Reader's Digest Australia Dec/Jan 2025

72   December 2025/january 2026 reader ’ s digest “But what about Ron?” Davis inquired gently. “He needs your sup- port, Elaine. It sounds to me as though he’s really trying. He just hasn’t got a break yet. I think you should give him a second chance.” But Boyes would not be moved. More than a year later, in March 1995, Davis re- ceived a letter. On open- ing it, he read the news: Ronald Joseph Platt was returning to England. He had been trying to live on odd jobs and was fed up. When Platt came back that spring, Davis found him a job just outside High Wycombe, so Platt would be near his mother. When he lost that job, he announced he wanted to move to Chelmsford to be closer to Davis. Six months later he was dead. Arrest and Discovery By the end of October 1996, Phil Sincock and his team had gathered a fair amount of incriminating material regarding David Davis. For example, they had various pieces of paper bear- ing Ron Platt’s authentic signature, some of which didn’t match the ones that had been handled by Davis. At the very least, Sincock thought, they had built up a case for fraud. Sincock felt that if he could get into that house on Little London Lane, he for cheap housing. It was a demoral- ising experience. They found a little basement apartment. At night they lay awake and listened to the rumble of trucks on the Trans-Canada Highway, just a few streets away. Davis called soon after their arrival to see how they were settling in. When Platt said things were not going too well, Davis urged, “Give yourself time. It’s a marvellous country, Canada.” Platt began to brood and growmorose. Boyes was worried. His dark moods were beginning to drag her down too. She was glad she had insisted on a return ticket to England. Her sister’s wedding was scheduled for July, and Boyes decided that if things did not improve by then, she would go back home for good. Come the summer, Boyes flew back to England for her sister’s wedding. When she met Davis there, she an- nounced that she wasn’t going back to Canada. “What seems to be the problem?” he asked. “Oh, Mr Davis, it was terrible. Ron can’t find work; I couldn’t even look for work, because I couldn’t get papers. Then Ron got depressed. I just couldn’t cope. I can’t go back. It would break me.” DCI Sincock felt that if he could get into that house on Little London Lane, he would very likely find a treasure- trove of material readersdigest.com.au   73 Bonus Read of policemen walked a figure in plain-clothes. “Good morning, Mr Davis. Do you remember me?” It was Sergeant Peter Redman. “Yes, of course. What’s this all about?” “I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Ronald Joseph Platt,” Redman announced. Then he cau- tioned Davis about his rights. At the station, police found on their suspect the birth certificate of David W. Davis, a credit card in the name of R.J. Platt, health club and museum cards in David Davis’s name, as well as business cards for a James J. Hilton, 146 Avenue William Favre, Geneva. Another identity. Might there be others? Sincock won- dered. Who was this man they had taken into custody? When questioned, Davis refused to answer, saying only, “I want to speak to a lawyer.” Back at Little London Farm, Noël Davis was also told she was under arrest. At the police station her pock- ets and bags were emptied. Out came documents in Elaine Boyes’s name: a phone bill, cheque book, credit cards, and a National Health Service card. She also had a man’s wallet, which contained Ronald Platt’s birth certifi- cate, driver’s licence, bank cards and various other papers. At first Noël stuck stubbornly to what was clearly a well-rehearsed script: she was from Long Island, and would very likely find a treasure-trove of material. To get at it he planned a raid on Davis’s house for October 31. On the day before the raid, Clena- han obtained Davis’s mobile phone records. They showed conclusively he had made numerous calls from Devon between July 7 and July 23, placing him squarely in the area where Platt’s body was recovered, and around the time he died. Police had what they believed was a murder suspect. The next step was to gather solid evidence that would stand up in court. Early on the morning of Octo- ber 31 police cars moved into posi- tion around Little London Farm. At 10am, as police waited for a signal to charge the house, a taxi turned into the narrow confines of Little London Lane. David Davis was sitting in the front seat. Two police cars scrambled onto the road and quickly fell into line behind the taxi. Moments later the flashing lights came on, then one of the police cars surged forward, motioning the taxi to pull over. As the driver rolled down his window, a policeman walked up alongside and shouted at Davis, “Get out of the car!” Davis slid out, hands up. “Up against the car!” Davis lay spread-eagled across the rear window as two officers frisked him and snapped on a pair of handcuffs. Then into the group