746:
copies of both sets of fingerprints were displayed to the jury, with
Inspector Campbell indicating 16 ridge characteristics which were in agreement on both sets of impressions. 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. Also to testify on behalf of the prosecution were individuals who described how the suit Griffiths had pawned shortly after the murder was found to be heavily bloodstained in several locations on both the jacket and trousers, and that these bloodstains were of the same blood type of June Anne Devaney. The jurors were told how fibres from this suit were of a perfect match to fibres found on the child's clothing, body, and on the window ledge where her murderer had evidently entered the hospital. None of these experts were
556:, was found alongside further footprints—measuring ten-and-a-half inches—which were clearly visible on the highly polished hospital floor; furthermore, the pattern of these stockinged feet impressions evident throughout the ward revealed that June Anne's abductor and murderer had evidently removed his shoes after entering the premises before prowling throughout the ward to view each cot and bed before selecting June Anne's cot as the one from which he chose to abduct his victim. The bottle itself had inexplicably been removed from its customary place (a trolley at the end of the ward) and placed beside the child's cot. This bottle itself was examined for fingerprints, being found to contain several sets.
773:
and then carried her, in his right arm, out of the hospital, down the field to where he had proceeded to beat and rape her, adding that the child had trustingly placed her arms around his neck as he had carried her to this destination. 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. (After hearing
Griffiths' recollection of the events, Dr. Alaistair Grant privately conceded that Griffiths was of
765:(a condition for which he had treated Griffiths' father some thirty years previously when he had been hospitalised with the condition). Dr. Grant stated to the jury that although Griffiths knew what he was doing, he did not realise the criminality of his actions. To refute this testimony, the prosecution produced the medical officer from Walton Gaol, a Dr. F. H. Brisby. Dr. Brisby testified on 18 October as to his observations of Griffiths while he had been held on
671:" before returning home. Griffiths then claimed to have spoken with a man in a parked car, whom he had asked to light his (Griffiths') cigarette. 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." 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.
718:. 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, thus proving this to have been the suit Griffiths had been wearing on the night of the crime. Fibres from a pair of red and blue socks belonging to Griffiths were also discovered to be a perfect match for those retrieved from the footprints upon the waxed floor of Ward CH3.
633:
Griffiths—whose niece had been in Queen's Park
Hospital at the time June Anne had been abducted—supplied them without hesitation. Shortly after 3 p.m. the following day, a comparison for the fingerprints upon the Winchester bottle was made with the fingerprints obtained from Peter Griffiths. Upon discovering the comparison, the fingerprint expert who discovered this match, Colin Campbell, rose to his feet, shouting, "I've got him! It's here!"
2230:
2206:
2218:
807:
707:
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.
219:
679:
carried the child across the field to where he assaulted and murdered her, June Anne had trustingly placed her arms around his neck. 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. He had slept until approximately 9 a.m.
675:
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. According to
Griffiths, he had "hushed her" as he lifted her from the cot, before discreetly leaving the premises through a window to a small room at the end of Ward CH3 close to the lavatories.
