The Acid Bath Murders
The Acid Bath Murders aka John Haigh: cold-blooded killer 19 August, 2025 When Olive Durand Deacon went uncharacteristically missing in 1949 from the Onlsow Court Hotel in west London, focus quickly turned towards John George Haigh, a man who had been seen to recently ingratiate himself with the widow. Date of crime: Between 1944 and 1949 Almost boasting, Haigh told police that he had murdered the missing woman, but her body would never been found since he had dissolved it in sulphuric acid. A search of his factory premises unearthed several clues that suggested his claim was true, but there was no sign of a body. Amazingly, Haigh went on to say that his experiments with sulphuric acid had been going on for several years and he had systematically murdered five other people in the space of 5 years. “How can you prove murder if there is no body?” He had dissolved each of their bodies in 45-gallon drums containing the corrosive acid. Enquiries confirmed that each of the victims had not been seen for several years and Haigh’s claims were proving to be correct. He had murdered two families: William and Amy McSwann and their son William and three years later, Archie and Rose Henderson. His motive for murder was pure greed. After each of the cold-blooded killings, he forged documents and deceived solicitors and families into believing he was entitled to their assets and spent the proceeds on hotel bills, fine wine and gambling. When the money ran out, he simply looked for another wealthy victim. Haigh pleaded not guilty to murder on the grounds that he was insane and even volunteered that he had drunk the blood of each of his victims. Shortly before his trial he admitted to other killings though there was no evidence to support his claims. The jury did not believe him to have been insane and Haigh was hanged in 1949. Since leaving school, he had spent most of his time deceiving people, going to prison and spending other people’s money. The victims… Olivia Durand Deacon, William McSwann, William Donald McSwann, Amy McSwann and Archie and Rose Henderson How did Haigh get access to sulphuric acid? He had fraudulently set up a business as an engineering company which purportedly needed sulphuric acid. He had no problem in ordering as much he needed Where was Haigh’s factory where he murdered Olive Durand Deacon? Leopold Road, Crawley. The building no longer exists. Why did people not report the victims as missing? Haigh managed to convince friends and family that each of the victims had genuine reasons to be away. Some did raise concerns and one relative threatened to go to the police, but none was ever reported as officially missing. Were any body parts found at all? Yes, some remnants of human bone were found, some teeth and some gall stones. How did Haigh murder his victims? We only have his own version of this. The McSwanns were hit about the head and the Hendersons and Durand Deacon were shot with a .38 calibre Enfield revolver Interested in a talk on this topic? Enquire Now Recent Stories Britain’s first railway murder Read More The Kray Twins Read More The Murder of Sidney Spicer Read More The Rillington Place Murders Read More Load More Topics Crime & Punishment: Death Penalty (4) Crimes Abroad or Colonial Connections (3) Historical Crimes (Pre-1950) (10) Infamous British Murders (6) Miscarriages of Justice & Legal Controversies (3) Psychological & Social Themes (4) Unsolved or Contested Cases (5) Further reading… The Acid Bath Murders Gordon Lowe(2015) Buy the book:Amazon John George Haigh: The Acid-Bath Murderer Jonathan Oates(2014) Buy the book:Amazon Murder with a Difference Mary Lefebure(1958) Buy the book:Amazon Presentations The Acid Bath Murders case is available as a presentation. Whether delivered on world-wide cruise ships or in a local village hall, it’s absorbing, informative, and entertaining. Contact Paul Stickler for more information… Enquire Now
The Kray Twins
