成人快手

The Watchman

Watch out for The Watchman - notorious con man

Inside Out investigates the con man, nicknamed "The Watchman" who targeted the elderly in the North West.

For the first time police are putting on display an Aladdin's cave of stolen items they found at the Watchman's house.

They're trying to re-unite scores of heirlooms with their rightful owners.

We investigate how this cunning con man was finally caught in an exclusive Inside Out investigation.

Charming con man

Leslie Fishwick was Mr Average - medium height, medium build, middle aged, northern accent.

But he was also a rogue who charmed his way to thousands of pounds of other people's cash, clocks and jewellery.

His burglary spree lasted nearly a decade - with police investigating 150 cases they suspected had been carried out by the thief they dubbed "The Watchman".

Detective Inspector Simon Collier, Greater Manchester Police says:

"He was very charming, he was very convincing, softly spoken, not too aggressive, polite, a perfect gentleman."

But this gentleman thief was also a callous conman who stole the most personal of items from vulnerable people.

So how did one man - who was making a fortune from his crimes - manage to evade the police for 10 years?

Double life

To the outside world, Leslie Fishwick was just an antiques dealer.

In his van he'd cover large parts of the North West.

He only worked Tuesdays and Thursdays - always telling his partner that he'd be back to make the tea.

Rich pickings but the Watchman kept a low profile

Police say Fishwick once played Rugby League for Leigh at their Hilton Park ground.

He was injured - and for many years since then he'd been claiming sickness benefit.

Detectives say his partner had been duped by Fishwick, and she had no idea about his secret career.

Despite his rich pickings as a thief, he lived modestly and never flaunted the cash.

And to add credibility to his trade, Fishwick made up false papers.

His fake ID wasn't sophisticated, but it fooled many old people. And he carried a brochure of clocks to impress his customers.

Convincing con

As a burglar - he chose victims carefully. He'd reconnoitre a likely area - chat to neighbours and glean personal details.

He'd watch and listen until he was sure it was safe to strike - he called it going knocking.

Joseph Birch was just one of the people he targeted:

Gold rings stolen by The Watchman

"He wasn't nasty with me, but he had a demanding way."

The clock on Joseph Birch's wall has been in his family for over 80 years.

It disappeared the day The Watchman called:

"He came to the door and said have I any antiques for sale and I said 'no', but before I'd finished saying 'no' he was in the house.

"He walked straight through and started admiring the sideboard, and one thing and another.

"And then he saw the clock and he said 'it's not running properly'... And he said 'well I mend clocks so will you not sell it?' I said 'no', and he said 'well, I'll repair it for you.'"

"And I said 'how do I know you're not a wide-boy?'
'Oh', he said, 'no, I have a shop in Accrington'. Then he walked straight over and looked at it... he whipped it off the wall, went to the door, and out. I couldn't catch him because I've had a hip operation."

Police hunt

Police across the North West pooled resources as the hunt intensified.

They knew how he worked - and where he worked. They knew his targets and what he was taking.

The problem was - they had no idea who he was:

"There were times when it was very frustrating because people were coming forward and telling us what he'd done, and we knew straight away that it had to be the same person.

"We always seemed to be one step behind him."

Fingerprints had been taken from the houses which The Watchman visited - but when police checked their database they drew a blank.

Fishwick did have a minor conviction from many years ago, but his details had never been transferred to computer.

The only real chance police had, was to hope they could catch him red-handed - and that seemed unlikely.

"He was obviously very meticulous in his planning. Never wrote anything down, there was never any evidence when we searched his house that he ever catalogued all this - I'm quite sure he didn't, it was all upstairs, it was all in his mind and it was all meticulously planned."
Sgt Chris Bridge, Greater Manchester Police.

To have a person that was doing it for so long without being caught by the police clearly showed the organisation that he put into it.

Meanwhile The Watchman was stashing away a fortune.

The stolen antiques were sold at flea markets and he rarely asked for big prices.

Fatal mistake

Over a decade Fishwick made virtually no mistakes - and then one day, he changed his routine.

It was a simple error - at just one house, he drank coffee - and it was a mistake which would eventually lead to his conviction.

Recognise one of your stolen watches?

Scientists in Chorley successfully extracted DNA from the coffee cup - now they had proof - all they needed was a lucky break.

Marion Barton was the woman who eventually stopped The Watchman.

She recognised Fishwick from a 成人快手watch poster, but had little time to challenge him.

As Fishwick tried to change a 拢20 note at her house, Marion managed to get him back to the door, and rang 999.

As luck would have it there was a couple of plain clothes police officers in the area, and spotted him so they arrested him on suspicion.

At Fishwick's Bolton house, detectives found 拢96,000 in neatly arranged 拢20 pound notes - and another 拢56,000 in a bank account.

Recovered treasures

Police say Fishwick never showed any remorse - and initially denied everything.

His only regret was he got caught. Time though, had run out for The Watchman.

When Leslie Fishwick appeared at Bolton Crown Court, he admitted nine counts of burglary and was sentenced to five years in jail.

Fishwick's financial assets were frozen until a hearing later in 2006.

Recovered treasure trove - china was amongst the finds

The judge said his despicable offences had cast a shadow on the lives of his victims, the youngest of which was 78-years-old.

The items found in Fishwick's house will be displayed publicly for the first time on February 14, 2006.

Police are hoping to reunite these treasured belongings with their rightful owners.

Some though, have already gone home.

