Farsley killer told police 'a dead witness cannot talk' after 1970s double murder

Those were the words uttered almost 50 years ago by the Rev Ronald Whitehead at the funeral of Inspector Barry Taylor, a father-of-two murdered while on duty in Leeds.

It is fitting then that a memorial service will be held today to remember Insp Taylor and night watchman Ian Riley, who lost his life at the hands of the same killer.

The pair had simply been doing their jobs when they each encountered burglar Neil George Adamson at Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley on the night of February 15, 1970.

He turned a sawn-off shotgun on them before going on the run, sparking a two-day man hunt involving dozens of police officers.

A court would later hear how he told police: “I figured that I should get no more for murder than attempted murder and, you know, a dead witness cannot talk.”

The events of that fateful night shocked the local community and had a profound impact on the families of the two victims.