What happened inside Burgate House? | Forensic Files

[Music] the gatehouse was a secluded mansion on the edge of the new forest in Hampshire
England it was 8:30 p.m. on the 1st of September 1986 the residents had just finished dinner and were about to enjoy
dessert and that's when three men wearing stocking masks and armed with a shotgun
in pickaxes burst into the dining room [Music] The Gatehouse was located in 14 bridge a town in
Hampshire England on the edge of the new forest that was originally an old farmhouse that was converted into a
large mansion it was situated at the end of a long winding driveway on a large site of 14 acres buried behind trees in
what was a very quiet and secluded spot the couple that lived there with Joseph and Hilde cleaver they were quiet yet
sociable people well-liked in the community Joseph cleaver was 82 years old a successful retired public his wife Hilda
was the same age and was confined to a wheelchair after suffering a stroke they originally used the house as a holiday
home before eventually moving in full time when Joseph retired on the 1st of September 1986 Joseph and Hilda Cleaver
were enjoying the company of their son Tom Cleaver 49 years old and his wife Wendy clever 46 years old
Tom and Wendy were helping out as the living cook and handyman had just been fired so tom was looking after his
elderly parents keeping an eye on things until replacements could be found dessert had just been served by their
elderly housekeeper Margaret Murphy 70 years old she had worked for the family for 50 years the cleavers kept a strict
routine when it came to dinner it was always served at 8:00 p.m. on the dot and everybody was expected to be
dressed appropriately for the occasion it was about 8:30 p.m. when the doors to the dining room suddenly burst open and
three masked men brandishing a shotgun and pickaxes entered the intruder screamed at Hilda Wendy and Margaret to
take off their jewellery Tom and Joseph were ordered to put their wallets in cash on the table the five were then
forced to the upstairs master bedroom where they were tied up some left on the floor some left on the bed
Hilda cleaver was tied up to her wheelchair the intruders then spent over an hour reenacting the house they
collected together a pile of guns that Joseph had in his gun cabinet they also grabbed the TV and video recorder
especially alcohol and other items they got 90 pounds cash from the men's wallets
the intruders then started ripping paintings off the walls and using the pickaxes to strike into the walls they
were looking for a hidden safe they searched everywhere but couldn't locate it frustrated at not being able to find
the safe the intruders stormed back upstairs at 10:30 a.m. the next day the second of September 1986 the gatehouse
cleaner Nellie Taylor and gardener Edgar Stubbings arrived for work they were both alarmed at the sight of
smoke coming out of the upstairs windows they cautiously entered the home and discovered that it had been torn apart
the dining table was still set with the unfinished dessert still there but everything else was a mess the cleavers
pet poodle was whimpering the dog had been badly injured there was in such a bad way that it later had to be put down
a feeling of a dread came over Edgar he picked up the phone to call the police but there was nothing but silence the
lines had been cut the cleavers had two other dogs that could be heard scratching at a door in whimpering
upstairs Nellie and Edgar walked upstairs open the door and found Wendy cleaver dead
she had been taken from the master bedroom into a separate bedroom they found their nearby master bedroom was
still glowing from a fire that had been lit that is where the smoke was coming from it was still too hot to enter
Edgerrin Nelly ran from the house and drove to the local police station to raise the alarm the crime scene was
examined by scene of crime officer Detective Constable Malcolm slaughter the first thing he noticed was that
there was unburned file order scattered throughout the entire house whoever was responsible and obviously intended to
burn it down completely he found that the gun cabinet had been emptied into two double barrel shotguns a single
barrel shotgun and a 22 rifle were missing along with 12 boxes of ammunition the cleavers cocktail cabinet
had been emptied and a large amount of spirits had been taken signs that the intruders were hunting for hidden safe
were clear throughout the house detectives immediately thought the scene was the work of at least two men
possibly more Josef Hilda and Tom Cleaver and Margaret Murphy were found dead in the upstairs master bedroom
where the fire had been lit two gallons of petrol were poured across the curtains carpet bed and over the victims
themselves a lip file order was then thrown in and a ball the flames erupted prior to the fly being let Wendy cleaver
had been dragged out of the master bedroom sexually assaulted then strangled the killers had tried to burn
down the entire house to destroy all evidence but what they didn't know was that the gatehouse was rebuilt from the
