[7] She was placed in Ward CH3 of the premises, being under the supervision of nurse Gwendolyn Humphreys at night. They were also sentenced for the attempted murder of the intended target, Pacha Khan, then 30, also from Blackburn . Kenyon was already wanted by police after stabbing a 23-year-old man by a . Impressions and marks from hobnail boots were stamped across her body and a red handkerchief was found stuffed in her throat. A child snatcher and killer was on the loose, one who had intrinsic knowledge of the area and had no qualms taking helpless toddlers from their cots. Feroz Suleman, 39 . The ridges of this sole remaining set of fingerprints were well-defined and unbroken, suggesting they may belong to a young man with little or no experience of hard labour. [19] Upon discovering the comparison, the fingerprint expert who discovered this match, Colin Campbell, rose to his feet, shouting, "I've got him! On the night of May 14, Griffiths had chosen to go for a night's "drinking alone" in Blackburn. Poison is seen as a woman's weapon, subtle, hard to detect and deadly in its beauty. He had left his shoes outside the ward, and entered the premises, hearing a nurse "humming to herself and banging things, as if she were washing up or something". Bill worked as a man, sat in pubs drinking and swearing before telling people that he had gone to have special procedure performed at a hospital to change gender. This devil doctor was convicted of killing his wife and maid in 1935. June's murder provoked mass media coverage as papers across England followed updates of the police investigation closely throughout May of 1948. Seven men have been jailed for life for the murder of a Lancashire law student who was mistakenly gunned down in a botched drive-by shooting. [2] Peter Griffiths was found guilty of June Anne Devaney's murder. It transpired that his partner Terry Clark (Mr Big) had killed his former business partner in a power struggle. Although he confessed to having swung the child's head into the boundary wall approximately four times, Griffiths made no response when he was specifically asked about the sexual aspect of the assault. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind some of the most notorious murders in Lancashire's history. Our fair county of Lancashire has seen some of most shocking and brutal crimes in British history. Wearing a grey T-shirt and a mask over his face . All were eliminated as suspects. Due to the heinous nature of his crime, and his profession, he became known as Blackburn's Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Lancashire. As World War II had ended just three years previously and ex-servicemen who had left the vicinity, or had recently been discharged from military service, would not have their names upon the Electoral Register, police then concentrated on these individuals. You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk, Construction of Burnley 11m commercial estate to start in June, Northern lights spotted across South Cumbria, Blackpool and Fylde College defends facebook post about the dissection of a pregnant shark which was branded 'senseless and cruel', Fleetwood Market undergoing 2m upgrade plus 'energy efficient' works, Burnley poacher arrested after speeding near Turf Moor and crashing car containing deer carcass, Driver in his 70sdies after a crash on A6 at Bolton-le-Sands, Greek transport minister resigns after deadly train crash, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. By Matthew Calderbank 5th Aug 2021, 1:41pm - 4 min read The key piece of evidence in the trial was a red handkerchief which was found at the scene of the crime and linked right back to Duckworth. 2023 BBC. [17][19][23], The task-force to carry out this endeavour was led by Inspector William Barton and comprised a team of 20 officers who, armed with details from the Electoral Register, set about the districts collecting fingerprints and comparing them against those upon the Winchester bottle. Our live feed has now finished. [13] Her nightdress was torn and raised to waist level, exposing her buttocks and immediately apparent were extensive bloodstains upon her clothing, numerous skull fractures, bludgeoning about her face, and blood exuding from her nostrils.[14][15]. It transpired that his partner Terry Clark (Mr Big) had killed his former business partner in a power struggle. The Echo said that more than a thousand people waited outside the court, clamouring just to see the sight of the tall, sallow man, dressed in a battle dress and blue overalls. On the evening of 13 August, Peter Griffiths was formally charged with the murder of June Anne Devaney. Merrifiled, who was known for being a serial drunk and a thief, mixed rodine and jam before giving her employer Mr Ricketts the deadly concoction. Public nerves broke. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Evie Adams, Logan Monaghan and Ruby Monaghan New pictures of a baby girl, toddler and a woman allegedly murdered by a dad in Blackburn have been released by police. This 1948 case changed forensics and criminal investigations in the UK forever. He was hanged at HM Prison Liverpool on the morning of 19 November 1948. Of these persons, 642 had specific access to the children's ward. It took Lancashire Constabulary officers months to find a suspect in Griffiths and they did so after taking thousands of fingerprints from Blackburn men and matching them to a print left on a medicine bottle. The murder of June Anne Devaney is a British child murder which occurred on 15 May 1948 when a girl aged 3 years 11 months was abducted from her cot while an inpatient at Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn, Lancashire. I