Either / neither - a crime mystery

warmer: true crime

Look at the list. Which of these have you seen? Which have you heard of? Which have you never heard of? Why has the true crime seen such a dramatic rise in the last 10 years or so?

Look at the pictures. What crime do you think was committed? Where did it happen? What do you think happened next?

One face, two suspects

At about 3.45 p.m. on Thursday 14 March, a man walked into Holloway’s, a small family jeweller’s on Bridge Street in Castlebridge, and asked to see a rare 1960s gold watch from the shop window. The watch is worth around £45,000.

Shop assistant Clare Holloway says the man was polite and relaxed. He kept a pair of thin grey gloves on – he said his hands were cold – and filled in a short customer form with a name and a phone number. Neither of them turned out to be real. When Ms Holloway handed him the watch, he put it on, looked at it for a few seconds, and then ran out of the door.

The man escaped on foot, but he dropped his baseball cap in the street, and the shop’s camera recorded a clear image of his face. When police published the image, more than twenty people

called with the same surname: Ashworth. But there was a problem. The man in the picture could be either Tom or Ben Ashworth – 31-year-old identical twins who both live in the town.

Both brothers agreed to give DNA samples. The DNA from the cap matched both of them, and because the thief wore gloves, there were no fingerprints. Neither brother has a criminal record, and both say they have never been inside the shop.

“Their mother can tell them apart, but I certainly can’t,” said Ms Holloway. “One of them took that watch. I just don’t know which one.”

Detective Inspector Paul Garner, who is leading the investigation, has asked anyone who saw a man running along Bridge Street on Thursday afternoon to contact Castlebridge Police.

comprehension

What happened at Holloway’s on Thursday afternoon?

Why didn’t the thief leave any fingerprints?

What two things did the thief leave behind that helped the police?

Why can’t the police simply arrest the man in the picture?

What does Clare Holloway know for certain, and what doesn’t she know?

Student A: read Tom Ashworth's statement

Student B: read Ben Ashworth's statement

My name is Tom Ashworth. I’m an electrician and I work for myself.

On Thursday 14 March I was working at a house on Mill Lane, putting new lights in the kitchen and the hallway. The owners are away on holiday, so I was there on my own. I got there at about one o’clock and left at about half five. Then I drove home and stayed in for the rest of the evening.

I didn’t go anywhere near Bridge Street that afternoon. I’ve never been inside Holloway’s, and I don’t think Ben has either. Neither of us is interested in expensive watches – I wear a cheap digital one for work.

The cap isn’t mine. We’ve both got caps like that, so I suppose it could be either of ours. I don’t know who took the watch, but it wasn’t me, and I don’t believe it was my brother either.

My name is Ben Ashworth. I teach PE at Castlebridge High School.

On Thursday 14 March I finished my last lesson at about quarter past three. I didn’t stay at school, because I wanted to go for a run before it got dark. I drove to the river, parked near the old bridge and ran along the river path for about an hour and a half – fifteen kilometres or so. I didn’t see anyone I knew. Then I drove home.

I’ve never been in Holloway’s. I don’t buy jewellery, and neither does Tom. He earns enough, but he isn’t rich, and neither am I.

Somebody has made a mistake. Lots of people in this town know us, but most of them can’t tell us apart. Neither of us would ever do something like this.

Retell the statement in your own words.

Then plan the detective’s interviews.

• What does each twin say he was doing on Thursday afternoon?

• What do the twins’ stories have in common?

• Whose story is stronger?

• If you were DI Garner, would you interview the twins together or separately? Why?

• What questions would you ask each twin?

• What would you tell them about the evidence, and what would you keep back?

• How could you check whether each twin is telling the truth?

Listening: the interviews

Listen to DI Garner’s interviews with Tom and Ben, and his conversation with Sergeant Webb afterwards. How similar was his strategy to yours? Which twin took the watch?

Part 1 – Tom

What three things could show where Tom was on Thursday afternoon?

What did Garner ask Tom to do that was “a bit unusual”?

How did Tom react when Garner mentioned the laboratory in Germany?

Part 2 – Ben

Why can’t Ben show where he was?

What mistake did Ben make when he told the story backwards?

How did Ben react when Garner mentioned the laboratory in Germany?

Part 3 – Garner and Webb

Why did Garner keep the twins in separate rooms?

Why did Ben’s running club page make Garner suspicious?

What did the police keep out of the newspapers, and how did Garner use it?

Is the laboratory test going to happen?

Why did Garner mention it?

How was the case finally solved?

grammar

Look at these sentences from the article, the statements and the interviews. What does either or neither do in each one?

1. He filled in a short customer form with a name and a phone number. Neither of them turned out to be real.

2. The man in the picture could be either Tom or Ben Ashworth.

3. I’ve never been inside Holloway’s, and I don’t think Ben has either.

4. We’ve both got caps like that, so I suppose it could be either of ours.

5. I don’t buy jewellery, and neither does Tom.

6. I kept them in separate rooms, so neither of them could hear what the other was saying.

7. He didn’t have his phone, and he didn’t have his running watch either.