She Saw the B.l.o.o.d-Soaked Mattress and Never Forgot: 40 Years On, Witness Finally Names ‘Wizard P.a.e.d.o.p.h.i.l.e’ She Believes M.u.r.d.e.r.e.d Boy Lee Boxell
Nearly four decades have passed since 15-year-old Lee Boxell vanished without a trace from the streets of south London, but the pain remains as raw as ever for those who knew him — and for the woman who believes she witnessed the horrific aftermath of his murder.
On a warm Saturday morning in September 1988, Lee left his family home in Cheam, Sutton, telling his parents he was heading out to meet a friend and possibly watch a football match at Selhurst Park. He spent time shopping in Sutton High Street before parting ways with his friend around 1pm. That was the last confirmed sighting of the cheerful, football-mad teenager. Despite extensive searches, television appeals, and rewards offered over the years, Lee has never been found. Police now treat his disappearance as murder.
Years later, a key witness known as Alys came forward with disturbing testimony. In an exclusive interview, she described arriving at an unofficial youth club called “The Shed” — located in an outbuilding within the grounds of St Dunstan’s Church in Cheam. What she encountered there has haunted her ever since: a blood-stained mattress and an overpowering stench of decaying flesh. Alys claims this grim scene was connected to Lee’s fate. She has now publicly identified the man she believes was responsible — a local figure with eight children, chillingly nicknamed the “wizard paedophile” for his alleged use of occult claims to manipulate and abuse young people.
Investigations revealed that The Shed operated as an informal hangout where teenagers could smoke and drink away from adult supervision. It was run by William Lambert, the church gravedigger, who was later convicted in 2011 and jailed for 11 years for sexually abusing multiple girls who attended the club. Lambert reportedly posed as a warlock with supernatural powers, using these claims during initiation-like ceremonies to groom and assault victims on the sacred church grounds.
Police theorize that Lee may have visited The Shed that fateful day and intervened to stop an assault, only to be silenced permanently. Extensive digs in the churchyard, costing significant resources, yielded no body, but the location remains central to the investigation. Multiple arrests were made in 2014, including Lambert and associates, though all were released without charge due to insufficient evidence at the time.
Lee’s devastated parents, Peter and Christine, have kept his bedroom untouched for nearly 40 years, clinging to hope while fearing the worst. They continue to appeal for information, supported by charities like Missing People. In a significant development earlier this year, the Metropolitan Police Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation, applying modern forensic techniques to old evidence, including a watch found years ago. This renewed effort represents what many describe as the family’s “last chance” for answers.
The case highlights the hidden dangers that existed in seemingly ordinary communities during that era — networks of abusers operating in plain sight near places of worship. Alys’s decision to speak out after so long underscores the lasting trauma carried by witnesses. As the investigation progresses, the hope remains that justice for Lee Boxell can finally be served, bringing closure to a family that has waited far too long and answers to one of Britain’s most haunting cold cases.