swore, standing there in the rain, that I would bring her murderer to justice.". Tyre firm boss Feroz Suleman, 40, arranged the . The men were convicted of murder at Preston . Queens Park Hospital in Blackburn, June was taken from the ward and murdered on the other side of the building. Monaghan, 29 of Belgrave Close in Blackburn, appeared at Preston Magistrates' Court this morning (January 19). We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. The Winchester bottle, white marks on the bottle show where forensics found fingerprints. During the ride to police headquarters, and throughout his first interview, Griffiths attempted to deny any involvement,[20] although when confronted with the fact his fingerprints had been a perfect match for those discovered upon the Winchester bottle, he turned towards DCI Capstick and stated: "Well, if they are my fingerprints on the bottle, I'll tell you all about it. This article is more than 3 years old. Griffiths appeared to be a home bird, staying in the town for his entire life. He said: "I am not ashamed to say I saw it through a mist of tears. It is not too late for you to mend. He sentenced to 14 years in jail. Det Ch Insp Jane Webb, of Lancashire Police's Force Major Investigation Team, said: "First and foremost my thoughts are with Mark's family and friends. He and Paul scanned the Dail Mail for Jan 17th. P A M e d i a Sun 17 May 2020 17.10 EDT Police have launched a murder investigation following the death of a woman from a suspected gunshot wound in Blackburn on Sunday. The cases covered here record the county's most fascinating but least known crimes, as well as famous murders that gripped not just Lancashire but the whole nation. He would hand himself in to Burnley police station admitting to the crime and telling officers: "I don't know what made me do it.". Hiram's son John testified against his own father, loudly proclaiming in court: "You ought to have been hung up by the neck long before this came off.". A murder inquiry has begun after a woman who was hit by a car in a "dreadful" and "deliberate" act died. They had a witness, Dr Bailey, who had treated Griffith's father for Schizophrenia. Ominously, the drop side of Devaney's cot was still in place, meaning the child had to have been lifted from her cot. Another killer who dismembered his victims, William Fish killed a seven-year-old girl in 1876 before cutting her up and spreading the remains throughout Blackburn. He then claimed to have returned home, sleeping soundly upon the downstairs sofa in order that he did not alert his parents as to his time of arrival home. Inspector Campbell also testified as to the stockinged feet impressions Griffiths had provided for investigators also being remarkably similar in characteristics with those found upon the ward from which June Anne had been abducted. 2nd mistrial declared in Indiana case of slain pastor's wife. Lancashire News Lancashire The Blackpool Ripper, Blackburn's Sweeney Todd, and Dr Ruxton - Lancashire's most notorious murderers A bathtub used by one infamous murderer is now a horse trough at Lancashire Constabulary News By Dominic Moffitt 17:25, 1 NOV 2020 Updated 17:49, 1 NOV 2020 The north west may seem like an idyllic place to live. [19], During the trial, Griffiths described how he had entered the hospital while intoxicated, and had then picked up the Winchester sterile water bottle, which he stated to the Court he had intended to use as a weapon if he was challenged. Due to his height Haslem's faced a record breaking execution. [n 6], Griffiths refused to talk in much detail as to the atrocities he inflicted upon the child, beyond claiming that he had killed June Anne in a fit of rage when she had begun crying after he had carried her from the premises. Initial comparison had begun with all persons with general access to the hospital itself2,017 persons in all. The story of Preston murder Hiram Thompson. Read More Related Articles. When he killed his wife, she had been looking after a nine month old baby who must have witnessed the whole sorry episode. July 30, 2007. She checked the ward, soothed the child six-year-old Michael Tattersall[9] and returned him to his cot, noting as she did so the child in the adjacent cot June Anne Devaney was sound asleep. The drop side of the cot was in place - June had been lifted out. Before he was hanged, Fish wrote a statement in which urged others not to follow the same path as he had. He was executed at Liverpool Gaol at 9am on November 19 by Albert Pierrepoint. [21], After first establishing that no match for this set of fingerprints could be found within the police fingerprint bureaumeaning the perpetrator had not previously been convicted of any crimeattention turned to every male at or over the age of 16 within the local community. The mangled corpse of a nine-year-old girl was found near Witton Park on Tuesday . The historic murders across Lancashire, the killers, their victims and more. He was a alcoholic who remained abusive to his wife and children. The police who found the duo said the house looked like a "slaughterhouse." | Evie Adams, 23, died in October 2019 in Blackburn, Lancashire. His lawyer pleaded insanity on the part of Wren but, like so many cases at the time, this was ignored. They were only able to identify the man three weeks after he was fished out of the water when his former beauty queen girlfriend Julie Hue walked into Leyland police station to inform them. Four men have been jailed for life for murdering a couple when they set fire to the wrong house in what was intended to be a so-called honour killing. 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