irish, having celebrated Samhain in the past, did not celebrate All Hallows Day on this November 1 date, as extant historical documents attest that the celebration in Ireland took place in the spring: "...the Felire of Oengus and the Martyrology of Tallaght prove that the early medieval churches [in Ireland] celebrated the feast of All Saints on April 20."^[10]

A November festival of all the saints was already widely celebrated on November 1 in the days of Charlemagne. It was made a day of obligation throughout the Frankish empire in 835, by a decree of Louis the Pious, issued "at the instance of Pope Gregory IV and with the assent of all the bishops", which confirmed its celebration on November 1. The octave was added by Pope Sixtus IV (1471–1484).^[11]

The festival was retained after the Reformation in the calendar of the Anglican Church and in many Lutheran churches. In the Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden, it assumes a role of general commemoration of the dead. In the Swedish calendar, the observance takes place on the Saturday between October 31 and November 6. In many Lutheran Churches, it is moved to the first Sunday of November. In the Church of England it may be celebrated either on 1 November or on the Sunday between 30 October and 5 November. It is also celebrated by other Protestants of the English tradition, such as the United Church of Canada, the Methodist churches, and the Wesleyan Church.^[12]

Protestants generally regard all true Christian believers as saints and if they observe All Saints Day at all they use it to remember all Christians both past and present. In the United Methodist Church, All Saints' Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in November. It is held, not only to remember Saints, but also to remember all those who have died who were members of the local church congregation.^[13] In some congregations, a candle is lit by the Acolyte as each person's name is called out by the clergy. Prayers and responsive readings may accompany the event. Often, the names of those who have died in the past year are affixed to a memorial plaque.

In many Lutheran churches, All Saints' Day and Reformation Day are observed concurrently on the Sunday before or after those dates, given Reformation Day is observed in Protestant Churches on October 31. Typically, Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" is sung during the service. Besides discussing Luther's role in the Protestant Reformation, some recognition of the prominent early leaders of the Reformed tradition, such as John Calvin and John Knox, occurs. The observance of Reformation Day may be immediately followed by a reading of those members of the local congregation who have died in the past year in observance of All Saints' Day. Otherwise, the recognition of deceased church members occurs at another designated portion of the service.

Roman Catholic Obligation[link]

In Catholicism, All Saints' Day is a Holy Day of Obligation in many (but not all) countries, meaning going to Mass on the date is required unless one has a good reason to be excused, such as illness. However, in a number of countries that do list All Saints' Day as a Holy Day of Obligation, including England and Wales, the solemnity of All Saints' Day is transferred to the adjacent Sunday, if 1 November falls on a Monday or a Saturday, while in the same circumstances in the United States the Solemnity is still celebrated on November 1 but the obligation to attend Mass is abrogated.

Customs[link]

All Saints' Day at a cemetery in Sanok - flowers and light candles to honor the memory of deceased relatives. Poland, 1 November 2011

In Mexico, Portugal and Spain, offerings (Portuguese: oferendas, Spanish: ofrendas) are made on this day. In Spain the play Don Juan Tenorio is traditionally performed.

All Saints' Day in Mexico, coincides with the first day of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebration. Known as "Día de los Inocentes" (Day of the Innocents), it honours deceased children and infants.

Portuguese children celebrate the Pão-por-Deus tradition, going door-to-door where they receive cakes, nuts and pomegranates. This only occurs in some areas around Lisbon.

Hallowmas in the Philippines is variously called "Undas" (based on the word for "[the] first"), "Todós los Santos" (literally "All Saints"), and sometimes "Áraw ng mga Patáy" (lit. "Day of the Dead"), which refers to the following day of All Souls' Day but includes it. While traditionally, Filipinos observed this day solemnly by visiting the graves of deceased relatives, offering prayers and flowers, lighting candles, cleaning and repairing the graves, this tradition is slowly dying. Instead it has been replaced by Filipinos spending the day, and often the entire night, picnicking and holding reunions at the cemetery near their loved ones. Many sing, bring Karaoke TV sets and musical instruments, and even burst fire crackers. In fact, for the past few years, the government has banned bringing of liquor, sharp instruments and guns due to incidents of drunkenness and resulting violence during the festival. [14]

In Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Chile, France, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and American cities such as New Orleans, people take flowers to the graves of dead relatives.

In Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Catholic parts of Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden, the tradition is to light candles and visit the graves of deceased relatives.

In English-speaking countries, the festival is traditionally celebrated with the hymn "For All the Saints" by William Walsham How. The most familiar tune for this hymn is Sine Nomine by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Catholics generally celebrate with a day of rest consisting of avoiding physical exertion.

Notes[link]

See also[link]

• Veneration of the dead
• Halloween
• Dziady
• Day of the Dead
• Irish calendar
• Litany of the Saints

External links[link]

• All Saints Day
• All Saints and All Souls Day American Catholic
•  "All Saints' Day". Catholic Encyclopedia. 1913. 
• All Saints Sunday Orthodox England
• A Vigil service for All Saints All Hallows' E'en - "Halloween"
• First Sunday after Pentecost, or All Saints Sunday by Sergei Bulgakov, Handbook for Church Servers
• Synaxis of All Saints Icon and Synaxarion of the feast
•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "All Saints, Festival of". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Delroy Easton Grant is a convicted rapist accused of carrying out a series of offences of burglary, rape and indecent assault dating between October 1992 and May 2009 in the South East London area of England. Grant, also known as the Minstead Rapist and latterly the Night Stalker, is thought to have been active since 1990, and has a distinctive modus operandi, preying on elderly women who live alone. He is suspected of over 100 offences from 1990 to the present.^[1] In 1998, the Metropolitan Police launched the dedicated Operation Minstead team to investigate the crimes, based out of Lewisham police station. (The name does not directly refer to the village of Minstead, Hampshire; rather it was chosen from an alphabetical list of English villages, the method of operational naming in use at the time). As of 2009, the operation was the largest and most complex rape investigation ever undertaken by the Metropolitan Police.^[2]

On 24 March 2011, the Jamaican-born Grant, a Jehovah's Witness and father of eight from Brockley^[3] who was a carer for his disabled wife,^[4] was found guilty on all counts.^[5][6] The following day he was given four life sentences and ordered to serve a minimum of 27 years in prison.^[7]

Emergence of a linked series[link]

Grant is an accomplished burglar and has broken into the homes of over 90 elderly women aged between 68 and 93.^[8] He is positively linked to four reported rapes and around 30 other sexual assaults. Police believe he is also responsible for at least another two rapes where the victims felt unable to make any official allegation. The true total may be higher as his victims are often too traumatised to speak to police. In addition, the Operation Minstead investigation team have to decide which incidents are unmistakably the work of the same offender and which are similar but possibly unrelated. Therefore many possible Minstead incidents flagged up by police for the attention of the Operation Minstead team cannot be definitely confirmed as the work of the same offender so must be excluded from the linked series. The confirmed series of offences began in October 1992 in the Shirley area of Croydon. However due to a break of four years between this first attack and a spate of others, Operation Minstead was not set up until 1998.^[2]

Although committing many crimes, Grant was dormant for long periods. After the first attack in October 1992, no further offences were reported until 1997. After a particularly violent rape on 5 August 1999 where his victim almost died from her injuries, there was another long break. This prompted some media speculation that the rapist had been imprisoned for an unrelated offence or that he had died. However on 13 October 2002, ten years after the first attack, he struck again.^[9] Seven confirmed attacks took place in the summer of 2003. Another break then followed.

