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The Boy on the Bicycle: A Case of Wrongful Conviction in Toronto
On the night of September 15, 1956, seven-year-old Wayne Mallette, was brutally murdered on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. The chief suspect was a “boy on a bicycle” seen pedalling away from the CNE.
Investigators zeroed on 14-year-old Ronald Moffatt, a former CNE employee who had the poor timing to run away from home shortly after the murder.
Moffatt was located, arrested and interrogated. He eventually confessed and was convicted.
The problem was, Moffatt couldn’t ride a bike and didn’t commit the crime. The real killer abused and murdered two more children, using his bike as a lure.
A shocking true story, about a coerced confession, fumbled police investigation, a miscarriage of justice, and the star lawyer who fought to free Moffatt from custody.
The Boy on the Bicycle is based on police files, interviews, original newspaper coverage, reports, books and documentaries.
A compelling story of 14-year-old Ronald Moffatt who was wrongly charged and convicted of murdering seven-year-old Wayne Mallette in 1956 Toronto. Nate Hendley weaves facts and narrative to cover all bases –flawed police procedure, the legal system, the hidden psyche of the real killer and Moffatt’s story of his childhood before and his terror during and after his ordeal.
-Sharon Crawford, crime author of Beyond Blood and Beyond the Tipping Point
The Boy on the Bicycle is an exceptional read and serves as a unique time capsule of the times and mores of post-WWII Toronto when murders were rare and sexual predators were practically unheard of. While Ronald Moffatt remains uncompensated for his wrongful conviction, it was Mr. Hendley’s wish to finally tell Ron’s story after these many years, which he has done in a direct, yet compassionate manner. Five stars!
The Miramichi Reader
The amazing story of a 62-year-old wrongful conviction is revealed in a riveting new book, The Boy on the Bicycle, by Nate Hendley, a seasoned true-crime writer.
David Helwig
Sootoday
Investigators zeroed on 14-year-old Ronald Moffatt, a former CNE employee who had the poor timing to run away from home shortly after the murder.
Moffatt was located, arrested and interrogated. He eventually confessed and was convicted.
The problem was, Moffatt couldn’t ride a bike and didn’t commit the crime. The real killer abused and murdered two more children, using his bike as a lure.
A shocking true story, about a coerced confession, fumbled police investigation, a miscarriage of justice, and the star lawyer who fought to free Moffatt from custody.
The Boy on the Bicycle is based on police files, interviews, original newspaper coverage, reports, books and documentaries.
A compelling story of 14-year-old Ronald Moffatt who was wrongly charged and convicted of murdering seven-year-old Wayne Mallette in 1956 Toronto. Nate Hendley weaves facts and narrative to cover all bases –flawed police procedure, the legal system, the hidden psyche of the real killer and Moffatt’s story of his childhood before and his terror during and after his ordeal.
-Sharon Crawford, crime author of Beyond Blood and Beyond the Tipping Point
The Boy on the Bicycle is an exceptional read and serves as a unique time capsule of the times and mores of post-WWII Toronto when murders were rare and sexual predators were practically unheard of. While Ronald Moffatt remains uncompensated for his wrongful conviction, it was Mr. Hendley’s wish to finally tell Ron’s story after these many years, which he has done in a direct, yet compassionate manner. Five stars!
The Miramichi Reader
The amazing story of a 62-year-old wrongful conviction is revealed in a riveting new book, The Boy on the Bicycle, by Nate Hendley, a seasoned true-crime writer.
David Helwig
Sootoday
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2018
About the author
Nate Hendley
32 books32 followersMy name is Nate Hendley and I am a Toronto-based journalist, writer, and speaker.
My latest book, Atrocity on the Atlantic is a full account of the torpoedo attack on Canadian hospital ship, Llandovery Castle, in the First World War. Sinking hospital ships violated international treaties, so the sub commander had his deck gun shell lifeboats containing survivors to kill any witnesses to his war crime. One lifeboat with two-dozen survivors escaped to bear witness.
