http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2003051767,00.htmlJohn Lennon dad did time
By DEREK BROWN
JOHN Lennon’s dad was jailed for murder, the ex-Beatle’s cousin has revealed.
Alfred Lennon was caged in Mexico in a mix-up after a killing, claims Stanley Parkes.
It was thought he vanished after John’s birth in 1940 because he wanted nothing to do with his son.
But Stanley, 69, said: “This is untrue.
“He was in the merchant navy, based on the Queen Mary, and jumped ship in New York when he learned they were targeted by a German submarine. He couldn’t swim and was terrified of getting sunk. He then joined a boat heading south.
“There was some illegal activity on the boat and a man was killed. The man responsible was a chap called Lennon. Alf was wrongly arrested because he shared the same name. He was locked up for a time.
“John’s mother Julia didn’t hear from him and thought he had run away. It wasn’t the case.”
Stanley, who lives in Largs, Scotland, was brought up in Liverpool with John. He learned Alfred’s story when the sailor returned to Britain.
Stanley’s version of events casts a different light on Alfred’s life during World War Two.
Previous accounts have claimed that he and Julia argued over bringing up John who then went to live with his aunt Mimi.
Beatles chronicler Mark Lewisohn said yesterday: “This is the first time I have heard about this.”
John was murdered in New York in 1980, four years after his dad died.