The Kray Twins aka The Kray twins 19 August, 2025 The Kray twins’ reign of terror began in the 1950s when their use of violence spread from simple street fighting to using their muscle to branch into the protection racket market. Date of crime: 1966–1967 They attracted the occasion conviction but their activities were largely unchecked through fear of reprisals had any witnesses stepped forward to give evidence. It was not until the 1960s when their violence reached its peak due to a number of factors which collectively allowed them a free reign across east and central London. In 1964, Ronnie Kray began a homosexual relationship (as it was termed at the time) with Lord Boothby, a conservative peer and which led to Boothby successfully suing the newspapers for libel. The effect of this was to cause the authorities to step back from the Krays activities for fear of more civil litigation. “They just keep popping the man. He comes off the casing on his knees, then he falls back, and these bullets are going all over him” Knowing full well that people would be too scared to give evidence, in 1966 Ronnie Kray walked into the Blind Beggar public house in east London and shot George Cornell dead. Later the same year, Frank Mitchell who had been sprung from Dartmoor prison by the Kray gang was also shot dead. The following year, Jack McVitie was stabbed to death by Reggie Kray in an attack described as inhumane. In 1969, the Krays, alongside many other others were convicted of their criminal activities. The twins each received 30 years imprisonment. Their celebrity status continued while in prison as books and films were made about their reign of terror and their legacy remained for years to come. Ronnie eventually died in Broadmoor in 1995; Reggie died in 2000. Their reign of terror had lasted for many years but it had been allowed by factors outside of their control. For them, it was the perfect storm; for many it was a period of violence and fear. The victims… George Cornell, Frank Mitchell and Jack McVitie. Each were criminal associates of the Kray twins and were killed for a variety of reasons. Cornell was murdered because of a personal vendetta, McVitie because he had ‘disrespected’ the twins and Mitchell because his behaviour was likely to attract unnecessary police attention on the Krays’ activities. Both Mitchell’s and McVitie’s bodies have never been found. When were the twins born? Reggie and Ronnie were identical twins born on 23 October 1933. Where did the twins live in London? 178 Vallance Road, Bethnal Green. Affectionately known as Fort Vallance, it no longer exists today. The Krays were apparently very close to their mother. How much did she know of their activities? It’s difficult to know. It seems that the twins took steps to make sure their mother did not know of their criminal enterprises, but it seems unrealistic to expect that she knew nothing. She died in 1972, after her sons’ convictions for murder. Were there any other murders committed by the Krays that we don’t know about? Little doubt exists that they were responsible for other killings. A number of people went missing during the height of their reign but they were never charged and convicted. You mention that there were factors outside of their control that allowed them to operate the way they did. What were they? The first was the issue of Ronnie Kray’s relationship with Lord Boothby. Homosexuality at that time was deemed a criminal act and the libel action which followed gave them a measure of protection. The other factors were the twins’ mental health and the protection they were afforded due to the levels of police corruption which existed in the East End at that time. These issues are explored in some depth in my presentations. Interested in a talk on this topic? Enquire Now Recent Stories The Acid Bath Murders Read More Britain’s first railway murder Read More The Murder of Sidney Spicer Read More The Rillington Place Murders Read More Load More Topics Crime & Punishment: Death Penalty (4) Crimes Abroad or Colonial Connections (3) Historical Crimes (Pre-1950) (10) Infamous British Murders (6) Miscarriages of Justice & Legal Controversies (3) Psychological & Social Themes (4) Unsolved or Contested Cases (5) Further reading… Krayology John Bennett2016 Buy the book:Amazon Notorious: The Immortal Legend of the Kray Twins John Pearson2010 Buy the book:Amazon The Krays: Unfinished Business Martin Fido2002 Buy the book:Amazon Presentations The Kray Twins case is available as a presentation. Whether delivered on world-wide cruise ships or in a local village hall, it’s absorbing, informative, and entertaining. Contact Paul Stickler for more information… Enquire Now
The Rillington Place Murders
