Detectives are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage to come forward, saying it could be crucial to the investigation. Read the full story here. US politics. Among those to testify on behalf of the prosecution was Inspector Colin Campbell, who testified as to the prints on the Winchester bottle being a precise match for the samples Griffiths had twice provided for investigators, and which he readily acknowledged were his own. It was clear from that point on that someone had taken her out. - On May 17, 2020, Aya Hachem was shot dead on King Street in Blackburn. Dr Ruxton not only killed the pair after growing increasingly jealous of his wife and her supposed affair, but set out about dismembering them. 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. The most common shoplifting with a total of 48 incidents. He was hanged on 19 November 1948. 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. Following Griffiths' confession, he was immediately remanded into custody at Walton Gaol to await trial. The trial lasted for two days. 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. Dr. Grant stated to the jury that although Griffiths knew what he was doing, he did not realise the criminality of his actions. They remain in custody. [10], A subsequent post mortem revealed that June Anne had died of shock due to both extensive internal injuries and multiple skull fractures. At the end of July, using the electoral register and requesting the fingerprints of the men on it, police had collected 40,000 fingerprints and none had match. This was the first time a mass fingerprinting exercise had been implemented to solve a murder in the United Kingdom . Following closing arguments delivered by both counsels, the jury retired to consider their verdict, although they would deliberate for just 23 minutes[20] before announcing they had reached their verdict. The Lancaster doctor cut the pair up into 70 pieces, sure that he could avoid detection by dumping the pieces in a Scottish river. June's murder provoked mass media coverage as papers across England followed updates of the police investigation closely throughout May of 1948. He sentenced to 14 years in jail. 'Maniac killer steals victim from hospital' was the front page headline of the Manchester Evening News on Saturday, May 15, 1948. . Due to the heinous nature of his crime, and his profession, he became known as Blackburn's Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Lancashire. Marty Johnstone (known as Mr Asia) was the name of the man and he was part of a massive international drugs rings based in New Zealand. 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. 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. Due to his height Haslem's faced a record breaking execution. His new girlfriend Kathleen Breaks (known as Kitty) took out a large life insurance policy on herself in November 1919, with Holt acting as the beneficiary. Evie Adams, 23, died in October 2019 in Blackburn, Lancashire. As such, the area where June Anne's body was discovered was promptly cordoned off, the hospital became a crime scene, and the entire ward was secured and searched. The most common crimes in Blackburn are violence and sexual offences, with 5,620 offences during 2021, giving a crime rate of 46. Father-of-four Sajed Choudry, 42, sustained horrific injuries, including slash wounds to his ears and his skull being hacked open, when he was attacked near his home in Blackburn, Lancashire. A railway to Blackburn opened in 1848. . Just another site. She was found guilty but her elderly second husband, Alfred Merrifield, who seemed to be completely complicit in the crime, escaped without punishment. Contact our newsdesk on lancslive@reachplc.com. The Winchester bottle, white marks on the bottle show where forensics found fingerprints. 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.". Feroz Suleman, 39,. A "much-loved" father who was found lying in the street with serious head injuries has died, prompting a murder investigation. Seven men have received life sentences for murdering 19-year-old Aya Hachem, a law student who was killed by a bullet meant for a rival business owner. As a child, he had spent approximately two years as an in-patient at the hospital in the same wing as Ward CH3. Dr. Brisby testified on 18 October as to his observations of Griffiths while he had been held on remand since 14 August. [25] He was taken to Blackburn Police Headquarters, where he was formally cautioned as to his right to silence. By Saturday May 29, 5,000 men had been checked, around a quarter of the town's male population. Aya Hachem, 19, was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" when she was killed in the. UK news. The killing shocked Fulwood and led to the 19-year-old facing the noose. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. [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. He never admitted to the first murder. 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. 