The Taxi driver who picked up Withers and Allen

NAME: KEITH JOHN
JARVIS
ADDRESS:
AG3 / DATE 0F BIRTH: 33 25121957
OCCUPATION: TAXI DRIVER
Who states: - This statement consisting of 5 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: 040391
R J JARVIS (SIGNED)
Statement taken and signature witnessed by:
(Signed) C WILLIAMSON DC448
I am Keith John JARVIS and I live at the address stated overleaf, where I have lived for the last thirteen months with my wife, Bridgette JARVIS. Prior to this we lived at xxxxxxxxxxxxx Although I was born in King’s Lynn, and moved there thirteen months ago, I have spent most of my life in Dereham. I am a. self employed taxi driver and, at the moment, I drive a red VW Jetta motor car as a registered hackney carriage, number 15. It therefore has an illuminated "TAXI" sign on the roof and a "HIRE" sign inside the windscreen, on the passenger side. There is a CB aerial in the centre of the roof, which is quite tall and on a magnetic base, and also a small mobile telephone aerial at the back of the roof which is also on a magnetic base. The vehicle does not belong to me, but is hired, and I have been using it for the last eight months. I use no other vehicles for doing taxi work. As I am self-employed I do not work from any particular taxi company. I derive my fares from mainly taxi ranks, and also from people who hail me on the street, whilst some people phone me on my mobile phone, which is in the car. About 1.20 am on the morning of Saturday, 2nd March, 1991, I was stationary in the vehicle I have described above, parked in Norfolk Street, King's Lynn, directly outside the Health Food shop which is opposite QD, the discount shop. The vehicle was facing towards the High Street. It was very quiet, and by this I mean that there weren't many people about, and so I pulled away with the intention of looking for a fare. As I had just pulled away and was about to turn the corner into Chapel Street, but had not reached a point where I would have been able to look down Chapel Street, two men came running around the comer from Chapel Street and into Norfolk Street. I would describe the two men as follows. The first man was shorter than the other, probably about 5'10" and of slim build. He looked as if he hadn't had a shave for a couple of days, and therefore had a stubble beard in the style of George MICHAEL (the pop star.) He had short hair, which I think was light in colour. I think he was smartly dressed, wearing either a 'T' shirt or a normal shirt, and I think trousers as opposed to jeans. The shirt would have been open-necked as he wasn't wearing a tie. Although my description of his clothing is somewhat vague, I got the overall impression that he was tidy and well-groomed. The second man was taller than the- first, over 6'0" tall definitely, and was well built, and I mean muscular as opposed to being fat. He had short, dark hair, which was straight. I think the sides of his hair nay have just covered the tops of his ears, but I cannot be sure on that point. Again, he was also wearing either a 'T' shirt or ordinary shirt, and trousers. He was not wearing a jacket and neither was the first man. The shirt was light in colour, but I can't remember the colour of his trousers. He too was of a smart, well-groomed appearance and was clean shaven. Neither of the men were scruffy. The first man, the shorter of the two, waved me down by sticking one of his arms out to the side. I stopped the car and the shorter man opened the front passenger door and got into the front passenger seat whilst the other man opened the rear nearside door and got into the car and sat behind the front passenger seat. The shorter man, once in the car, asked me to take then to Gaywood. He did not give any address at that time. I pulled away and immediately into Chapel Street, having switched the taxi meter on, which switched off the "HIRE" light which had previously been illuminated. As I drove into Chapel Street I saw some people on the right hand side of the road, kneeling around someone lying on the pavement. His feet were on the pavement and his head was a little way into the road. I cannot be sure exactly whereabouts on Chapel Street this was, but it may have been in the region of the Lattice House, but on the opposite side of the road. There were no other people in Chapel Street, other than those around the person lying down, and there were no other vehicles in the street. There were, I think, three people around the person. Before I describe this further, I should say that when the two men got into the car, they were both very cut of breath, as if they had been running. I didn't ask them the reason, but just as I pulled away one of them, I think the man in the front, said they were out of breath because they had been jogging to get a taxi. Returning to the three people around the man lying on the pavement, I cannot remember much about them at all. I think one was a man in dark clothing, but I can't even remember what sex the other two were. I slowed down as I went past and saw that the man lying down had some blood on his forehead, and was wearing jeans. I think he either had mud or dust on his trouser legs. I think he was wearing a 'T' shirt, but I can't remember what colour. As I passed I looked at the clock in the car's dashboard and saw that the time was exactly 1.20 am. This clock is very accurate and is normally approximately one minute fast. One of the men in the car, I think the one in the front, said either, "He is pissed," or "He has been on the drink," or something like that. I drove past and turned right into Austin Street and carried on turning left into Littleport Street, which then becomes Gaywood Road. Both men were still puffing and panting, and nothing else was said until I had nearly reached the Woolpack in Gaywood Road. The man in the front of the car asked me which taxi firm I worked for. I explained to him that I didn't work for any firm; I just worked off the ranks. One of them then said, and I think it was the one in the back."Oh good." Nothing further was said until I reached the traffic lights at the top of Queen Mary Road. I asked the men whereabouts in Gaywood they wanted to go. One of them, I can't remember which, said, "Hulton Road." I therefore turned right into Queen Mary Road and then turned second right onto Hulton Road. I then asked them whereabouts on Hulton Road they wanted to go, and the man in the front indicated, "Just over there on the right hand side." There was a lay-by on the right, which had one of those yellow street lamp repair vehicles parked in it. I dropped them off there and the front passenger paid the fare, which I think was £2.00. Both men got out of the car and stood by the lamp post in the lay-by. I drove to the bottom of Hulton Road and turned the car round in the circular part at the bottom. I then drove straight past the two men, who were still standing there. As I was about to turn left into Queen Mary Road, I looked in my internal rear view mirror and saw that the two men were still standing there. I drove back into town and followed an ambulance. The ambulance turned right in Loke Road and I carried on into town. I returned to Chapel Street, where I had seen the man lying, and found the police and ambulance were already in attendance. I didn't get out of my car, but wound down the window and told the policeman that I had just taken two lads to Gaywood. He asked me whether they had blood on them, and I said I hadn't seen any. Where the two men had originally got into the car, at the top of Norfolk Street, the area is fairly well lit by both street lights and shop lights, although it was dark because it was night. I got a better look at the shorter man because he got into the front of the car, and it was him that did most of the talking through the journey.
K J JARVIS SIGNED
STATEMENT TAKEN
PLACE:
TIME: DATE: 040391
WITNESS TO SIGNATURE: K J JARVIS
OFFICERS SIGNATURE: COLIN WILLIAMSON