Session 4

We meet Inspector Stone for the final time as he reveals the identity of the ring thief while explaining and practising a very important feature of English pronunciation.

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Murder Mystery

Scientists investigating a murder mystery dating back more than 80 years have made a breakthrough that could finally identify the victim. Could the mystery of this murder now be solved? Listen to News Report to find out.

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In 1930, Alfred Rouse faked his own death. He hit a man over the head and put him in a car, which he then set alight, in Hardingstone, a small town in Northamptonshire, UK.

Rouse then fled to Wales, but his crime was discovered, and he was convicted of murder and hanged.

But, if Rouse did not die in the burning car, who was the victim? DNA tests are being carried out in the hope of answering this question.

Paul Davies, 63, from South Wales, believes his "missing" great grandfather could be the mystery man.

Mr Davies said his great grandfather, James Brick, lived near Rouse’s girlfriend.

Mr Brick had nine children, but he left his family and disappeared shortly after he inherited some money.

Rouse was having money problems at the time of the crime. "If Rouse had come across James Brick and learned he had money, it could have been an incentive to kill him,” says Mr Davies.

Also, like Rouse, Mr Brick had red hair. This could have been another reason for Rouse to choose him as a victim.

Who really died in Alfred Rouse’s car? Was it James Brick? Perhaps these questions will be answered soon.

Scientists at Northumbria University have successfully extracted DNA from the victim of the murder. It is just possible that they might be able to identify the body, 85 years after the murder took place.

You can download News Report here.

Vocabulary

fake
to pretend; to make people believe something which isn’t true

hit someone over the head
to hit someone’s head

set something alight
to make something burn

fled
the past form of ‘flee’, meaning to escape from a bad situation by running away

to convict
to officially decide that someone is guilty of a crime

hanged
the past form of ‘hang’, meaning to kill someone by tying a rope around their neck and then dropping them, especially as a punishment for a crime

shortly after
a short time after

inherit
to receive money or property from someone after they have died

incentive
a reason to do something

extract
to take one thing out of another

take place
to happen

This story is based on an original BBC News story.

End of Session 4

That's all for Session 4. Thanks for your detective work! In the next Session you can enjoy the next episode of our drama, Frankenstein and test what you've learnt in Unit 18 in our weekly quiz.



Session Vocabulary

  • fake
    to pretend; to make people believe something which isn’t true

    hit someone over the head
    to hit someone’s head

    set something alight
    to make something burn

    fled
    the past form of ‘flee’, meaning to escape from a bad situation by running away

    to convict
    to officially decide that someone is guilty of a crime

    hanged
    the past form of ‘hang’, meaning to kill someone by tying a rope around their neck and then dropping them, especially as a punishment for a crime

    shortly after
    a short time after

    inherit
    to receive money or property from someone after they have died

    incentive
    a reason to do something

    extract
    to take one thing out of another

    take place
    to happen