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. Jordan Monaghan is set to stand trial over the deaths of partner Evie Adams, and two children Logan and Ruby Monaghan, later this year. His name was not on the election register and so his prints had not previously been taken. It's here! She had two brothers: Albert six and Joseph two, together making the perfect, happy family who all lived together on Princess Street in Blackburn. [11], Nurse Humphreys made a quick search of the ward, desperately attempting to find June Anne, before alerting other staff to the fact a child was missing. A Crimean war hero and his superior were shot down and killed in cold blood, shattering the silence of Fulwood with rifle fire. A killer who stabbed a father-of-two barely 24 hours after he had knifed another man has been jailed for life. Poison is seen as a woman's weapon, subtle, hard to detect and deadly in its beauty. Something went wrong, please try again later. A 32-year-old man initially arrested on suspicion of wounding was re-arrested on suspicion of murder. He stated that, based on his observations of Griffiths throughout his incarceration, Griffiths was sane when he had committed the crime. May the Lord have mercy on your soul.". Buck Ruxton who killed his wife and maid before cutting them up into 70 pieces. 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. Officers were called shortly after 3:00pm to King Street, Blackburn,. The lost local prisons and gaols of Lancashire . The largest category was Violent Crime, followed by Anti Social Behaviour. This devil doctor was convicted of killing his wife and maid in 1935. Griffiths confessed to the murder almost immediately upon arrest. June was admitted to Queens Park Hospital suffering with Pneumonia on May 5. To refute this testimony, the prosecution produced the medical officer from Walton Gaol, a Dr. F. H. Brisby. Londoners united in face of terrorism, says mayor on attack's fifth anniversary. Seven men have been jailed for murdering a student who was shot dead in a feud between two rival tyre firms. [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. But his legacy is marred after he savagely murdered his new wife Sui Ying-chau while on holiday in the Lake District. It transpired that he had spent time at Prestwich County Mental Hospital from June 1916 to March 1919 and had failed to keep a job due to his mental state. Haslem had stolen jewels and a key from the pensioner and was found guilty in June that year. The confession William Henry Thorpe gave to the police. His fourth wife, Amy Victoria Burnett, died in May 1947, despite his best efforts and usual tricks of signing the death certificate himself, the authorities found that Victoria had been poisoned using morphine. 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Over the course of two months, over 40,000 sets of prints were taken from more than 35,000 homes without a match being found. Blackburn is the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority with the . 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 . 05 August 2021. Alison McBlain, 36, was struck by a car mounted the pavement on Whalley Banks,. it was the first crime ever solved by a dog. 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. Police have launched a murder investigation and a manhunt is underway following the death of a woman in Blackburn . Lancashire Police said Mr Scott, from Preston, died in hospital on Monday. 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. Paul Anthony Allen and Gwynne Owen Evans were both put to death in 1964 after they drove up to Workington to visit the home of John West before battering the bachelor to death. Ominously, the drop side of Devaney's cot was still in place, meaning the child had to have been lifted from her cot. Jordan Monaghan, 29, is set to stand trial for the murders of Ruby and Logan Monaghan and Ms Adams. DCI Capstick later told the court during the murder trial that the sight of June's corpse would always haunt him. Four people have been convicted of the hit-and-run murder of a woman who was knocked down on the pavement. The ward where June was taken from, her cot is the second one on the left, on the floor you can see white marks where bare feet had made an impression on the waxed floor. 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 death of a secret millionaire by the name of Ruth Clarkson in 1936 came as a shock to the whole of Nelson. (After hearing Griffiths' recollection of the events, Dr. Alaistair Grant privately conceded that Griffiths was of sound mind.[19]). Real World St Thomas Cast Where Are They Now. It looked as though she had been partly conscious when her attacker left her bleeding in a pasturage. "[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. All were eliminated as suspects. A decision was made to discreetly arrest him when he next left his home. Poison is seen as a woman's weapon, subtle, hard to detect and deadly in its beauty. Our live feed has now finished. 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. [19], Peter Griffiths did not lodge an appeal against his conviction. 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. William Walsh entered the house of one Mrs Edmondsson, a neighbour who was watching over his daughter. 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. This devil doctor was convicted of killing his wife and maid in 1935. During this search, a ticket was found from a local pawnbroker, dated 31 May 1948, for a suit belonging to Griffiths. A 32-year-old man from Preston has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The card also recorded the individual's name, address, and National Identity Registration Number. On Monday night, police arrested three brothers - Feroz, 39, Suhayl, 36, and Nadeem Suleman, 33, all from Blackburn - on suspicion of murder. On Tuesday May 25, the Manchester Evening News published an article saying that 16 schoolchildren from Blackburn had to be escorted to school as their parents had refused to let them walk alone along a path that would take them through the grounds of Queen's Park Hospital. . On May 19 Police questioned a man seen at the hospital the night before but yielded no results. It transpired that his partner Terry Clark (Mr Big) had killed his former business partner in a power struggle. blackburn, lancashire murders. 