Elsie Frost: New inquest to begin into death of Wakefield schoolgirl

A new inquest into the death of Wakefield schoolgirl Elsie Frost will begin this morning.

Elsie, 14, was killed close to Horbury Lagoon as she walked home in October 1965.

She was attacked from behind and stabbed in the neck and head as she walked through a railway tunnel off a canal towpath in Horbury.

Nobody has ever been convicted of her killing.

Colin Frost at the scene of the murder of his sister Elsie Frost 50 year ago in Wakefield.

Elsie's brother, Colin Frost, previously told the Express that the new inquest brought the family "one step closer" to answers.

Following a cold case review in 2015, police named Peter Pickering, a convicted killer, as a suspect in her case, but he died in 2018 before he could be brought to court.

An inquest into Elsie's death was initially held in 1966, but the High Court granted a fresh inquest earlier this year.

At a pre-inquest review hearing in August, Kevin McLoughlin, Wakefield’s senior coroner, told the hearing that despite inquests primarily focusing on the deceased rather than any potential perpetrator, he would have to “delve into the evidence to what the police knew” to gain a full understanding.

A two day inquest, to be held at Wakefield Coroner's Court, will begin this morning.

Check back later today for updates on the inquest.