Joseph Birch has already got his beloved clock back.

So how did it feel when it was returned?

"Elated. I could have burst out singing.

I am getting over it, I'm that type, but it's still there. I don't think I'll ever lose that thought, but as a I say when it came back I could have danced with joy."

Hopefully other victims of The Watchman will be doing the same over the next few weeks.

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Community pub campaign

There's new life in the old pub - the Church House Inn

A derelict public house is a sad but by no means uncommon site.

According to research by CAMRA 聳 the Campaign for Real Ale 聳 26 pubs are closed forever each month.

Some are demolished, others are converted to houses, shops and offices.

The Church House Inn in Bollington in Cheshire was struggling聟 until a group of regulars decided to act.

New markets

While many city centre pubs across the North West are taking advantage of the new 24 hour licensing laws to cater for people who want to party into the small hours, the new consortium at the Church House knew they had to aim at a different market.

Being at the heart of a rural community they decided to play to their strengths and forge strong links with their neighbours.

One idea was to source local food.

Paul Slater, the third generation of his family to farm nearby, supplies some of the beef and lamb.

Andy Rodier with his plant pot bread

Paul Slater from 成人快手stead Farm says, "I think it聮s very important for the pub to serve local produce... it's our "best advert."

Back in the village, Andy Rodier, a baker for 50 years, is preparing more treats for the pub.

One of his more unusual specialities is proving to be a big hit with the pub聮s customers - it聮s called plant pot bread.

The local butcher is also getting in on the act.

Jeremy Heathcote聮s grandfather started his butchery business.

One of the reasons Jeremy聮s able to keep the family tradition going is because he too can rely on the pub聮s custom.

He believes that it's vital to "keep it local".

But there聮s another quite unique way this pub has reached out into the community.

The pub has developed links with the local church and the two have even organised a carol service together.

There are now plans to hold services at Easter and harvest time.

Room at the inn

The pub is also diversifying by opening up a small hotel.

There are five en-suite rooms to be precise.

Meeting place at the heart of the community

With locally produced food on the menu the business plan is to continue developing the Church House into a real locals' local.

It's become a meeting place and the heart of the community once again.

But this isn聮t just a quaint tale about country folk lending each other a helping hand.

It聮s about hard economics and keeping businesses alive.

Thanks to the efforts of a lot of people including the baker, the butcher, the farmer and the landlord, this rural pub is thriving again.

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Tsunami revisited

Rebuilding lives - Tsunami survivors

It's a year since the Tsunami hit South East Asia with devastating consequences.

Inside Out presents a special investigation into the aftermath of the Tsunami.

Zoie Gibson and Paul Fox from television's 'The Royal' kept video diaries of their return trip to Thailand.

Tsunami diary

This is an extract from Zoie and Paul's diary made twelve months on from the Tsunami:

"When we first arrived just three weeks after the disaster, families were still desperately seeking missing loved ones.

"We were immediately put to work, clearing the debris.

"The devastation was overwhelming - it was shocking to see what was left of the holiday paradise we'd enjoyed so recently."

Return to PhiPhi

"This winter we returned to the island of PhiPhi.

Zoie and Paul return to PhiPhi to monitor progress

"One year on, the wasteland that we saw back in January is slowly coming back to life but we wanted to find out what had happened to the people we'd met and helped on our first visit.

"Had they managed to rebuild their lives? The Tsunami claimed over 1000 lives here and destroyed many homes and businesses.

"The island is receiving lots of help from groups of volunteers and small relief organisations - many of them set up in memory of tourists who died in the wave.

"One centre was originally set up to help Swedish tourists immediately after the Tsunami.

"Thanks to continuing support from Europe, the centre is now providing help for the Thai people to get back on their own feet."

Rebuilding lives

"Kao Lak is one of many Thai resorts that are now familiar names for the most horrific of reasons.

"On our first visit here the devastation stretched for as far as the eye could see.

The Tsunami devastated many of Asia's coastlines

"Swimming pools and the foundations of demolished buildings were all that remained of busy hotels which had been enjoying their peak season.

"Today it looks like the area will soon be bustling again.

"Many of the small coastal villages suffered huge human losses and their livelihoods were destroyed by the Tsunami.

"With a little help from outside, communities are now rebuilding themselves.

"The women of this village, are now making soaps and will soon be running a sustainable businesses themselves.

"When we first arrived here last year, we heard the terrible story of the devastation. The small school lost two thirds of its students and their teacher.

"So we volunteered to spend time teaching and clearing the site of the new school and we gave them a little money.

"We were touched by the beautiful people we met there.

"It was exciting to come back and see the day care centre where our money was helping to provide care and fun for the children."

Survivors

"We first came to Bang Tao in January 2005. Many of the hotels and resorts were badly damaged and businesses were destroyed.

"We worked clearing the land, translating, doing case studies on local people, and we ran school projects and today the village has benefited hugely from the volunteer project run in the area.

Devastation - coastal scene following the Asian Tsunami

"One person we were keen to find was the lady who last year gave us bananas when we were clearing debris.

"She had survived the Tsunami by clinging to a tree for several hours. She lost both of her restaurants and most of her house.

"On our return she proudly took us to her new sea front restaurant which she has begun rebuilding.

"Hearing that she had run out of money to complete it, our mission was clear.

"We would all put in some money and buy her everything she needed to set up this restaurant in time for the resorts peak season.

"Our cash wouldn't have bought dinner back home - but in Thailand it went a long way."

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