“The team of women put their lives on the line every night for months”
The commendations given to female police officers for their work to catch the Clifton Rapist – from the book ‘Decoy’ by Rob Murphy(Image: Decoy/Rob Murphy)
It was one of the most serious, dangerous and at times bizarre police operations in Bristol’s history. And now a book about the notorious Clifton Rapist and how police finally managed to catch him, has won not one, but two prizes at the prestigious True Crime Awards in London.
The book, called Decoy, was written by a familiar face to TV viewers in the West Country, ITV West’s crime correspondent Robert Murphy.
It tells the remarkable story of how a team of rookie female police officers formed a unit of 12 undercover officers to try to lure a man who had terrorised women in Bristol for almost two years.
Starting in July 1977, seven women had been attacked by a man who became known as ‘The Clifton Rapist’. He would approach lone women walking at night, grabbing them from the street, threatening to kill them and subjecting them to prolonged and life-changing sexual assaults.
The survivors were able to give detectives a description of the attacker – a tall white man with a handlebar moustache and a northern accent. But policing methods in the days before DNA, CCTV and telephone analysis were so primitive he was able to evade capture.
“Some detectives even believed he was a police officer, as he managed to melt away before police operations were launched,” explained Robert.
READ MORE: ‘Don’t scream or I’ll kill you’: Hero police woman recalls moment she snared ‘Clifton rapist’READ MORE: ‘Clifton Rapist’ Ronald Evans jailed for sex attack after victim saw TV documentary
After two violent attacks in successive weeks in December 1978, a desperate Avon & Somerset Police launched ‘Operation Argus.’ “They appealed for young, rookie women officers to walk Whiteladies Road in an attempt to lure the Clifton Rapist to the dark side streets where grab-teams would be waiting,” he said.
“The women went out with no personal protection and scant self-defence training. It was the Winter of Discontent – the coldest in living memory – and they were watched by observation officers who sat freezing in the shadows to try to ensure their safety,” he added.
Initially, the operation failed to work for several weeks, so the police even sent out some male officers, dressed as women. One of them, PC Christopher Gould, managed to make 36 arrests in just a few weeks, while dressed as a woman, but none of them was the Clifton Rapist.
Chris Gould in drag as part of Operation Argus – from the book ‘Decoy’ by Rob Murphy(Image: Decoy/Rob Murphy)
Finally, the operation which saw brave young women police officers volunteering to be ‘bait’ for a sexual predator, did work. In the early hours of March 2, 1979, a 24-year-old police officer called Michelle Tihge was walking up Whiteladies Road when she heard she was being followed by a man who matched the Clifton Rapist’s description.
“She faced a terrifying choice,” said Robert. “Should she put her own safety first and stay on the main road, knowing he might attack another woman? Or should she risk her own life and head into the darkness and believe in the reactions of her backup team?”
Evans attacked PC Tihge but within seconds was surrounded by police. He was jailed and it emerged he was already a convicted murderer who’d been freed from prison.
Ronald Evans police mugshot from 1970s(Image: asp issued)
Robert Murphy’s book won Book of the Year and the Impact for Change award at the True Crime Awards last week. “Book of the Year is a true honour,” said Robert. “This case was well-known in Bristol, but now it’s finally getting the national and international recognition it deserves.
“The team of women put their lives on the line every night for months. They suffered appalling misogyny at work and they were expected to take the most incredible personal risks,” he added. “The thing I loved about writing Decoy was getting the sense of camaraderie.
“The police officers were a great team to get to know. They were fun, hard-working, dedicated and brave. The plan was completely outlandish – and it worked.
“And it was great to write about such an evocative era: the late seventies is such a wonderful time to be in, with hindsight: the music, the TV shows, the fashions.
WPC Michelle Tihge, who caught the Clifton Rapist in 1979 – From the book ‘Decoy’ by Rob Murphy(Image: Decoy/Rob Murphy)
“But also Decoy shows how far we’ve come with policing. Ronald Evans would be caught within a few hours of the attacks today. Back then, he evaded police for nearly two years and was only caught by this incredible operation.
“Operation Argus also changed the way undercover work was carried out in the UK. This was an idea brought in from the USA. Never before had a covert operation carried out on this scale – so many operatives, so many nights and so much cost. And it was used as an example of what could be achieved with undercover policing,” he added.