Taxi driver's new clue to tourist killer

THE SEARCH for the killer of murdered Swedish tourist Maria Wodianitzky switched to Hammersmith today after a taxi driver gave police vital new clues, writes Peter Griffiths.

The cab driver unwittingly picked up the man in Kensington after the mugger dragged Mrs Wodianitzky, 49, from a London bus as he tried to snatch her handbag.

The cab driver dropped him only two-and-a-half miles away, police said. Scotland Yard said the taxi driver came forward after media appeals. Police questioned him over the weekend. A Yard spokesman said: "A cab driver who came forward said he dropped a black male passenger in the Hammersmith area. At this stage we cannot say anything more about it." Police are trying to trace two tourists who saw the mugger escape in a black taxi in Exhibition Road on 13 March. The men, of Mediterranean appearance, spoke to a member of the public who chased the suspect from Kensington Road. Anyone with information should ring police on 0171 321 9640 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Copyright 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.