Retired Detective Superintendent Ian Johnston has disclosed how a single piece of evidence from a car enthusiast unraveled the false story of Tracie Andrews, who murdered her fiancé Lee Harvey in a fit of rage in 1996. Andrews had claimed a “fat man with staring eyes” attacked them on a country road, but Johnston’s investigation proved otherwise.
The initial scene and doubts
Johnston was called to the scene moments after Andrews, then 29, was found covered in blood beside Lee Harvey’s body on Coopers Hill, a secluded lane near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, in December 1996. Lee had suffered more than 30 stab wounds. Andrews told police that after visiting the Marlbrook pub, another vehicle pursued their Ford Escort XR3i turbo and two men attacked them. She later appeared on television with facial bruising, holding Lee’s mother’s hand, pleading for help to catch the killer.
“Whatever she was, she was presenting as a witness. You can’t not consider that she could be a suspect so you have to look at both eventualities,” Johnston said. He added: “The first thing I asked myself was is the story feasible, could this have happened? And I had to say it could have happened.”
Press conference inconsistencies
Johnston’s suspicions grew the morning after the killing when Andrews held a press conference. “I was prepared for her to speak but I was not prepared for some of the things she said,” he recalled. Andrews claimed the driver of the other car “didn’t do anything,” contradicting her earlier statement that both men were involved in the attack. “It was totally unscripted and it wasn’t true because she had said the driver was equally involved as the man who struck Lee with the knife,” Johnston explained.
Forensic evidence contradicts story
The pathologist’s report revealed Lee had 42 separate injuries, including stab wounds to his back, head, and neck, with his jugular vein and carotid artery severed. Johnston noted: “We realised that the fight part of her story was a little bit soft. This guy would have had to be really going at him because of the injuries to Lee, his throat was almost taken out.”
A forensic scientist found that bloodstaining was in the wrong place. Andrews claimed the attack happened by the driver’s door, but the initial blood was toward the rear of the car where Lee was found. The pattern of blood on her clothing indicated she had been near Lee during the attack, not seated in the car as she claimed.
The decisive slip-up
The key piece of evidence came from chartered accountant Simon Baker, a car enthusiast who spotted Lee’s unique Ford Escort shortly before the murder. He was confident the car was not being trailed. “That then swung it around, we couldn’t talk to her as a witness, she was now a suspect,” Johnston said. This revelation came four days after the murder, just 24 hours after Andrews had overdosed on pills. “I believe she intended to take her life. Whether it was out of remorse or because she couldn’t face life without Lee, I am unable to say,” Johnston added.
It also emerged that Andrews had a violent past and had previously assaulted Lee. Johnston described their relationship as “two young people who couldn’t live with each other but couldn’t live without each other.” He believes Andrews had planned to assault Lee before getting in the car and may have plotted the murder for weeks.
Trial and aftermath
Prosecution evidence showed Andrews used a fake Swiss Army knife, concealed it in her stiletto boot, and discarded it. Strands of her hair were found in Lee’s hands, and a knife-shaped blood smear matching his DNA was in her boot. A nine-year-old girl who heard shouting near the crime scene testified there were only two voices, one soft like a woman’s. Andrews was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment at Birmingham Crown Court. She served 14 years, dyed her hair black, and married bouncer Phil Goldsworthy under the alias Jenna Stephens in 2017.
Johnston is sceptical Andrews’ words would comfort Lee’s parents, Ray and Maureen. “I think she’s totally moved on and I don’t think they would believe anything anyway. They are people I have the utmost respect for,” he said.
