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I was completely on the wrong track ... looking for Simple Simon!!!!!!!!!!

For any real ale aficionados out there I believe Ha'penny Brewery in Essex used to do a beer named after the perp.

Thanks for that. A ploughman's lunch …. that takes me back.

s_pugh and wintonian - your help greatly appreciated and all done now. (The Ilford Recorder reported the name of the beer lightly differently to that of the perpetrator but close enough, and possibly the paper got it wrong).

Finally got there, thanks for all the hints!

First time I have ever really attacked a non-numerical.

Seem to have erred though as I have a cell that no entry appears to pass through

It is the 11th on row 8. Which clue uses it?
My 20 and 24 are both in the middle of the bottom row of their squares

aha. got it

Crikey that took me back Wakeling - the Ilford Recorder reminds me of my mis-spent youth. As I recall it was never much good at spelling or reporting anything correctly! But hey you got there so all is good, and at the end of it all I'd say that was another cracking Listener - no ambiguity whatsoever in the endgame - once you'd found it! ;¬)

Any other night owls (did I really mention birds again) still not nesting yet? I have the perp but not the whats and wheres. I think I've cocked up (arrrgh, more birds!) in my NW corner which currently reads:
LES++++
EPSKCAA
ERT++JN
VI+LIDE
LGHEEL+. I've obviously erred and strayed somewhere but not sure where. Also what is 40? I have no initial letter so can't see where the whole answer goes. Many thanks in advance - I'll doubtless kick myself later.
ENCPME+

I'm up early too! I have some slight differences to yours
ENA+M
IGHEEL

Difficult to discuss without giving the whole answer- you have some letters that I don't yet