19th century farmhouse it was rebuilt in the 1940s when timber was a scarce commodity because of the Second World
War so mostly concrete was used during the building process that's why the structure of the house remained intact
and there was very little sign of the fire from the outside the flyer pretty much contained itself in the master
bedroom it looked to be a robbery but why had the victims been so savagely murdered police felt it was one of two
reasons the victims had seen their killer's faces during the attack or they already knew who they were which would
explain why there were no signs of forced entry police started looking into the background of the victims was there
anything there that could shed any light on this crime they didn't come up with much but while searching Josef cleavers
study they found a newspaper advertisement he had placed seeking a living cook and handyman at the
gatehouse the advertisement was placed only two months earlier they also found a reference letter attached for a couple
who applied for the job George and Fiona Stevenson police questioned the cleaner
Nellie and Gardiner Edgar about the advertisement and they confirmed that the positions had been fuelled by the
couple police located a reference photo for George and Fiona they landed the job and moved into a
small cottage located on the estate grounds in late July only a few months earlier but they only lasted a few weeks
George Stephenson beedis wife regularly and one night Fiona rang out of the cottage to escape his attack and sought
refuge in the gatehouse the housekeeper Margaret Murphy let Fiona in and hid her from her husband
Fiona ran off the next day she had only been married to George Stephenson for nine months
they married two weeks after meeting each other in what was a whirlwind romance when Joseph cleaver learned of this
incident he was disgusted and immediately sacked Stevenson Fiona had already taken off and her whereabouts
were unknown all this happened only a few weeks before the murder and it was about the only thing police found that
could have relevance police started looking into George Stephenson George had done several stints in jail he had
convictions for burglary fraud theft assault drugs and firearms offenses he also had a conviction for resisting
arrest he sprayed a police officer who was trying to arrest him with tear gas detectives checked the reference letter
and found it had been written by a couple in Bournemouth on the southern coast of England about a 30-minute drive
away from the murder scene they quickly paid that couple of visit to try and get
a bit more background on George Stevenson they almost couldn't believe it when they were invited into the couple's home
and did they saw a TV and video recorder matching they've stolen from the gatehouse police interviewed them
extensively they said the last they spoke with George Stephenson was on Monday morning the day of the murder
their TV had just broken and Stevenson asked if they wanted a new one which they said yes they did after a bit more
general chitchat Stevenson left the couple work up the next morning Tuesday the 2nd of September to find the TV and
recorder on their front porch they never saw Stevenson but he had obviously come
through for them this information combined with the knowledge Stevenson had been fired from the gatehouse only
weeks before the murder was enough to make him their prime suspect Stevenson's wife Fiona had also contact a police as
soon as she read about the murders she had no doubt her husband who she was still hiding from was to blame with that
Stevenson's picture was on every TV and newspaper in the country and every police officer was on the lookout for
him he was considered armed and extremely dangerous Stevenson had grown up in Coventry England about a two and a
half hour drive away from the murder scene police check to that area extensively and they were in luck
Stevenson had hired a vehicle a Red Rover two one three only days before their killing but he didn't paid the
deposit for the hire car that was paid by another man George Daly also from Coventry
police always felt the crime was committed by more than one person now they had a second suspect it didn't
take long for George Stephenson to see his own face staring back at him from the TV screen he couldn't hide his shock
it was only days after the murder he immediately got on the phone to police in Hampshire to their surprise Stevenson
said he was going to hand himself in he wanted to clear his name but before giving himself up he had a
night out on the town doing a pub crawl around Brockenhurst about a 30-minute drive away from the murder scene on this
pub crawl he carried a copy of a newspaper under his arm with his face plastered on the front page but he had
changed his appearance shaving his mustache off and cutting his hair Stevenson chatted up two girls in one of
the pubs and went back to the campsite that was staying here they drank together until about 2:00 a.m. Stevenson
