Janice Carole Weston

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

cambridgeshire-constabulary

Offense Location:

Holland Park, West London, England

Summary:

Janice Carole Weston was a 36-year-old successful solicitor from Holland Park who was found dead in a ditch by a lay-by on the A1 in Cambridgeshire on 11 September 1983. The victim had a fractured skull and fatal injuries to the brain, with defensive wounds on one arm. The case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

She had left work on 10 September 1983 at 4.15pm from Lincoln's Inn, London where she was a partner in Charles Russell and Co., a firm of solicitors, and gone home to change into jeans and a sweater and had half a meal which she had left behind and then gone out in her silver Alfa Romeo car. Back at the Addison Avenue flat, Janice prepared food and poured wine, then seems to have left abruptly. She took a purse but left her handbag, credit cards and cheque book. Keys were missing for Clopton Manor, a country property in Northamptonshire that she and Tony were converting into flats. Because the manor lay about fifteen miles beyond the murder site, police believed it was her likely destination. At about 9am on Sunday 11 September 1983, cyclist David Hirst stopped at a northbound lay-by on the A1 between Brampton and Buckden. In a shallow ditch he found the body of a woman who had been severely beaten around the head. She had been beaten to death with a car jack which was found nearby. The post mortem revealed that she had fought her attacker. Her car was found 4 days later in Redhill Street, Regents Park and had blood stains in it.

Additional Details:

She became one of the first women to achieve a partnership in the field of Commercial Law — an area that had traditionally been a closed field to women until that point. Janice specialised in intellectual property law and was considered a leading authority on the subject. Janice was well-off due to a large inheritance left to her by an elderly associate named Heinz Isner, who she had met when he became a client at her firm. Isner had carried a torch for Janice, despite being four decades older than her, and despite Janice politely declining his advances; but when he died, he bequeathed her a small fortune in cash, art, and antiques. They continued to see each other until Isner died in July 1977. Through his will she received paintings, furniture, shares and money totalling £140,000. Tony Weston was a property developer, and only one year her senior. The two became friends but initially, the relationship was simply that since Weston was already married and had two children with his current spouse. Her husband was later held for 53 hours in December 1983 in relation to her murder but was not charged. He had been on bail through to February 1984. A report on the case was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions but no charges were brought. Tony's stay in Paris was confirmed through hotel staff and financial records. Her clothing, distinctive mole, dental work and the repair marks inside the watch were publicised in an effort to identify her. A massive hunt by Police saw them interview 5000 people and take 12,000 statements. An inquest was held in April 1984 which resulted in an unlawful killing verdict. An even stranger event had occurred in Royston roughly two hours after Janice's body was found. A clean-shaven man entered a motor-spares shop and ordered number plates bearing the exact registration of her Alfa: KMR 769X. The name of serial murderer Peter Tobin has been linked with this case, but with no real evidence.

Case Last Updated:

Sep 13, 2026