A further series of confirmed attacks took place towards the end of 2008,^[10] and into mid-2009.^[11]

Detective Superintendent Simon Morgan who headed the Minstead team from 2001 to October 2009, explained the problems in arriving at a definitive total of offences in this series by saying "His victims come from a generation who are inclined to see good in everyone. One thanked him for being gentle when he raped her". Another said she didn’t want to dial 999 "because I know the police are already so busy".^[12]

Geographical spread[link]

The offences occurred in defined geographical clusters in and around South East London. Most of the offences occurred around Shirley in Croydon, and also Orpington. However he also struck in Coulsdon, Forest Hill, Catford, Brockley, Bromley, Beckenham, Dulwich and Sidcup. Only once was there a report of him offending outside of Greater London. This was in Warlingham, Surrey.^[13]

The fact that many offences have taken place in Orpington, including one on Boxing Day in 1998, led detectives to suspect the rapist had a link to the area. Det Supt Morgan has said "He either lives, works or has some connection with someone he visits in Orpington. This could be a child, a school or a job".^[2] On three occasions, he made remarks about having to get to Brighton.^[14]

Victimology[link]

Grant usually singled out lone elderly women as victims, though there is a handful of confirmed cases where his victims had been lone elderly males.^[15] It is thought that he was meticulous in planning his crimes. He may have placed his potential victims under surveillance for some time since he has never broken into a house occupied by anyone but a lone elderly occupant. He once targeted three houses in a single street. He picked detached or semi-detached houses and bungalows but never flats.

Modus operandi[link]

Grant gained entry to the homes of his victims from the side or the rear, either through open windows or by removing a window pane entirely. He had been known to use tools stolen from the victim's own garden shed to remove the window beading. He ripped out the telephone wires, either before entering the property, or after gaining access. He then disabled the lights either by switching off the electricity at the meter or by unscrewing lightbulbs from their sockets.^[16]

He then approached his victim, shining a torch in her eyes. Often his first words were to demand sex. However, he had been known to spend hours in victims’ homes either before or without assaulting them. He had been described perversely as exhibiting tenderness, sometimes gently kissing his victims on the cheek. He had exhibited a knowledge of geriatrics, knowing how to support his elderly victim’s spine and how to pick them up from the elbow. He had sometimes been shamed into leaving without committing a sexual assault when his victim has chastised him. Of particular note is an incident where one victim caused him to apologise and leave by angrily demanding "What would your mother think of you?"^[2] He has been known to take a victim’s pulse, and has said: "I’m really sorry. I won’t do this again."^[16] Police have speculated that the rapist is ashamed of his actions, perhaps explaining the long period that sometimes occurs between offences. Despite this, he could be extremely violent. During his most violent attack on 5 August 1999, he raped his victim twice and left her bleeding from a perforated bowel, in which her injuries were nearly fatal.^[17]

He had been known to burgle his victims but this was not his primary motive. He often took money but only small amounts. He has taken credit cards and obtained their PINs from his victims but there has never been any record of him using them.^[16] In 2004 he stole a wad of five pound notes but these were later discovered thrown away a mile and a half from his victim’s house. He had also taken jewellery. The same year he told a victim that his mother had died four years earlier, stating that “the Government let her down anyway”.^[16]

He has struck on all days of the week but most often during the early hours of a Friday or Saturday morning.

Detectives strongly believed that he rode a motorbike.^[18]

Suspect description[link]

Descriptions from his many victims suggested a black male aged between 25 and 40. He was described as about 5'9" to 5'11" tall, of slim athletic build and tends to wear dark clothing. He was described as usually wears gloves and a mask or balaclava and occasionally a baseball cap. He was described as having a soft or well-spoken voice. Some of his victims reported a curious sweet smell.^[12]

DNA controversy[link]

The Minstead Rapist was thought to be forensically aware since he never left a fingerprint at any scene.^[19] However, an offence committed on 13 October 2002 left behind a vital clue – a footprint from a size 10 Nike Air Terra Contego trainer.^[2] Most importantly he does not use condoms and his DNA was captured. The first time his DNA was discovered at a scene was in 1992. Since then, more than 2,000 DNA samples have been collected from suspects.^[20]

Britain’s national police DNA database contains samples from anyone arrested for a recordable offence since 1995. Even by the time of his first offence, the Minstead Rapist was clearly an accomplished burglar. However his DNA remains unmatched and unidentified on the database. If the rapist has ever been arrested for burglary or a related offence, it must have been before 1995 when police began to routinely gather DNA samples from prisoners.

