Courtroom Ghosts

Britain’s most prolific serial killer of the modern age, whose photo I will not be sharing here, worked for a number of years at The Surgery at 21 Market Street, in the small Tameside town of Hyde. The town has the unfortunate distinction of being associated with two of the 20th century's most notorious cases of serial murder, for it was here that Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were living at the time of their arrest in October 1965. Just under thirty-three years later, Harold Shipman, a popular local GP, was arrested for the murder of one of his patients by means of the powerful opiate diamorphine; like the Moors Murderers, Shipman would be handed a whole life order. Shipman was caught because he forged the will of a patient, making changes to award himself a great deal of money. The patient, Kathleen Grundy, was a well-known figure in the local community who had once been the Mayoress of Hyde, and who had died in June 1998 at the age of 81. When her GP, Dr Shipman, told her family t...

Violent crime  committed by women is extremely rare (more than 90% of homicides are carried out by men), and sexually-motivated murders involving female perpetrators are even more unusual. So much so, in fact, that the names of the few women who have been convicted of such offences take on an almost mythical status in the collective consciousness.  One such killer is Myra Hindley. Even after her death, the public fascination with her continues.  There is a Trevor McDonald  documentary on ITV that claims that Myra Hindley and Rosemary West had a love affair while both imprisoned at Durham. It seems that there is always another angle, something new to say. But really it is just the same mugshot displayed over and over again on a outraged, horrified loop. I think most people know her story and have seen her photograph, so I'm choosing not to include either here. As much as I find crime in general interesting, I am growing increasingly uncomfortable with the way true cri...

Before I begin, I should say this post is massively tainted by my own biases and opinions, but that shouldn't be a problem because I'm right about it all. This is Mrs Georgina Weldon, one of my heroes. Mrs Weldon was born Georgina Thomas in 1837. Her father had inherited a great deal of money and as a consequence, decided to dedicate his time to being a Conservative MP, as dreadfully rich people are sometimes wont to do. Most of Georgina's childhood was spent in Italy being a talented opera singer, but in her late teens she decided to marry a lieutenant called William Weldon. Georgina's father most certainly did not approve of the marriage and so he disinherited her. It turned out that Georgina's new hubbie, Mr Weldon, was a bit of an arse, who not only refused to allow his wife to perform professionally on stage, but also had a long-standing affair, complete with love-child. Georgina, meanwhile, remained childless. Horrible Mr Weldon Eventually, Georgina Weldon too...

Evaline Hilda Burkitt In April 1914, thirty-seven-year-old Evaline Hilda Burkitt (known by her middle name) and twenty-two-year-old Florence Tunks undertook an arson campaign. First, the pair set fire to two wheat stacks at a farm in Suffolk, causing £340 worth of damage. Next, they burned down the Pavilion at the Britannia Pier in Great Yarmouth. Finally, on 28th April, they attacked the Bath Hotel in Felixstowe. This last fire caused around £35,000 of damage. Nobody was hurt in any of the blazes and indeed the women had never intended for there to be any casualties. Instead, their arson campaign was part of a wider political struggle which by 1914 had developed a level of militancy which was utterly shocking by the standards of the day. Hilda and Florence were Suffragettes and their aims were simple - they would achieve Votes for Women, using Deeds not Words. Westminster Gazette , 30th May 1914 The two women were tried at the Suffolk Assizes in Bury St Edmunds and they reportedly spe...