Vernon Fletcher

Vernon Fletcher LL.B. was Clerk to Weatherfield County Borough Council. In January 1973, Alf Roberts had been chosen as the new Mayor of the borough and all had gone smoothly until one night in February when he had unwittingly knocked down an old lady, Mrs. Leach, while reversing his car into her drive. Her son Norman had tried to blackmail Alf but he was seen off by Bet Lynch who had been a witness to the incident as she was also in the car, and had guessed that Leach had previous form and probably wouldn't be believed by the police.

Several months later, Leach mugged Bet in revenge and she and Alf realised that to prosecute the matter successfully, they would have to admit to the police what had occurred and that Bet, a single, blonde barmaid had been alone in the car with the Mayor, something that the press would get hold of and concentrate on. Alf decided to resign his post and went to see Mr Fletcher to do so.

He had just missed the man who had popped up to see the treasurer when Alf arrived at his office. Fletcher took a long time to return and then asked for another moment while he spoke to the environment office but an impatient Alf quickly told him he was resigning with immediate effect and the full story about Leach came out. Mr Fletcher carefully considered the matter, saying that as he was a lawyer by trade and he could have helped if he had known earlier as it was his job to protect the office of Mayor. He had ten minutes before the meeting commenced at which Alf would have to formally resign and told his secretary Glenda Bates to alert the press to a forthcoming announcement. What neither men knew was that Leach had decided to plead guilty, saving a trial and any revelations forthcoming but the canny Fletcher found this out when he rang the police superintendent himself, stopping the resignation and saving Alf's honour.