Forty five years on, former Beenham man charged with teenager's murder

David Burgess has been charged with the murder of Yolande Waddington in October 1966

FORMER Beenham man David Burgess has been charged with the brutal murder of a teenager in Beenham in 1966.

The near naked body of 17-year-old Yolande Waddington, who had lived in the village for just five days, was found with her hands bound behind her back in a ditch, just yards from a barn at Hall Place Farm in Beenham on Sunday, October 30, 1966. The body was found lying on one side, half submerged in water, with her head wrapped in a jersey and two ‘superficial' stab wounds. She had been strangled.

A former pupil at St Gabriel's School who previously lived in Newbury, Miss Waddington had been out to post a letter to her boyfriend on the night of her disappearance - Friday, October 28 - despite advice to the contrary from her employers, Peter and Rosemary Jagger.

On Tuesday of this week, 45 years after Yolande's death, Thames Valley Police confirmed that they had arrested a man in connection with the teenager's murder. And yesterday evening (Wednesday), they announced that 64-year-old David Burgess had been charged with Miss Waddington's murder. He has been remanded in custody ahead of an appearance at West Berkshire Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (November 22).

Miss Waddington's father, William Waddington, told Newburytoday.co.uk this week that he was relieved that the investigation had continued, adding that he was full of admiration for the police.

At the time, the murder rocked the quiet rural village of Beenham and brought it unprecedented media attention, with every male villager and visitor to Beenham on the night of her disappearance providing blood tests in a revolutionary step by police.

However despite their efforts and the interviewing of 4,000 people, the head of Berkshire CID, Det Supt Arthur Lawson, told the inquest in April 1967 that no evidence had been found to indicate who might have committed the crime.

Despite this, he vowed to continue investigations, adding: “Certain lines of inquiries are still being followed and the case will not be closed until the offender has been traced.”

Concluding the inquest, coroner Charles Hoile praised the police for the “efficient, determined and proper manner” in which they had carried out their inquiries.

This week Beenham residents once again found their village in the media spotlight with the current owner of Hall Place Farm, Tom Larkcom, expressing his shock at the news.

And Glynis Snow, the current landlady of The Six Bells in Beenham, where Miss Waddington was last seen alive, said: “It's horrible. It's not what we want the village to be known for.”