Advanced DNA techniques pointed towards a north Afro-Caribbean ethnic origin for the rapist; probably the Windward Islands – St Lucia, Barbados, St Vincent, the Grenadines, Tobago or Trinidad. Operation Minstead identified around 21,000 possible suspects that fitted such a profile.^[12] Their progress in this expedition was reported in a piece entitled "The Frying Squad"^[21]

In March 2004, Operation Minstead detectives hand-delivered a letter to hundreds of black men in South London, asking for their help in voluntarily providing a DNA sample for elimination purposes.^[2] Police explained that they desperately needed to reduce the vast number of suspects in the operation and that this was the best way to do so. Volunteers were assured that their DNA sample would be destroyed as soon as it was confirmed to be unmatched with the rapist’s DNA. The majority of those potential suspects were eager to help if it would assist police in catching the suspect. However 125 men initially refused to provide a sample, believing it was discriminatory and breached their human rights. Police brought pressure to bear on those who refused, explaining that their behaviour could be construed as suspicious. Five objectors were subsequently arrested but cleared. This incident was seen by some commentators, particularly The Voice newspaper and Liberty, as an abuse of power that damaged relations between London’s black community and the police.^[22] A Liberal Democrat MP, Lynne Featherstone, questioned police tactics in the House of Commons.^[23] Although they were able to reduce the list of potential suspects from 21,000 to 1,000, police resigned themselves to only being able to obtain the DNA of certain suspects still on the list if and when they were arrested for an unrelated offence.^[24]

2009 arrest[link]

Having been appointed Senior Investigating Officer in October 2009, DCI Colin Sutton, the officer who led the investigation into the serial killer Levi Bellfield, organised and set up a proactive operation mounted to try to observe the suspect in the act of committing an offence.^[25] On 15 November 2009 it was reported a 52-year-old man had been arrested in connection with over 100 sexual offences in the South London area. Detectives described the arrest as "significant".^[26]

On 16 November 2009 it was reported Delroy Grant of Brockley Mews, Brockley, South East London, had been arrested and charged with twenty-two offences, and appeared at Greenwich Magistrates Court.^[27] He was remanded in custody to re-appear at the court on 19 November.

On 19 November 2009 Delroy Grant appeared at Greenwich Magistrates Court, where he was ordered to appear at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday 26 November. Prosecutors said that further charges are likely. He was remanded in custody.

On 26 November 2009 Delroy Grant Appeared at Woolwich Crown Court. Grant has been remanded in custody and is next due to appear at the Old Bailey for a plea and case management hearing on 8 February 2010.

On 8 February 2010 he was remanded in custody and is next due to appear at Inner London Crown Court on 30 April 2010.

On 21 June 2010 Delroy Grant, 52, of Brockley Mews, Honor Oak, south-east London, pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey. Mr Justice Bean said the trial would take place on 1 March 2011, at Woolwich Crown Court; it might take up to six weeks.

The charges were as follows:

1. Rape - on 12/10/92 at Shirley, on an 89-year-old woman
2. Rape - on 5/9/98 at Warlingham, Surrey, on an 81-year-old woman
3. Rape - on 28/7/99 at Addiscombe, on an 82-year-old woman
4. Rape - on 5/8/99 at Orpington, on an 88-year-old woman
5. Indecent assault - on 20/6/99 at Beckenham of a 71-year-old woman
6. Indecent assault - on 12/7/99 at Addiscombe of an 82-year-old woman
7. Indecent assault - on 4/8/99 at Shirley on an 88-year-old woman
8. Indecent assault - on 13/10/02 at Shirley on a 77-year-old woman
9. Burglary (no violence) - on 25/5/09 at Shortlands, Bromley
10. Burglary (theft/attempted theft with violence) - on 12/10/92 at Shirley
11. Burglary with intent to rape - on 5/9/98 at Warlingham, Surrey
12. Indecent assault - on 5/9/98 at Warlingham, Surrey, of an 81-year-old woman
13. Burglary (theft/attempted theft with violence) - on 12/7/99 at Addiscombe
14. Burglary (theft/attempted theft with violence) - on 28/7/99 at Addiscombe
15. Indecent assault - on 28/7/99 at Addiscombe, of an 82-year-old woman
16. Burglary (theft/attempted theft with violence) - on 4/8/99 at Shirley.
17. Burglary (theft/attempted theft with violence) - on 5/8/99 at Orpington
18. Rape - on 5/8/99 at Orpington, on an 88-year-old woman
19. Burglary (theft/attempted theft with violence) - on 13/10/02 at Shirley
20. Burglary (theft/attempted theft with violence) - on 7/3/03 at West Dulwich
21. Burglary (theft/attempted theft with violence) - on 7/9/04 at Bromley
22. Burglary (theft/attempted theft with violence) - on 20/6/99 at Beckenham

According to newspaper reports the suspect was seen by cash machine CCTV cameras using his victims' credit and debit cards, but appeared useless as his face was always covered by a mask. One eagle-eyed police officer was reported to have spotted in some of the footage the reflection of a bus in a shop window. The bus was tracked down and was found to be fitted with cameras. Police trawled through the CCTV footage recorded by the bus. On the recording a Vauxhall Zafira was spotted near the cash machine and vehicle records pinpointed all models in the South London area. However, this is a gross distortion of the truth; in fact the officers taking part in the observations had identified a Zafira as a suspected vehicle some two weeks previously, and thus were particularly alert to such a car being in the area of their operation.

Then on Sunday evening (15 November) a Zafira was spotted parked in the Shirley area of Croydon, which was already being staked out by 70 police officers following recent break-ins believe to have been carried out by the Night Stalker.

Delroy Grant was arrested as he approached his car having just attempted to enter a nearby pensioner's house.

On 24 March 2011 Grant was found guilty of all offences charged. He was sentenced to concurrent life sentences with a recommendation that he should serve 27 years before being eligible to apply for parole ^[28]

Investigation timeline[link]

• 1990: Police say there are probable offences as far back as 1990.^[29]
• 1992 - October: First offence linked to the Minstead Rapist is committed in Shirley, Croydon.
• 1997: A second offence by the Minstead Rapist is reported, beginning a more frequent series of attacks.
• 1998: Operation Minstead launched.
• 1999 - 5 August: Most serious crime linked to the Minstead Rapist to date, leaves the victim fighting for life.
• 2003 - 5 December: The SCD launches an appeal to all Metropolitan Police officers for assistance to catch the Minstead Rapist.^[30]
• 2004 - March: Police carry out DNA testing of possible suspects in South London.^[31]
• 2004 - July: Detectives announce they have narrowed the initial list of 21,000 potential suspects to 1,000.^[32]
• 2006 - 10 October: Metropolitan Police officers issue a direct appeal to the rapist to give himself up, encouraging him to use his "conscience" and "come forward" to seek help for his behaviour.^[33][34]
• 2007 - 15 November: A burglary in South Norwood, London is linked to the Minstead Man. The victim was a 93 year-old woman and the incident took place in the early hours of Thursday, 15 November.^[35]
• 2009 - June: A string of burglaries on the elderly were linked to a light-skinned black man, suspected of being the Night Stalker.^[1][36]
• 2009 - July: The most recent incident linked to the Night Stalker occurred in Selsdon, South Croydon on the morning of 23 July 9.^[37]
• 2009 - 15 November: Police arrest a 52 year old man in connection with more than 100 sex attacks. The arrest was described as "significant".^[27]
• 2009 - 16 November ~3am: Police charge a 52 year old man with multiple rapes.^[38]
• 2011 - 1 March: Delroy Grant appears at Woolwich Crown Court as his trial begins.^[39]
• 2011 - 24 March: Grant found guilty on all counts^[40]
• 2011 - 25 March: Grant is jailed for 27 years^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Delroy Grant convicted, Metropolitan Police, 24 March 2011