The sinking was condemned by the public, press, and politicians, around the world. In 1921, the attack was prosecuted at the Leipzig War Crimes Trials (the little-known attempt to bring German war criminals to justice after the Great War). In its ruling, the Leipzig court set a legal precedent that guided subsequent war crime prosecutions, including the Nuremberg Trial.
Sadly, for all the impact it had, the Llandovery Castle tragedy soon faded from memory.
As published by Dundurn Press, my book details the attack, profiles medical staff on board the ship, and discusses the long wake of a forgotten war crime that continues to influence international law.
My last book, The Beatle Bandit, was about Matthew Kerry Smith, a troubled young man who robbed a Toronto-area bank in 1964 disguised in a Halloween mask and a "Beatles" wig. A bank patron tried to intervene and was killed in a gunfight with Smith. This murderous heist fueled a nationwide debate about guns, capital punishment, and the death penalty.
As published by Dundurn Press, The Beatle Bandit won the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Non-Fiction 2022. It was also nominated for the Toronto Heritage Book Awards 2022.
I have written several other books, primarily in the true-crime genre. Previous books have focused on organized crime, Bonnie and Clyde, gang bosses Al Capone and Dutch Schultz, wrongful murder convictions, and cons and hoaxes, among other topics.
For more information about my books and background, visit my website at http://www.natehendley.ca
I host a blog, which can be viewed at https://crimestory.wordpress.com/
I am a member of the Canadian Freelance Guild (CFG) and the Crime Writers of Canada (CWC).
I live next-door to Jeanne, world's greatest girlfriend.
I do public presentations based on my books. For more information, contact me at: nhendley@sympatico.ca.
My latest book, Atrocity on the Atlantic is a full account of the torpoedo attack on Canadian hospital ship, Llandovery Castle, in the First World War. Sinking hospital ships violated international treaties, so the sub commander had his deck gun shell lifeboats containing survivors to kill any witnesses to his war crime. One lifeboat with two-dozen survivors escaped to bear witness.
The sinking was condemned by the public, press, and politicians, around the world. In 1921, the attack was prosecuted at the Leipzig War Crimes Trials (the little-known attempt to bring German war criminals to justice after the Great War). In its ruling, the Leipzig court set a legal precedent that guided subsequent war crime prosecutions, including the Nuremberg Trial.
Sadly, for all the impact it had, the Llandovery Castle tragedy soon faded from memory.
As published by Dundurn Press, my book details the attack, profiles medical staff on board the ship, and discusses the long wake of a forgotten war crime that continues to influence international law.
My last book, The Beatle Bandit, was about Matthew Kerry Smith, a troubled young man who robbed a Toronto-area bank in 1964 disguised in a Halloween mask and a "Beatles" wig. A bank patron tried to intervene and was killed in a gunfight with Smith. This murderous heist fueled a nationwide debate about guns, capital punishment, and the death penalty.
As published by Dundurn Press, The Beatle Bandit won the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Non-Fiction 2022. It was also nominated for the Toronto Heritage Book Awards 2022.
I have written several other books, primarily in the true-crime genre. Previous books have focused on organized crime, Bonnie and Clyde, gang bosses Al Capone and Dutch Schultz, wrongful murder convictions, and cons and hoaxes, among other topics.
For more information about my books and background, visit my website at http://www.natehendley.ca
I host a blog, which can be viewed at https://crimestory.wordpress.com/
I am a member of the Canadian Freelance Guild (CFG) and the Crime Writers of Canada (CWC).
I live next-door to Jeanne, world's greatest girlfriend.
I do public presentations based on my books. For more information, contact me at: nhendley@sympatico.ca.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 12, 2019
Intriguing, immediately engaging, often disturbing and filled with fascinating facts, The Boy on the Bicycle transports you to a different era of Toronto. Life in the 1950's in "Toronto the Good" wasn't kind to everyone, not by a long shot. The Boy on the Bicycle is written with such vivid attention to detail that this story of injustice and human cruelty will live in your mind long after you’ve read it. And it makes you wonder, how many other innocents suffered the same harsh fate and subsequent fallout that irrevocably damaged their lives? This is true crime at its finest.
