11/12/95 - Statement of FRANCIS WILLIAM DARLING

NAME: FRANCIS WILLIAM DARLING
AGE / DATE OF BIRTH: 68 27041927

Who states:- This statement consisting of 002 pages, each signed by me, is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and I make it knowing that if it is tendered in evidence I shall be liable to prosecution if I have wilfully stated in it anything which I know to be false or do not believe to be true.

DATED: 111295
F W DARLING (SIGNED)

I am retired but as a part-time job I am employed by Essex County Council as an escort for disabled persons. This is a daily job and we travel from Chelmsford to Basildon via the A130. I leave Chelmsford usually about 0720 hours - 0730 hours and we normally arrive in Basildon about 0845 hours.

Sometime between 0755 hours and 0805 hours on Wednesday 061295 the coach I was travelling in was on the A130, Rettendon. As the road goes through the dual carriageway into a single carriageway the road bears sharpley to the left. On the left handside of the road is situated a farm shop and past this is a farm track.

As we approached this farm track I could see a dark coloured Range Rover motor vehicle which was either black or blue, parked in the entrance to this farm track and facing into it. Standing next to the range rover and on the Southend side of the vehicle was three men.

I can only describe these man as all wearing dark clothing and the one who was standing nearest to the Range Rover was taller then the other two and was wearing a hat. The man nearest the range rover appeared to taller. It appeared as though the vehicle may have broken down and they were waiting for someone and had been broken down for sometime.

I do not believe I would recognise any of the men again. I only saw these men for about 2-3 seconds as the bus past them and I had a clear and unobstructed view of these men. Where the statement says Range Rover the vehicle could have been a land rover.
F W DARLING SIGNED

STATEMENT TAKEN PLACE:
TIME:
DATE: 111295
WITNESS TO SIGNATURE:
OFFICERS SIGNATURE: