William Walsh entered the house of one Mrs Edmondsson, a neighbour who was watching over his daughter. But Lancashire and Cumbria have a dark past, full of grisly murders that would make even the brave shiver in their boots. During the trial, Griffiths' defence counsel openly stated they were not fighting for his freedom, but for his life (murder being a capital offence in the United Kingdom at the time). It transpired that his partner Terry Clark (Mr Big) had killed his former business partner in a power struggle. According to Griffiths, this man, noting his state of intoxication, had said to him: "Get in, open the window and I'll give you a spin. Jordan Monaghan, 29, is set to stand trial for the murders of Ruby and Logan Monaghan and Ms Adams. Police collected this suit, only for the police forensics laboratory to discover that it bore bloodstains in several locations on both the jacket and trousers. Queens Park Hospital in Blackburn, June was taken from the ward and murdered on the other side of the building. On the rare instance a member of the public did refuse to give his fingerprints, this individual was visited by a senior police officer, who in each instance, succeeded in obtaining the individual's fingerprints. Clark was found guilty. Our live feed has now finished. This is a list of all the grizzly tales we have covered over the past year, looking at Lancashire crimes from the mid 19th to the mid 20th Century, ranging from a rouge Preston soldier, to a Blackburn child killer and a Chorley murder that blew open a global drugs case. On May 18, the Manchester Evening News reported that police had searched the ports and harbours across the north west, believing that the man could have been a sailor. Upon closing the door she noticed that June's cot was empty. [1] Detective Chief Inspector John Capstick[11], The discovery of the child's body and the injuries she had suffered immediately sparked a major murder investigation. A nurse told the police, and later the Liverpool Echo and Manchester Evening News, that she had seen the face of a man peering through one of the hospital windows and later heard a car driving away. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The most common crimes in Blackburn are violence and sexual offences, with 5,620 offences during 2021, giving a crime rate of 46. 2nd mistrial declared in Indiana case of slain pastor's wife. [1] The child was removed to the grounds of the hospital, where she was raped, before suffering extensive blunt force trauma to her skull when her head was repeatedly swung into a sandstone wall. The most common shoplifting with a total of 48 incidents. [10], A subsequent post mortem revealed that June Anne had died of shock due to both extensive internal injuries and multiple skull fractures. I swore, standing there in the rain, that I would bring her murderer to justice. The trial at Lancaster Castle cost the crown more than 100,000 in security fees. Also highly reported was anti-social behaviour at 44 and public order at 27. Mr D Jones from the Home Office Forensic Department swabs the hospital window in which June was pulled through for fingerprints. Alison McBlain, 36, was struck by a car mounted the pavement on Whalley Banks, Blackburn . His name was not on the election register and so his prints had not previously been taken. [7] She was placed in Ward CH3 of the premises, being under the supervision of nurse Gwendolyn Humphreys at night. He never talked about the aspects of sexual assault and refused to cooperate with police or court on this matter. The death of a secret millionaire by the name of Ruth Clarkson in 1936 came as a shock to the whole of Nelson. As with most of the murderers we write about, a lot of what we understand about their life is taken from newspapers, usually once they have been charged with their crimes so it is hard to ascertain many details or to establish whether these details were used by the media to paint the individual in a bad light. Transgender politics isn't something we expect to see in 1948 but it transpired that Margaret Allen, who committed Rawtenstall's first murder, was known as Bill and lived as a man. "Reassurance patrols" would continue in the area in the next few days, however. On Monday night, police arrested three brothers - Feroz, 39, Suhayl, 36, and Nadeem Suleman, 33, all from Blackburn - on suspicion of murder. This assault caused extensive internal injuries and multiple skull fractures, causing the child to develop a fatal state of shock. June was admitted to Queens Park Hospital suffering with Pneumonia on May 5. [25][32] Beyond providing investigators with a further set of his fingerprints and foot impressions for additional comparison with those upon the Winchester bottle and upon the floor of the ward of the Queen's Park Hospital, he would refuse to cooperate with all subsequent requests either to discuss aspects of his crime, or to provide blood or pubic hair samples for additional comparison with samples obtained at the crime scene prior to his upcoming trial; simply making statements to the effect of, "I don't wish to say anything" when these requests were made. [17] Numerous teeth marks were also notable on her left buttock, two ante-mortem bruisesthe pressure of which indicated had been made by the application of a human