Taxi driver may hold clue to death on moor

JEREMY Lawson, left, the mystery man's brother, discusses the case with journalist Ken Bennett

COULD a local taxi driver hold a vital clue to the mystery man of Saddleworth Moor?

Did YOU pick him up from Piccadilly Station Manchester around lunchtime on Friday, December 11, 2015 and take him to The Clarence Hotel, Greenfield?

Or did the fare ask for the "way to the top of the mountains" and you took him to the nearest point?

The world's media spotlight has focused on tracking a man who was identified by police as David Lytton, a 67-year-old retired tube train driver and former London croupier.

Painstaking investigations by Greater Manchester Police pieced together his fascinating journey from Lahore in Pakistan, to London and on to Manchester Piccadilly by train. But there is one vital link missing...

Police have no idea how he travelled from Piccadilly to the pub.

But it is known that Mr Lytton did not make the key last leg of his journey to Greenfield by train.

And the timelines were not compatible for him to reach The Clarence from the centre of Manchester by bus or metro.

So the mystery is how did David Lytton arrive at the pub shortly after 2pm on that fateful December Friday?

The Chronicle is committed to helping the police in their quest to bridge that time gap in the hope it may lead to finding the reason why David Lytton came to visit and ultimately die on Saddleworth Moor.

In more than 14 months, despite requests to Manchester cabbies, no one has come forward to say if they were the taxi or private hire vehicle that collected him from Piccadilly station and dropped him at Greenfield.

The likelihood is Mr Lytton would have paid cash in ten pound notes for the journey as he did for all other fares.

What did he talk about on his ride to Greenfield? He was not from the north nor had he ever visited Saddleworth.

Did he just want to visit the countryside, or maybe look at mountains?

The coroner determined an open verdict on Mr Lytton, but his friends and family are desperate to know his reason for visiting here if only for their own peace of mind.

Mr Lytton's brother Jeremy said: "Its so incredibly strange... he's got no connection with the north. But there must have been something that attracted him."

Jeremy, who changed his surname to Lawton, has visited Saddleworth and followed David's last trek to the spot where he died on Chew Track near Chew Reservoir after ingesting strychnine.

"It's a daunting journey," he declared. "And though my brother was fit, it's a steep climb, particularly in bad weather."

If you have any information, call GMP on 0161 872 5050.