then left the campsite walked to a nearby payphone and rang detectives to come and get him in the meantime police
were also honing in on the men who paid the deposit on Stevenson's hire car George Daly
police questioned Ruth Smith who lived with George she gave a statement that Stevenson and
George Daly returned home at 3 a.m. the night of the murders they walked in with
guns and the boxes of ammunition and that they had a third person with them George's brother Jon Daly they had a
large collection of spirits which they used to have a very loud drinking session and till dawn not only that Ruth
described the panic in George and John Daly when Stevenson's face appeared on TV wanted for the murders when they saw
that George and John quickly carried the guns out of the house [Music] after receiving this information George
and John Daly were quickly taken into custody around the same time Stevenson handed himself in the trial for the
three men commenced at Winchester Crown Court on the 6th of October 1987 all three men were charged with 5 counts of
murder and one count of rape as well as a robbery all three pleaded not guilty to the
charges but John Daly did plead guilty to the sexual assault of Wendy cleaver [Music]
police believes the motive for the attack was that George Stephenson wanted revenge for being sacked from his job
and he was jealous of the cleavers wealth and a lavish lifestyle he was the ringleader he knew I had that Indian
murder as he risked being identified even though he was wearing a mask he feared he would be recognized from his
voice and from his shape and built having worked at the gatehouse Stevenson was familiar with the dinner routine of
the cleavers always sitting down to eat at precisely 8:00 p.m. he was also familiar with in fact they left the
front door key on the porch until 9:00 p.m. every not getting into the house had been as simple as using that key to
let themselves in Stevenson and the Daly's arrived at 8:30 p.m. that they had brought the petrol fire lighters
stocking masks and pickaxes with them but they stole the shotgun from Joseph Shung cabinet before bursting into the
dining room where Joseph thought his guns was another thing that Stevenson knew from his time working there they
were only expecting the housekeeper Margaret and Joseph and Hilda they didn't know Tom and Wendy would also be
present and that they were only there helping out and until Joseph and Hilda could find a suitable replacement for
Stevenson and his wife Fiona during his police interview John Daly admitted to the sexual assault of Wendy cleaver
he says afterwards Stevenson walked into the room with a knife and a piece of cloth John Daly's words he didn't say
anything he just put them on the bed but I knew what they were for to kill her with I thought it was just going to be a
robbery I thought we would get thousands I never thought I would have to do anything
[Music] Stevenson became a suspect at the same day the victims were found there were no
eyewitnesses no forensics no groundbreaking police work they just simply followed up on a newspaper
advertisement and a reference letter found in the study of the house Stevenson wasn't shocked that his face
was all over the papers and TV because he was innocent he was shocked that they identified him so quickly he couldn't
believe it he waited a day to hand himself in to give the dailies time to hide the guns and dump the stolen
property and to give himself time to concoct an alibi in his police interview Stevenson said he had driven to
Bournemouth from Coventry about a two and a half hour drive he saw two motorcycle gang members hitchhiking so
he decided to give them a lift during the ride he told the gang members about the gatehouse and the wealth of the
cleavers and how Joseph had just fired him so he says they must have used that information to commit the crime but at
the trial Stevenson changed his story no longer was he blaming motorcycle gang members he picked up all hitchhiking
he admitted making that up his new story was that he went to the gatehouse with the dailies but he stayed outside and
acted only as the getaway driver Stevenson had told the daily brothers about the guns
and they wanted to go there and steal them Stevenson denied being inside and denied there was any plan to kill anyone
he said I would not have harm them they were lovely people they had been good to me
the Daley's defense council was having none of it saying the only way out for you now is to blame their daily brothers
to try and save your own wretched skin you are a man with no conscience in George Daly's police interview he says
after putting some stuff in the car I went back into the house and it's think of petrol Stevenson came down the stairs
and said that we're all dead I thought they were just going to be left tied up but he said we would have to burn the
house so I lit a fire lighter and threw it over the rail as I was on the stairs there was no bang it just went up in a
big flash unfortunately Joseph hilda Tom and Margaret weren't dead when George Daley through their foil order they died
