They called him the Good Samaritan because he was well known for befriending homeless people and always had a sympathetic ear for others troubles. That made Sidney Leeson, a 75-year-old widower, vulnerable to a violent attacker.
He knew it too. He wouldnt let anyone into his house in Sweetbriar Road, Leicester, unless he recognised them. So almost certainly the man who hit him over the head with a flower vase, then stabbed him repeatedly, leaving his body in a pool of blood in his hallway, knew him.
The house had not been broken into and a screwdriver was used to prise open a drawer and remove £23 which suggested that the killer knew where his victim kept his money.
Mr. Leesons dentures were forced into the back of his mouth and asphyxiation was a contributory factor in his death in the late evening of Monday, September 13th, 1965. His attacker undoubtedly fought with him, and would have had cuts and scratches on his face and hands.