thumb and forefingerwere located upon each of her upper, inner thighs and neck, and puncture wounds from human fingernails were found upon one ankle. Blackburn is the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority with the . After searching the hospital for half an hour, Gwendolyne called the police. On the evening of 13 August, Peter Griffiths was formally charged with the murder of June Anne Devaney. Mysteriously three of his wives died relatively young and through botched post-mortems, signing death certificates, lies and inquests he was able to escape the authorities. Poison is seen as a woman's weapon, subtle, hard to detect and deadly in its beauty. Leslie Jackson, from Blackburn LESLIE JACKSON, a horse dealer from Blackburn, was found dead in the bathroom of his home in November 1990. "[10], In the statement he subsequently gave to detectives, Griffiths claimed that on the night of 14 May, he had chosen to go for a night's "drinking alone" in Blackburn, and that as a result of his heavy drinking, by closing time, he had become severely intoxicated. Lee Kenyon, 35, stabbed Jim Murray, 51, in the chest after a row in Largs Road in. A railway to Blackburn opened in 1848. . Cross Duckworth, the Blackburn child killer. The man had proceeded to give Griffiths a lift, seeing how drunk he was and later parked his car close to the Queen's Park Hospital. On Wednesday, another man, 39, and a woman, 29 -. In huge debt, Bill murdered the woman for her money. [26] When asked to provide his fingerprints, Griffithswhose niece had been in Queen's Park Hospital at the time June Anne had been abducted[27]supplied them without hesitation. An illustration of Henry Starr found in the Lancashire Post. [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. This bottle itself was examined for fingerprints, being found to contain several sets. After 30 minutes of fruitless searching, staff contacted the local police, who arrived at 1:55am and immediately began a search of the hospital and its grounds. The suits fibres also matched those found upon the child's body, clothing, and the ward window ledge where Griffith had entered the scene. [10] The internal injuries were consistent with the child having been raped,[16] and the multiple, extensive fractures and blunt trauma to her skull had been inflicted from the child being repeatedly swung into the boundary wall while her rapist and murderer had held her by her legs, ankles, or feet. Dr. Grant stated to the jury that although Griffiths knew what he was doing, he did not realise the criminality of his actions. [37] This opinion was voiced by Dr. Alaistair Robertson Grant, who stated for the defence that Griffiths was displaying the early signs of schizophrenia (a condition for which he had treated Griffiths' father some thirty years previously when he had been hospitalised with the condition). blackburn, lancashire murders. Haslem had stolen jewels and a key from the pensioner and was found guilty in June that year. Det Supt Andy Cribbin of Lancashire Police said . A "much-loved" father who was found lying in the street with serious head injuri (After hearing Griffiths' recollection of the events, Dr. Alaistair Grant privately conceded that Griffiths was of sound mind.[19]). Griffiths told the court how he had taken the child, how she had placed her arms about his neck and how he had swung her four times against the boundary, killing her. In July the newspapers appear to have lost interest in the case and the name June Anne Devaney is lost from the archives. Being so short, Max required one of the longest recorded drops in British history for him to be killed instantly using the humane long-drop method. William's daughter Maggie was able to tell officers that it was her father who had dealt her these grievous, and ultimately fatal, injuries. It read: "If I had served God instead of Satan I should not have been here.". As Griffiths had already admitted to his crime,[36] all that remained was a question of his sanity, and as such, the defence had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. All were checked, and all were eliminated from the inquiry. Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? But the defence had only to produce the prison doctor at Walton Gaol who said otherwise and, with it abundantly clear that Griffiths had committed the crime, there were left with no other options. Mysteriously three of Dr Clements' spouses died relatively young but through botched post-mortems, signing death certificates, lies and inquests he was able to escape the authorities. The doctor committed suicide before he could be brought in by the police, forever escaping justice for what he did. "[25] This man had soon parked his car in close proximity to Queen's Park Hospital, and it had been at this stage at which Griffiths had chosen to break into the premises to commit his crime. Mr Justice Oliver placed the black cap on his head and stated: "Peter Griffiths, this jury has found you guilty of a crime of the most brutal ferocity. In 1861 the Fulwood Barracks, home to the 60th Rifles was struck by tragedy. The individuals traced included ambulance drivers, nurses' boyfriends, electricians, and tradesmen. Upon finding his little girl he struck over the head with a poker, sharpened his knife and slit her throat. He sentenced to 14 years in jail. He had then picked up the Winchester bottle to use as a weapon in the event any member of staff had attempted to challenge him, before he had chosen June Anne as his victim. There was no match. 