September 24, 2021
Seven-year-old Wayne Mallette and his family were visiting his grandmother in Toronto in September 1956. He was bored and wandered towards the CNE grounds. On the way he met a teenager on a bicycle, who beat him up and suffocated him with his face in the dirt there. Moments later a teenager on a bicycle stopped a watchman at the CNE grounds and asked strange questions before pedalling off.
Ron Moffatt was 14 at the time and had spent that evening at a movie theatre. He had a trouble home life and when he skipped school one day, he thought he would get in trouble so hid. The police were looking for the "boy on the bicycle" so when they found Ron, who kind of fit the description, he assumed they were truant officers and went with them. They were, in fact, Toronto police officers. So sure were they that Ron was the teenager who had killed Wayne, they disregarded all the evidence and pressured Ron into admitting he did it. He was sentence and sent to a juvenile facility.
In the meantime, teenager Peter Woodcock had a history of abusing young children and killed two while Ron was in custody. He had no friends and his prize possession was his bicycle. When he was caught, he admitted to killing Wayne and that's what got Ron released.
At the end of the book, the author tells what happened to everyone, including the police officers, lawyers, etc. Ron had depression issues and eventually sought help. He got married a couple times and had children. Peter spent the rest of his life in a psychiatric institution north of Toronto.
I thought this was an interesting story, especially since it happened not far from where I live. It was obvious the author did a lot of research. I liked the writing style ... there was just enough information provided without being too details. The editing could have been better, though, as there were typos and grammatically errors.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2021/09...
Ron Moffatt was 14 at the time and had spent that evening at a movie theatre. He had a trouble home life and when he skipped school one day, he thought he would get in trouble so hid. The police were looking for the "boy on the bicycle" so when they found Ron, who kind of fit the description, he assumed they were truant officers and went with them. They were, in fact, Toronto police officers. So sure were they that Ron was the teenager who had killed Wayne, they disregarded all the evidence and pressured Ron into admitting he did it. He was sentence and sent to a juvenile facility.
In the meantime, teenager Peter Woodcock had a history of abusing young children and killed two while Ron was in custody. He had no friends and his prize possession was his bicycle. When he was caught, he admitted to killing Wayne and that's what got Ron released.
At the end of the book, the author tells what happened to everyone, including the police officers, lawyers, etc. Ron had depression issues and eventually sought help. He got married a couple times and had children. Peter spent the rest of his life in a psychiatric institution north of Toronto.
I thought this was an interesting story, especially since it happened not far from where I live. It was obvious the author did a lot of research. I liked the writing style ... there was just enough information provided without being too details. The editing could have been better, though, as there were typos and grammatically errors.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2021/09...
September 23, 2021
When a friend told me about this book and the true story which happened only a couple of kilometers away, I had to read it. I could tell it was well researched. Told in chronological order, Hendley does an excellent job in telling the story. He explains all the details involved without bogging down the book. I liked the photos in the back of the people involved and of some of the various documents and reports he found while investigating this story. I enjoyed it.
July 17, 2018
Fascinating coverage of a little-known case of wrongful conviction in the murder of a child on the grounds of the CNE, back in 1956. Recommended for true crime readers.
July 4, 2019
Toronto crime writer and journalist Nate Hendley exposes Ron Moffatt’s never-before-told story of wrongful conviction and injustice. As a teenager in the 1950s, Moffatt confessed to murdering a child he had never met - scared and intimidated, he agreed with his interrogators as they walked him through his "crime." He spent almost a year in custody before the real murderer was caught. Moffatt has never received an apology for his mistreatment, let alone monetary compensation for an ordeal that derailed his life for years. Hendley tells this important and disturbing story with objectivity and restraint, letting the facts speak for themselves as the reader’s sense of outrage builds.
January 8, 2020
I didn't realize when I purchased this book that it was a story of true crime. I just noted that it took place in Toronto including the CNE, places I was very familiar with since I grew up in Toronto. It was about a murder. It turned out to be the story of a conviction of a non-guilty juvenile, and the eventual capture and conviction of the real guilty party. I am not stating anything that isn't already known or mentioned at the very beginning of the book.
