Cyril Smith and the Lesley Molseed murder.....

Back in 2012 I sent off the following series of questions to Greater Manchester Police on this and received the response at the bottom of the page. I did not subsequently write an article on this. 


Dear GMP,

Please find attached an article I wrote five years ago on Ronald Castree, who was subsequently rightly convicted of the murder of Lesley Molseed in 1975.

After this article was published a Rochdale resident told me: "Castree was a Liberal Party member and a friend of Cyril Smith MP who vouched for him when Police Officers were looking for suspects in the murder case." 

Can I ask the following for an article I am writing.

1) Was Cyril Smith questioned and/or asked to provide information in the Lesley Molseed case in 1975?

2) Did Cyril Smith 'vouch for' Ronald Castree in the Lesley Molseed murder case?


Issued by GMP Press Office
Tel: 0161 856 2220
Fax: 0161 856 2236
Email: press.office@gmp.police.uk 

Hi Mark, 

Unfortunately I don't think we will be able to assist with this. 

Our computerised records do not go as far back as 1975, and the SIO for this investigation is no longer at GMP so I do not think we can assist with this.