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. 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Those who continue to kill their wives are known as Bluebeards, after the 15th Century French fairytale. The incident went down in legend however, inspiring a song called the ballad of Private McCaffery. [19] Upon discovering the comparison, the fingerprint expert who discovered this match, Colin Campbell, rose to his feet, shouting, "I've got him! 1967 and their eye caught the following short article: "There are 4000 holes in the road in Blackburn Lancashire, one twenty-sixth of a hole per . Her 31-year-old father Albert was a foundry worker at the Northrop Loom company and her 33-year-old mother Emily worked as a mill winder and had given birth to her new baby sister Margaret on May 5. The young June Anne Devaney was just three years and 11 months old in May 1948. By Saturday May 29, 5,000 men had been checked, around a quarter of the town's male population. It took a jury just 22 minutes to find him guilty on Friday, October 22. Lancashire Police said the woman was attacked at a house on Rolleston Road in. Violence and sexual offences were recorded 26 times. 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. The doctor committed suicide before he could be brought in by the police. 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.". They had no real leads as to who the killer was and no fresh ideas were presenting themselves. At 4:20a.m., the chief constable of Blackburn Police contacted Scotland Yard, seeking the assistance of an experienced investigator, whoalongside a sergeantcaught the 6:20a.m. train from Euston to Blackburn. Joseph Wren shocked Burnley when he killed a three-year-old boy in cold blood and left his corpse on a slag pile. A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a woman suffered "multiple stab wounds" in an attack. Henry Starr stabbed his wife Mary so much and so ferociously that the surgeon's examining her mangled corpse could fit his fist through one of the wounds. It was the first time that fingerprinting had been the biggest factor in finding the killer and it saw police take the clinical records of 40,000 people in Blackburn. Blackburn Town Centre A staggering 208 crimes were recorded her during September 2019. Of these persons, 642 had specific access to the children's ward. 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. Three men aged 39, 33 and 36, from Blackburn were arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday (May 18). May the Lord have mercy on your soul.". The drop side of the cot was in place - June had been lifted out. By Rebecca Perring 00:11, Mon, May 18, 2020 | UPDATED: 12:40, Mon, May 18, 2020 Burnley came from behind Blackburn to secure a east Lancashire derby victory with goals from Jason Shackell and Danny Ings. 4 stages of social drama turner; who are the 14 representatives of georgia; what are the two types of split braking systems; anthony pritzker house; Buck's house still stands today, in two Dalton Square Lancaster and the bathtub he used to slice the two women up is now being used as a horse trough by Lancashire Constabulary. Alice Barnes' death shocked Lancashire and much of England when her body was first discovered but it didn't take the authorities long to find her killer. He was demobilised in February 1948, surely one of the last to be released from the army, three years after the war came to an end. She was only three years and 11 months old when she was taken and murdered in Blackburn Lancashire. (Image: who-did-we-think-we-were.webnode.com). "[28], By the time this comparison had been made, officers had taken 46,253 sets of fingerprints, and had less than 200 sets of prints left to check before the completion of their task. This 1948 case changed forensics and criminal investigations in the UK forever. Either way, when Peter Griffiths went away with the Welsh Guard he was a fresh faced boy, barely 18, when he came back, three years later, he was a man. The child in the adjacent cot was June who Gwendolyne noticed was fast asleep. The mangled corpse of a nine-year-old girl was found near Witton Park on Tuesday . Dr Nield swore that Griffiths was now showing early signs of contracting the same condition which had caused him to descend into a "maniacal frenzy.". The ex-serviceman gladly gave his prints and the very next day at 3pm, it was discovered that they matched those on the Winchester Bottle. 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. Within two days of discovering June's body, police were scouring the Lancashire moors around Blackburn and were watching the roads. 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Setting off to attend his night shift at 10pm on August 12, Peter Griffiths was arrested and taken to Blackburn Police headquarters. Read the full story here. "If I had served God instead of Satan I should not have been here.". [2] Peter Griffiths was found guilty of June Anne Devaney's murder. As LancsLive's resident historian I have been researching the lesser known murders and true crime incidents that have stained Blackpool, Burnley and Blackburn's history red with blood. Fish was only caught when a bloodhound was let loose in his house and alerted police to several body parts that were stuffed up his chimmney. There is nothing profoundly unusual or strange that can be found about the life of Peter Griffiths before 1948. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Nigel Scott, 58, was discovered unconscious on the pavement in. The Blackpool killer had stabbed his wife to death after she had called for a separation order in 1903. 1967 and their eye caught the following short article: "There are 4000 holes in the road in Blackburn Lancashire, one twenty-sixth of a hole per . At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Due to the heinous nature of his crime, and his profession, he became known as Blackburn's Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Lancashire. She was placed in the CH3 ward but was due to be released on May 15. [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. You can also sign up to our Christmas newsletter, here. The public were getting restless and parents were growing scared. Officers were called. This does suggest that Griffiths chose to remain in the army and could have been part of one of the battalions of Welsh Guards stationed in Palestine and Israel after the war as the British government and the United Nations sought to create a Jewish state. Mr Scott's family said they were "devastated" by his tragic and sudden death. Police could now use science as well as their own logic and investigative skills to solve crimes. [8] By 14 May, Devaney's condition had improved, and she was due to be discharged from Queen's Park Hospital the following morning. Tyre firm boss Feroz Suleman, 40, arranged the . The only real detail from the statement was when Griffiths stated that as he had carried the child across the field to where he assaulted and murdered her saying that June had trustingly placed her arms around his neck. Brought forward on October 15 at Lancaster Assizes, the defence admitted straight away that they would not deny that Griffiths had killed June but would be pleading insanity. This time, despite his best efforts and usual tricks of signing the death certificate himself, the authorities found that Victoria had been poisoned using morphine. He was executed by Albert Pierrepoint in January 1949. On May 19 Police questioned a man seen at the hospital the night before but yielded no results. . He was a alcoholic who remained abusive to his wife and children. It looked as though she had been partly conscious when her attacker left her bleeding in a pasturage. The number of young offenders convicted of crimes in Lancashire has fallen Ninety more officers sworn in to Lancashire Police Caretaker for cannabis sweets factory jailed Dangerous Blackburn. A depiction of William Fish bearing down on Emily Holland. Evie Adams, 23, died in 'unexplained circumstances' on October 27, 2019, at an address in Blackburn, Lancashire. [n 3], By late July, investigators had checked the fingerprints of each individual upon the Electoral Register. 'Maniac killer steals victim from hospital' was the front page headline of the Manchester Evening News on Saturday, May 15, 1948. Henry Starr stabbed his wife Mary so much and so ferociously that the surgeon's examining her mangled corpse could fit his fist through one of the wounds. It is unlikely that this ever happened but Bill was convicted of killing 68-year-old Nancy Ellen Chadwick, an eccentric in Rawtenstall who was known to have inherited large sums of money. Wren's death warrant was the first that, then Home Secretary, Winston Churchill signed in his new role. Initial comparison had begun with all persons with general access to the hospital itself2,017 persons in all. He showed no remorse for he did, blaming his intoxicated state but did end his formal statement with a sentence indicating he wished to behangedfor his crime. Police logging and checking the fingerprints of more than 40,000 men in Blackburn. 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. Using old newspaper articles, marriage records, death certificates, censuses and a great deal of analysis, we were able to put together a catalogue of some of the most shocking moments in Lancashire's criminal past. Something went wrong, please try again later. Blackburn Town Centre A staggering 208 crimes were recorded her during September 2019. He said: "I am not ashamed to say I saw it through a mist of tears. Lee Kenyon, 35, stabbed Jim Murray, 51, in the chest after a row in Largs Road in Blackburn, Lancashire on 2 October. On Monday night, police arrested three brothers - Feroz, 39, Suhayl, 36, and Nadeem Suleman, 33, all from Blackburn - on suspicion of murder. It was Louisa May Merrifield's choice of weapon when it came to murdering her employer in April 1953 when she was in Blackpool. At the pawnbrokers they were able to recover the suit and trousers worn by Griffiths on the night of the murder, matching bloodstains on the clothes with June's own. This was the first time in history that a mass fingerprint exercise had been used to solve a crime and presented a major breakthrough in forensic techniques. 05 August 2021. 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