As interesting as this story is, and sad, even outrageous, it read a bit like a thesis to me. I'll watch Dateline, 48 Hours, and other shows on true crime, but reading about it is of no interest to me. At least not the way this book was written.
As interesting as this story is, and sad, even outrageous, it read a bit like a thesis to me. I'll watch Dateline, 48 Hours, and other shows on true crime, but reading about it is of no interest to me. At least not the way this book was written.
May 13, 2023
WOW what an Intriguing, immediately engaging, and gut-wrenching book to read. This was my stomping grounds, yet I hadn't heard about Ronald Moffatt's story.
It talks in detail about wrongful convictions, and how usually the targeted are young and naïve.
This book is true crime at its finest!
It talks in detail about wrongful convictions, and how usually the targeted are young and naïve.
This book is true crime at its finest!
September 21, 2019
This is a terribly tragic story from many angles. However, this is an excellent piece of true crime. It tells the story of the murder of Wayne Mallette, but it also delves into false confessions, and the ramifications of wrongful convictions on all stakeholders.
March 24, 2019
An interesting read. It tells the story of a young man (a boy really) incarcerated for a murder he didn't commit in 1950s Toronto.
December 25, 2019
I was interested in what happened but I found there to be unnecissary parts that I skimmed over.
June 19, 2019
Wrongful conviction stories can be gut-wrenching to read, often because those targeted are often young and naïve. The police, eager to solve heinous crimes, sometimes use unscrupulous methods (such as hours-long questioning without a lawyer present) eventually coercing a false confession from the accused.
Ronald Moffatt was just such an innocent teen, in the wrong place at the wrong time. The result of his misfortune and treatment at the hands of a justice system that was sometimes cruel in its reading of the circumstantial evidence, was years in prison.
Eventually exonerated, Moffatt never received compensation from the government. His story is skillfully told here, sometimes in his own voice. Hendley delivers another illuminating true-crime story, and his dedication to his craft shows in this remarkable piece. It must be said, the grace with which Moffatt faces his tragic past is truly inspiring.
Ronald Moffatt was just such an innocent teen, in the wrong place at the wrong time. The result of his misfortune and treatment at the hands of a justice system that was sometimes cruel in its reading of the circumstantial evidence, was years in prison.
Eventually exonerated, Moffatt never received compensation from the government. His story is skillfully told here, sometimes in his own voice. Hendley delivers another illuminating true-crime story, and his dedication to his craft shows in this remarkable piece. It must be said, the grace with which Moffatt faces his tragic past is truly inspiring.
May 17, 2020
A murder of a young boy in 1950s Toronto convicted a young teen who was placed near the scene of the crime at the time of the murder. A case of mistaken identity and coercion by police? A few more murders of young innocent children occurred before the police caught the young offender. Well researched a half century later, using old newspapers, police files and interviews, the author wrote a detailed compelling account that could be a great history lesson for youth today.
A shocking detailed account of a boy's untimely death, this book should be present in school libraries and taught in history classes as it not only describes the culture of mid 20th Century Toronto but also the coverups to conduct investigations, a gross miscarriage of justice.
A shocking detailed account of a boy's untimely death, this book should be present in school libraries and taught in history classes as it not only describes the culture of mid 20th Century Toronto but also the coverups to conduct investigations, a gross miscarriage of justice.
April 8, 2023
Another miscarriage of justice
Until this book, I wasn’t familiar with Ron Moffatt’s story, although I followed Steven Truscott’s story over the years. While wrongful convictions sadly happen, few cases were as flimsy as that against Moffatt. A kid with poor balance unable to ride a bike is convicted for an abduction/murder proven to have been committed on a bike, just to name one aspect, let alone the false conviction. So disappointing to know this happened in Canada and, to date, no apology.
Until this book, I wasn’t familiar with Ron Moffatt’s story, although I followed Steven Truscott’s story over the years. While wrongful convictions sadly happen, few cases were as flimsy as that against Moffatt. A kid with poor balance unable to ride a bike is convicted for an abduction/murder proven to have been committed on a bike, just to name one aspect, let alone the false conviction. So disappointing to know this happened in Canada and, to date, no apology.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews