When I was at HETA on Sutton Fields the cops came and got a load of us apprentices to go to Tower Grange to be in an ID line up. Seem to recall we got paid, so off we trooped and went in the room. We all looked vaguely similar I suppose, but none of us looked anything like the suspect at all! The fact we were all in blue overalls, apart from the suspect, made it even more like a complete fit up. The witness came in and didn’t manage to ID the suspect!
Similar at college in my youth - police looking for curly haired / blonde males, picked my friend and as I was stood next to him 'you'll do' dark brown and not straight but not curly hair... Got to the station, the suspect was 'ginger' tight curly hair and about 5ft tall, everybody else was at least 6 inches taller... 'Suspect - Failed to get picked out in the line up... We got paid £5 cash!
Walking through City Square in Leeds back in 1969 an unmarked car pulled and the driver wound down the window and asked if we could help him out. Were a bit wary but he showed his card and said it was for an ID parade and we could get ten bob each. Ten bob bought two and a half pints back then. Turned out the suspect burgled the house where the woman’s 14 year grand daughter was staying and sexually assaulted her but he was seen by the woman as he scarpered (wasn’t told this until afterwards). Anyway we lined up and in came a lad with dark hair, long sideburns, a blue crew neck sweater and a Levi jacket. And there I was with dark hair, long sideburns a blue crew neck and a denim jacket. The woman came in shrieked that’s him and tried to get at me and had to be led away. Walking out with the copper who brought us in, he was decent enough to drop us off at the pub we wanted to go to which was nowhere where he had approached us, we passed a cell with an open door and the lad talking to his solicitor. He gave a broad grin and a thumbs up. The copper said that they knew he had done it, he had previous, but no wonder he looked so pleased as he was going to get off after the line up. Thinking about the fact you could get two and a half pints for ten bob (50p) Thought it would be interesting to see price comparisons between then and now. Things the government can tax you on, beer, ***s, petrol have gone up a lot. Electrical things are a lot cheaper. To put things further in context , average wage was about £23 , and basic tax was about 33% compared to 20% now, compared to £33,000 now ( those figures are average earnings before someone starts spouting about they weren’t that in Hull). So even something like the car which looks a lot more is a lot cheaper. Of course the big difference, and the one that affects the younger ones starting out on family life is the price of the average house. How they will ever solve the housing one seems impossible.
