By Christopher Leake
Last updated at 9:59 PM on 29th August 2009




Mystery death: Brian Jones in 1965 with his then girlfriend, the model Anita Pallenberg


Police are reviewing the death of Rolling Stone Brian Jones – 40 years after his body was found at the bottom of a swimming pool.
The dramatic move by Sussex Police follows new evidence unearthed by The Mail on Sunday about the mysterious death of the rock legend which suggests he was murdered by his minder.
Officially, Jones drowned, aged 27, in his pool at Cotchford Farm, Hartfield, East Sussex, on July 2, 1969, while under the influence of drink and drugs.
An inquest recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, even though the post-mortem report said there were no illegal drugs in the star’s body, just the equivalent of three-and-a-half pints of beer.
But now, a review officer based at Sussex Police CID headquarters has been assigned to trawl through 600 documents handed over by investigative journalist Scott Jones, who undertook a four-year probe into the guitarist’s death.

The new evidence was compiled by Mr Jones – no relation to the dead Stone – and disclosed by this newspaper last November.
The move follows a three-and-a-half-hour meeting Mr Jones had with senior Sussex police officers last month when they discussed testimony from witnesses at the house on the night Jones died.

Detectives are studying previously unseen files released by the Public Records Office and may launch a new investigation if they believe there is enough new evidence.
This marks a U-turn by Sussex Police, who until now have rejected requests to reopen the case.
Scott Jones said last night: ‘There is no time limit on the review. But after 40 years of mystery, anyone who values Brian’s reputation will be happy to wait for the outcome.’
Last November, we revealed fresh evidence from nurse Janet Lawson, who found Jones’s body. She said she saw his minder, Frank Thorogood, jump into the pool and ‘do something to Brian’. She was convinced he had killed Jones.
Thorogood died in 1994. Her claims are supported by PC Albert Evans, the first officer on the scene, who spoke to all the witnesses in the hours after Jones’s death and concluded he had died as a result of a fight with Thorogood.
New evidence also emerged about the original investigation by Detective Chief Inspector Bob Marshall, which shows that three unidentified witnesses were allowed to leave the scene without being interviewed.
Finally, police files have revealed how taxi driver Joan Fitzsimons, a former girlfriend of Thorogood, was attacked and left for dead three weeks after Brian Jones died. According to the official records, Ms Fitzsimons was planning to speak to the media about Jones’s death.
Thorogood was said to have been desperately searching for Ms Fitzsimons in the weeks before the attack because, the files reveal, she knew too much about the band. She died in 2002.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1209906/Police-review-Rolling-Stone-Bria...

Gazza wrote on Aug 30^th, 2009 at 10:35am:

Thanks so much, Gazza, about this mysteriously Brian's death.

OMG Brian isnt coming back so let the guy RIP. It's way too much time gone by now, why didnt the Police do something more about it 40 years ago? NOW they want to investigate????

nothing will come of it - but if there are fresh leads/evidence and a case to answer, then it must be investigated.
    The BJ fanclub people, will be foaming at the mouth, about now. 

In that obit I posted a few weeks back, Brian's friend stated that he thought Brian died by an asthma attack while in the pool.

Has that already been conclusively disproved?

So this will at least Clear
Mick
and
Kieth

Ade wrote on Aug 30^th, 2009 at 12:02pm:

Foaming at the mouth is putting it mildly. Some of those people are cultlike with their obsession.

Kilroy wrote on Aug 30^th, 2009 at 1:31pm:



Lol, yeah. I don't think anyone in their right minds ever really suspected M&K...

hopefully this new info will put this case to rest, but i highly doubt it.  the guy who killed him is dead, i think.  they didn't have dna testing back then and so this case is going to be very difficult to solve.  but hey if they still have the time, energy and money to further investigate....knock yourselves out.

Sioux wrote on Aug 30^th, 2009 at 6:03pm:


Yes,it was a joke, I guess A bad One, But it was a Joke. I am sorry if I have offend anyone here, I wrote that  and left and went fishing with  the Boys and thought about it the whole time. I know how touchy this board can be from time to time. But for some reason I do Remember at the time, Long long ago, That someone actual asked me If I thought Keith or Mick had anything to do with it!  

Kilroy wrote on Aug 30^th, 2009 at 11:32pm:


There was another incident like that at a party in the 70's, a member of Steppenwolf, Goldy McJohn (organ player) asked Mick if it was him or Keith who threw Brian in the pool, Mick kindly got up, put his plate of food on his (Glodie's) lap & walked out.

Kilroy wrote on Aug 30^th, 2009 at 11:32pm:



Oh, don't worry about it Kilroy...I knew you were joking.... But I know there are some people who still think M&K had something to do with it!

Pako Gertte wrote on Sep 7^th, 2009 at 8:36am:

Now that's funny stuff there.