in the fire George Daley openly wept in the courtroom when this police interview was
played in relation to the sexual assault of Wendy cleaver George Daley continued
to deny his involvement his account is that he walked in on Stephenson attacking her while still holding the
shotgun in his hand he said I'm telling the truth I have nothing to lose because I'm going
to be feeling guilty and sent to jail for life anyway I'm not daft enough to think I'm going to get off this
prosecutor David alpha wasn't impressed with the defendants each trying to blame
the other in his closing address he told the jury that all three men had plotted
together and all three were as guilty as each other he said is there one of them
that he's not guilty of robbery is there one who is not guilty of rape and is there one of them who was not party to
the mayhem carnage and murders that took place at the gatehouse the trial lasted 17 days after
deliberating for five and a half hours the jury returned with a guilty verdict for Stevenson and George Daley in
relation to the sexual assault of Wendy cleaver John Daley had already pled guilty
they didn't reach a verdict on the murders until the next day the 28th of September 1987 George Stephenson guilty
for the murders of Joseph hilda Tom and Margaret he was acquitted for the murder
of Wendy he was sentenced to six life sentences for the four murders rape and robbery with a recommendation that he
not be released for 25 years the judge said these murders were committed in circumstances of
indescribable brutality and cruelty you showed no mercy and deserve none Stephenson just stroked his shoulders in
response he was 36 years old at the time John Daly was found guilty of all five murders and given seven life sentences
for those and for the robbery and rape he was 21 years old despite the combined 13 life sentences
they received the judge ruled that they'd be served concurrently so all at the same time which is why Stevenson was
eligible for release after 25 years the judge didn't make a minimum order of imprisonment for John Daly George Daly
was found not guilty of murder the court accepting his story that he didn't know
Joseph's Hilda Tomlin and Margaret were still alive when he lit the fire he was convicted of manslaughter instead the
judge was satisfied he didn't intentionally kill anyone however he showed a reckless disregard for human
life he was sentenced to 22 years jail he was 25 years old while the daily sentences were being
read Stevenson started sneering at George Daly George Daly tried to attack him but they
were separated by court officers Stevenson then smiled at the jury as he was led away
[Music] there was a wall safe in the house that Stevenson in the Daley's mist it was
hidden behind a curtain tom cleaver also had 700 pounds cash hidden inside his artificial lake which he had as a result
of a car crash years before he kept his money inside the lathe so that if he was
ever marked the robber would never find it the gatehouse was demolished and a new
home is being built on the side five people lost their lives and were savagely murdered for a TV a video
recorder 90 pounds cash some alcohol for guns and because Stevenson was pissed off he was fired from his job in May
2001 the Home Secretary Jack Straw made a decision to increase Stevenson's minimum term from 25 years to 35 years
Stevenson appealed this decision to the High Court but the High Court upheld the
ruling the High Court judge described the murders as sadistic and said that three of the victims were vulnerable due
to age and disability the ruling means that Stevenson can apply for parole in 2021
John and George Daly sentences have expired [Music]

Case 29: The Burgate House Murders

The Burgate house was a secluded mansion on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire, England. It was 8:30 pm, on the 1st of September 1986. The residents had just finished dinner and were about to enjoy dessert.

And that’s when three men wearing stocking masks and armed with a shotgun and pick axes burst into the dining room…

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Anonymous Host Production, scoring – Mike Migas Additional scoring – Andrew Joslyn

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For all credits and sources please visit https://www.casefilepodcast.com/case-29-the-burgate-house-murders

Brief Summary

The episode details the 1986 murders of the Cleaver family in Hampshire, revealing motives, investigation, and trial outcomes.

Key points

The Gatehouse Intrusion. Three masked men violently invade a family dinner, leading to a tragic series of events.
The Aftermath. The discovery of the Cleaver family's fate shocks the community and police.
Trial and Sentencing. The trial reveals the brutal nature of the crime and the motivations behind it.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

They were only expecting the housekeeper.

The intruders thought the house would be empty.

14:55WatchNov 19, 2018

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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