The Rillington Place Murders aka the cases of Timothy Evans and Reg Christie 19 August, 2025 In December 1949, the bodies of Beryl Evans and her young baby, Geraldine, were found in a wash-house in the rear garden of 10, Rillington Place, west London. Date of crime: Between 1943 and 1949 Both had been strangled. Timothy Evans, the husband of Beryl and father of Geraldine was arrested. Evans was a man of low intellect and initially admitted killing his wife, then blamed it on someone else and then admitted to killing both his wife and daughter. At his subsequent trial, he reverted to blaming a downstairs tenant called Reg Christie. The jury convicted Evans and he was hanged in 1950. Had a search of the premises been more thorough, two more skeletal human remains would have been found buried a few feet away in the back garden “She was incurring one debt after another and I couldn’t stand it any longer, so I strangled her with a piece of rope” Three years later, the remains were discovered in the back garden. At the same time, the bodies of three recently strangled women were found in an alcove adjacent to the kitchen of the premises. Each had been raped and strangled. Another body was found buried underneath the floorboards of the living room. The police arrested the former resident of the premises, Reg Christie, who admitted the killing of all the women; the body under the floorboards was his wife. He now also admitted the killing of Beryl Evans three years earlier. Christie pleaded not guilty on the grounds of insanity but was convicted of murder and hanged in 1953. A later judicial review concluded that Evans did not kill his daughter but probably killed his wife despite Christie admitting responsibility. The decision paved the way for Timothy Evans to be posthumously pardoned and his name would forever be synonymous with the abolition of the death penalty in 1965. To this day, doubt remains over who killed who in Rillington Place. The victims… Ruth Fuerst, Muriel Eady, Kathleen Maloney, Hectorina McClellan, Rita Nelson, Ethel Christie, Beryl and Geraldine Evans Could both Christie and Evans be responsible for different killings? In theory, yes. Both Christie and Evans were prolific liars and there is evidence that some of their admissions could not possibly have been true. Many authors have claimed that they have unearthed the truth, but in reality there are many gaps in our knowledge and there will always be room for doubt. Most people believe that Christie was responsible for all the killings and that Evans was a man wrongly convicted. What was Christie’s motive for killing? Quite simply, sexual gratification. He was a regular user of prostitutes (to use the language of the day) and it seems that strangulation and rape was his ultimate fantasy. Is Rillington Place still there? No, it was knocked down in 1971. Where was Timothy Evans arrested? He surrendered himself to Merthyr Vale police station where he declared, “I want to give myself up. I have disposed of my wife” With all those bodies in the house, surely there must have been a horrible smell? There was, though it was masked by cold conditions throughout the winter of 1952/53 and Christie was seen to be putting disinfectant down the drains. Interested in a talk on this topic? Enquire Now Recent Stories The Acid Bath Murders Read More Britain’s first railway murder Read More The Kray Twins Read More The Murder of Sidney Spicer Read More Load More Topics Crime & Punishment: Death Penalty (4) Crimes Abroad or Colonial Connections (3) Historical Crimes (Pre-1950) (10) Infamous British Murders (6) Miscarriages of Justice & Legal Controversies (3) Psychological & Social Themes (4) Unsolved or Contested Cases (5) Further reading… 10 Rillington Place Ludovic Kennedy1971 Buy the book:Amazon Rillington Place – The Brabin Report HMSO1966 Buy the book:Amazon Murder with a difference Molly Lefebure1958 Buy the book:Amazon Presentations Rillington Place Murders case is available as a presentation. Whether delivered on world-wide cruise ships or in a local village hall, it’s absorbing, informative, and entertaining. Contact Paul Stickler for more information… Enquire Now
The Julia Wallace Murder
The Julia Wallace Murder aka the chess club conspiracy 19 August, 2025 At 6.45pm on 20 January 1931, William Wallace left his home at 29 Wolverton Street, Liverpool. Date of crime: 20 January 1931 He had just eaten dinner with his wife, Julia, and was heading for a meeting with a client in the Menlove Gardens area of the city, just over 4 miles away. He was a Prudential insurance agent and was used to walking the city’s streets selling policies and collecting premiums. However, he was unfamiliar with the Menlove Gardens area and as he travelled by tram, he asked people for directions. Upon arrival he realised that the address he had been given was false and returned home arriving around 8.40pm. “I was horrified to see my wife lying across the rug in front of the fireplace. Her head… was horribly battered” Upon arrival at the house, he found his wife bludgeoned to death in their front parlour; she had received a series of blows to the head. The police were called who were dubious of Wallace’s alibi claim. Wallace elaborated and said that the only reason he had gone to the Menlove Gardens area was because the night before he had a received a message at his chess club from a man called Qualtrough who had earlier telephoned asking him to visit the following evening. There then followed a detailed examination of Wallace’s movements, not only on the night of the murder but also the evening before. A theory was developing that Wallace had made the telephone call himself, fabricated the name Qualtrough and set up a false alibi for the following evening. The theory suggested that Wallace murdered his wife before he left home, travelled to the Menlove Gardens area knowing the address did not exist, made sure he was seen in the area, and then returned to ‘discover’ Julia in the parlour. Wallace was charged with the killing, convicted, but later acquitted on appeal. Other theories would later emerge, but it remains shrouded in mystery as to who brought the murder weapon down on Julia Wallace’s head. The victim… Julia Wallace Julia Wallace was born on 26 April 1861 in North Yorkshire and was the second child of seven children. Her passions seem to have been French, music and painting. It is not clear why, but there is some suspicion that in 1911, she falsified her details on the census return to state that she was eighteen years younger than she was. This deception was carried across when she married William Wallace in Harrogate in 1914 (though now only 16 years younger), but whether Wallace knew of the false claim is unknown. Whether this was to play a part in her eventual killing is similarly not known. They moved to Liverpool in 1915 and eventually settled in Wolverton Street the same year. There is little known about her time in Liverpool before her eventual death in 1931 and seemed to have settled into a quiet life of domesticity. Was the murder weapon ever found? In truth, we are not sure. Something blunt was obviously used and an iron poker was seemingly missing from the premises. There is a suggestion that years later it had been found, but there is no tangible evidence of that. If Wallace had been the murderer, surely he would have been covered in blood? Yet, he was not. The killer almost certainly would have had some blood on their clothing. It is true that there is no evidence of any blood being found on any of Wallace’s clothes but there are theories – and no more than that – that he dealt with that by either wearing a raincoat and leaving it at the scene (making it look like the real killer had worn it) or he had removed his clothing before the attack and dressed afterwards. There is no evidence to support either of these theories. Is it true that other suspects emerged during the investigation? Yes, two in particular, Richard Parry and Joseph Marsden. Based on the material available, it is not clear the extent to which these people were properly investigated but it is equally clear that there is little evidence to connect them to the actual killing or being responsible for the ‘Qualtrough’ call. What was the basis for Wallace’s eventual acquittal at the appeal court? The court ruled that the evidence presented to the jury could not justify the jury’s guilty verdict and quashed the conviction under S.4 Criminal Appeal Act 1907. What happened to William Wallace after his acquittal? His acquittal did not stop tongues wagging and many people still considered him responsible for his wife’s death. He eventually moved house as a result, but he died on 26 February 1933, just over two years since his wife had been killed. He protested his innocence to the end. Interested in a talk on this topic? Enquire Now Recent Stories The Acid Bath Murders Read More Britain’s first railway murder Read More The Kray Twins Read More The Murder of Sidney Spicer Read More Load More Topics Crime & Punishment: Death Penalty (4) Crimes Abroad or Colonial Connections (3) Historical Crimes (Pre-1950) (10) Infamous British Murders (6) Miscarriages of Justice & Legal Controversies (3) Psychological & Social Themes (4) Unsolved or Contested Cases (5) Further reading… Checkmate: The Wallace Murder Mystery Mark Russell2021 Buy the book:Amazon Move to Murder Antony M Brown2018 Buy the book:Amazon The Killing of Julia Wallace Jonathan Goodman1969 Buy the book:Amazon Presentations The Julia Wallace Murder case is available as a presentation. Whether delivered on world-wide cruise ships or in a local village hall, it’s absorbing, informative, and entertaining. Contact Paul Stickler for more information… Enquire Now