Canterbury nurse Dale Bolinger arrested over plot to kill and eat women in cannibal case of US cop Gilberto Valle
Male nurse Dale Bolinger,
from Canterbury, has been arrested over an international
cannibal plot. Picture: Chris Davey
A neighbour told today how police took shovels into the back
garden of a Canterbury house where two men were arrested over an
alleged plot to kidnap, rape and eat women.
Nurse Dale Bolinger, who is said to work at a Kent hospital, was
quizzed at his home in Davidson Road together with
another man after a tip-off from police in the US investigating
alleged "cannibal cop" Gilberto Valle.
The 57-year-old - a father-of-two whose estranged wife is a
prominent campaigner for the disabled - was held as part of an
international investigation into an alleged "cannibal mentor" who
claimed to have eaten two women.
Bolinger, who has been suspended by East Kent Hospitals
University NHS
"The meat isn't quite like pork, but very meaty… I've eaten a black woman and a white person..." – what 'cannibal mentor' Moody Blues allegedly said to an American policeman
Foundation
Trust, spoke to reporters outside his home.
He said he denied the allegations, before saying: "I have to
leave it to the police."
The other arrested man, 30, is believed to be his son who
was living at the same address.
It is understood Bolinger, who is a father of two grown-up
children, is suspected of using the name Moody Blues on the
internet and communicating by email with police officer Valle in
New York, who is on trial accused of a plot to kidnap and eat
women.
In court in New York, evidence was heard that Moody Blues became
a "mentor" to Valle and gave him advice on how to batter a woman
with a baseball bat and tips on cannibalism.
Moody Blues is alleged to have boasted how he once ate a
five-year-old boy.
It is said all of the alleged boasts were fantasy and none of
the actions were carried out.
Police arrested
Canterbury nurse Dale Bolinger at this house in Davidson Road,
Canterbury
Bollinger lives in an end-of-terrace house in a leafy suburb of
Canterbury.
A neighbour said today: "Police came here last week at about
seven o'clock in the morning. They had police dogs and there were
forensic officers and plain clothed detectives.
"They even got shovels out of their van and went into the back
garden with them.
"We wondered what on earth was happening. They were there until
about ten o'clock at night.
"We don't know the guy that lives there. He's very quiet and we
think his son lives there with him, and apparently the son's
girlfriend was living there too.
"Another neighbour told me she packed her bags and left a few
days before the police came. I don't know why.
"If we see him he'll say 'hello' but you sense he doesn't ever
want to talk, he just wants to keep himself to himself.
"It has freaked us out a bit. It's worrying especially as lots
of kids live around here.
"We see him go to work on his bicycle early in the morning and
sometimes on a weekend he will go out for a ride but that's the
only time you ever see him." 
Dale Bolinger, seen here
with a pet snake around his neck, has been
arrested over an international cannibal plot
Another neighbour said: "I'm absolutely shocked to hear he might
have been involved in this sort of thing, it just doesn't seem like
him."
James Godden, 31, of neighbouring Runcie Place, said: "We saw
police here from about 7am last Thursday and they were the all
day.
"They had forensics teams and sniffer dogs in the house.
"We don't know him and have never really seen him. The first I
heard of what it was about was today."
Bolinger photographed himself with a pet snake around his neck
for his profile on Facebook.
He and the unnamed 30-year-old man were arrested last week on
suspicion of conspiracy offences, grooming and possessing images of
child abuse. They are currently on police bail.
Following his arrest, Bolinger was said to have been
suspended from his nursing job by East Kent Hospitals University
NHS Foundation Trust.
A spokesman for the trust today confirmed a man had been
suspended, pending a police investigation. They would not
confirm a name, occupation or where the man worked.
Dale Bolinger was
arrested along with another man in Davidson Road, Canterbury
It is believed Bolinger's son was also living at the
address with his girlfriend for a period, but she moved out before
police arrived last Thursday.
Bolinger has lived at the address for about a year, moving in
after he split from his wife. His son moved in a short time
afterwards.
A neighbour said: "He did not have much to do with the people
around here.
"They kept themselves to themselves. I don't think they had any
friends around here. They do not talk to any other people.
"I never saw the father with anyone. I never saw him with a
female."
The man added: "Police were here with forensics and dogs
all day and late into the night.
"There were plain-clothed detectives and about six or seven
police vehicles. They took the son away. I have not seen the son
since last week.
"This is a very quiet area and there are a lot of families with
children. You do not expect it on your doorstep."
Bolinger is reported to have qualified as a nurse in 1979
and is married to Rosemary Bolinger, who until last October was a
trustee of the cerebral palsy charity Scope.
Video: Dale Bolinger's
home in Davidson Road, Canterbury
Mrs Bolinger, 55, who separated from her husband last year, has
campaigned for better access for the disabled since she was
diagnosed with cerebral palsy 15 years ago, lobbying Gordon Brown
when he was Prime Minister and appearing on Radio 4 and in
newspapers to promote the cause.
Before the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, she and Bolinger
visited Weymouth, the site of the sailing events, and nearby
resorts on the south coast to rate them for disability access on
behalf of Scope.
The court in New York heard Valle's British contact, who
used the aliases MeatMarketMan and Moody Blues, urged him to eat
his victims alive, saying: "I think of it as eating her to
death."
Moody Blues wrote: "The meat isn't quite like pork, but very
meaty… I've eaten a black woman and a white person."
He is said to have claimed to have a recipe for "haggis" using
human lungs and stomach, and said feet were "a favourite"
delicacy.
New York policeman Valle, 28, who is said to have met Moody
Blues through an extreme sexual fetish website, said he was "dying
to taste some girl meat".
Valle's British contact allegedly communicated with him
throughout last summer, when they discussed the best way to kill,
cook and eat a woman.
Moody Blues talked about flying to New York to help Valle,
saying he had anaesthetic gas which could be used to render the
victim unconscious and a meat cleaver, though he was worried about
being caught trying to enter the US with them.
During one chat Moody Blues made reference to the Yorkshire
Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, as he offered advice on who to kidnap and
how to avoid detection.
Kent and Canterbury
Hospital, one of the hospitals within the East Kent Hospitals
Trust
A Kent Police spokesman said: "Two men aged 57 and 30 from the
Canterbury area were arrested on Feb 21 for conspiracy offences,
grooming and the possession of child abuse images. The two men are
currently on police bail while inquiries continue.
"Kent Police have been in touch with law enforcement authorities
in the United States in relation to this investigation."
It is thought police arrived at about 6.45am on Thursday and
left at about 5.45pm.
Valle, who discussed killing his wife and other female
acquaintances, did not kidnap or injure any women, and he claims he
was only fantasising on the internet and had no intention of going
ahead with the things he was discussing.
He denies charges of conspiracy to kidnap and improper use of a
federal database system, after he allegedly used a police computer
to research potential "victims".
01/03/13
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