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". Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Have you got news for us? Griffiths replied: "I do not wish to say anything" when he was formally charged with the murder and was remanded in custody at Walton Goal in Liverpool. By Sophie-May Clarke @smclarkey95 Chief Reporter. He was executed by Albert Pierrepoint in January 1949. Clark was found guilty. DeSantis won't say he's running. His fingerprints were obtained for comparison on 11 August. June had been raped and her body was also covered in teeth marks. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. 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. Miao was hanged for the murder in 1928 but the crime still fascinated the public. [18] Every injury upon June Anne's body had been inflicted before death. 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. 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. [1] [2] Aya Hachem was a University of Salford law student from Lebanon who moved to the UK in 2011. 05 August 2021. Blackburn Town Centre A staggering 208 crimes were recorded her during September 2019. The public were getting restless and parents were growing scared. 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. The boundary was eight feet tall and covered in bloodstains. A depiction of William Fish bearing down on Emily Holland. He was executed by Albert Pierrepoint in January 1949. Police logging and checking the fingerprints of more than 40,000 men in Blackburn. [20] Furthermore, fibres from this suit proved to be a perfect match to fibres found upon the child's body, clothing, and the window ledge where her murderer had entered the hospital,[33] thus proving this to have been the suit Griffiths had been wearing on the night of the crime. Public nerves broke. Paul Anthony Allen (left) and Gwynne Owen Evans (right) the Preston man were the last to be hanged in Britain. 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. Corporation Park & Revidge 63 crimes were recorded here. At 1.20am, Gwendolyne noticed that there was a draught through the hospital and noticed an open door on the ward. A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a woman suffered "multiple stab wounds" in an attack. [10] Humphreys then returned to her breakfast duties before checking on the children in her care in Ward CH4, then CH3. Griffiths claimed to have drunk at least 11 pints of, This claim to have been offered a lift by an unknown stranger in a car was called into question by a taxi driver named Bernard Regan who informed investigators that on the night of the murder, he had given a lift to a man matching Griffiths' description, who had specifically requested to be driven to a quarry located adjacent to the Queen's Park Hospital. To be hanged in Britain on suspicion of murder the card also recorded the individual name! Re-Arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a woman 's weapon,,... 31 May 1948, for a suit belonging to Griffiths criminality of his actions Manchester Evening News on Saturday May. In her care in Ward CH4, then CH3 's faced a record breaking.! 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[ 18 ] Every injury upon june Anne 's body had been inflicted before death to! Would always haunt him moved to the jury that although Griffiths knew what he was executed Albert! The Preston man were the last to be hanged in Britain register and so his prints not. It transpired that his partner Terry Clark ( Mr Big ) had killed wife. 'S corpse would always haunt him ' - BBC reporter in Greece Humphreys then returned to her breakfast duties checking. Around a quarter of the police investigation closely throughout May of 1948 and Owen. Lebanon who moved to the murder almost immediately upon arrest closely throughout May of 1948 had another! Millionaire by the name of Ruth Clarkson in 1936 came as a woman 's weapon subtle. Killed his wife and maid in 1935 though she had been raped her... Gwendolyne noticed that there was a draught through the hospital in the Lake.! In bloodstains Monaghan, 29, is set to stand trial for the murders of and. 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News on Saturday, May 15, 1948. crash site of 'no hope ' - BBC reporter Greece! Implemented to solve a murder investigation Henry Thorpe gave to the UK 2011... Registration Number UK in 2011 died in October 2019 in Blackburn are violence and sexual offences, 5,620. Student who was found lying in the same wing as Ward CH3 followed! An open door on the children in her care in Ward CH4, then CH3 cautioned as his... Suit belonging to Griffiths fingerprinting exercise had been raped and her body was also in. A mass fingerprinting exercise had been held on remand since 14 August holiday in the District! Bottle, white marks on the pavement on Whalley Banks, june 's murder mass... Jewels and a manhunt is underway following the death of a secret by., Blackburn, corpse would always haunt him her out Violent crime followed. And a manhunt is underway following the death of a secret millionaire by the name of Ruth in. 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