Private investigator-turned councillor on murder, insurance fraud and The Rolling Stones

Cllr Gaskill currently serves the Swanlow ward for Winsford Town Council, and was a Vale Royal councillor prior to the authority dissolving in 2009.

What many people will not know is that Cllr Gaskill is also seasoned private investigator with more than four decades worth of experience.

The Lib Dem councillor has been involved with a wealth of investigations over the years, from insurance fraud to murder, as well as working on numerous cases involving to The Rolling Stones.

Incredibly, he fell into the career largely by chance – and a few leaps of faith.

Around 1961 Malcolm – then a radio and TV engineer based in his hometown of Manchester – decided to leave his life in the north and head for the capital.

“There were three of us,” he said. “We gave up our jobs, we had had enough.

“We got off the train at Euston Station and tossed a coin to decide whether to head east or west.

"It went east.”

Malcolm and his companions eventually settled in Herne Bay, a seaside town in Kent, where they performed live music in a dancehall. Malcolm played the drums.

He spent a brief period DJing at a pirate radio station and a year working unpaid at a hotel, before its closure eventually led him to London.

From there he set up his first business, Concord Car Hire, before a chance conversation inspired him to pursue a career as a private investigator.

“I started initially getting insurance claims for a detective agency in south London,” he said.

“They had big contracts with a lot of big solicitors and they were getting desperate.

"Their own investigators couldn’t find anything.

“These people kept put during Monday to Friday and let loose on the weekend because they knew the investigators worked nine to five, five days a week.”

Malcolm used new micro technology during his investigations 

During his early days Malcolm also worked on numerous cases involving The Rolling Stones, who had several brushes with the law during the late 60s and 70s.

“We did everything for The Rolling Stones,” he said.

“From drugs charges to speeding offences.

“They got done for drugs a couple of times, and we had to prove that it wasn’t their drugs.”

He added: “The only one we weren’t involved with was the Bryan Jones drowning.”

Malcolm helped Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones with their brushes with the law in the 60s

Malcolm’s dedication, as well as his use of new micro technology, saw him quickly build a reputation for himself. 

His work saw him travel the world.

On one occasion, after returning from a job in Ghana, he was called upon to find evidence for the defence of a 17-year-old boy who had been charged with robbing and murdering a milkman on his rounds in Surrey.

“After some investigating I discovered there had been two lads, twins, about 17 or 18 who had been near where the crime took place,” he said.

“Two hours later these two lads were seen walking into a local café to cash up some loose change.

“The café owner said one of the lads gave him this money and it was blood stained, so he called the police.”

Despite the new evidence, the detectives investigating the murder still were not convinced.

However, eye-witnesses found by Malcolm identified the defendant several miles away from where the crime took place on the day of the murder.

The evidence led to the acquittal of the accused during a trial at the Old Bailey.

In 1976 he founded Gaskill's Investigation Services, and founded Malcolm Gaskill Inspection Services in the Red Sea port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1985.

While still involved with both businesses, Malcolm has reduced the amount of investigations he has taken on over the past few years to focus on council duties for Winsford, where he now resides.

So, when will Cllr Gaskill decide to call time on his investigative career for good?

“When the phone stops ringing,” he said.

It seems this particular detective is not quite ready to turn in his badge just yet.