2194:
971:
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
772:
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. He also described how he had lifted June Anne Devaney from her cot
745:
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. To demonstrate this, enlarged
636:
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. Investigators chose to withhold this development from the public until they had arrested
Griffiths. A decision was made to
632:
One of the
Blackburn addresses to be checked was that of Peter Griffiths, a 22-year-old ex-serviceman who lived at 31 Birley Street, and who worked as a packer on the night shift at a local flour mill. His fingerprints were obtained for comparison on 11 August. When asked to provide his fingerprints,
619:
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. By way of checking the National Registration Number upon the
480:
I am not ashamed to say I saw it through a mist of tears. Years of detective service had hardened me to many terrible things, but this tiny pathetic body, in its nightdress soaked in blood and mud, was something no man could see unmoved, and it haunts me to this day ... I swore, standing there in the
457:
At 1:20 a.m., Humphreys felt a draught and noticed an open porch door at the end of Ward CH3. She closed the door, then saw that June Anne's cot was empty, and that a trail of adult footprints — made by stockinged feet — were upon the highly waxed floor. Ominously, the drop side of Devaney's cot
678:
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. Nonetheless, in one section of his statement, Griffiths stated that as he had
674:
Griffiths claimed he "remembered being outside" the children's ward, where he found a door unlocked. 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". He had then picked up the Winchester
649:
as to his right to silence. During the ride to police headquarters, and throughout his first interview, Griffiths attempted to deny any involvement, although when confronted with the fact his fingerprints had been a perfect match for those discovered upon the Winchester bottle, he turned towards DCI
575:
After first establishing that no match for this set of fingerprints could be found within the police fingerprint bureau—meaning the perpetrator had not previously been convicted of any crime—attention turned to every male at or over the age of 16 within the local community. In a joint effort between
494:
The discovery of the child's body and the injuries she had suffered immediately sparked a major murder investigation. 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. At 4:20 a.m.,
470:
At 3:17 a.m., police found June Anne's body. She lay face down in the grass directly alongside an eight-foot (2.4 m) tall sandstone boundary wall some 300 feet (91 m) from the ward. Her nightdress was torn and raised to waist level, exposing her buttocks and immediately apparent were
448:
Shortly after midnight on 15 May, nurse Humphreys was in the ward's kitchen preparing the children's breakfast when she heard the cry of a small boy emanating from Ward CH3. She checked the ward, soothed the child — six-year-old Michael Tattersall — and returned him to his cot, noting as she did so
801:
Peter Griffiths, this jury has found you guilty of a crime of the most brutal ferocity. I entirely agree with their verdict. The sentence of the Court is that you be taken from this place to a lawful prison and thence to a place of execution, and that you there suffer death by hanging and may the
531:
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. Numerous teeth marks were also notable on her left buttock, two ante-mortem bruises—the pressure of which indicated had been made by
940:
Such was the level of public outrage generated by the murder of June Anne Devaney, that throughout the duration of this mammoth task, only very seldom did officers encounter a refusal by a member of the public to submit his fingerprints for comparison with those upon the Winchester bottle. On the
706:
On the evening of 13 August, Peter Griffiths was formally charged with the murder of June Anne Devaney. 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
567:
tracing, and fingerprint comparison. The individuals traced included ambulance drivers, nurses' boyfriends, electricians, and tradesmen. All were eliminated as suspects. Following the completion of this exhaustive task, one unidentified set of fingerprints remained. This set of fingerprints was
461:
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. After 30 minutes of fruitless searching, staff contacted the local police, who arrived at 1:55 a.m. and immediately began a search of the
714:, dated 31 May 1948, for a suit belonging to Griffiths. 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. These bloodstains were found to be the same blood type of June Anne Devaney—
580:
in charge of the investigation, DCI John Capstick, then proposed that every male at or over the age of 16 who lived or was in the vicinity of Blackburn (then a town of 123,000 inhabitants) between 14 and 15 May be fingerprinted. The public were asked to cooperate with police throughout this
532:
the application of a human thumb and forefinger—were located upon each of her upper, inner thighs and neck, and puncture wounds from human fingernails were found upon one ankle. Every injury upon June Anne's body had been inflicted before death.
539:
close to the hospital on the night of the crime, Blackburn Police came to believe early in the investigation that the crime would very likely have been committed by a local person, or an individual with extensive local geographical knowledge.
445:. She was placed in Ward CH3 of the premises, being under the supervision of nurse Gwendolyn Humphreys at night. By 14 May, Devaney's condition had improved, and she was due to be discharged from Queen's Park Hospital the following morning.
607:, set about the districts collecting fingerprints and comparing them against those upon the Winchester bottle. 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.
682:
Although Griffiths did not appear to show any remorse for his actions (which he blamed upon his state of intoxication) throughout the course of his confession, he did end his formal statement with a sentence indicating he wished to be
33:
930:
Initial comparison had begun with all persons with general access to the hospital itself—2,017 persons in all. Of these persons, 642 had specific access to the children's ward. All were checked, and all were eliminated from the
658:
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
842:
Just weeks prior to the execution of Peter Griffiths, all the fingerprint records obtained from individuals who had been in the vicinity of Blackburn between 14 and 15 May were publicly destroyed in a mass
941:
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.
789:
delivered by both counsels, the jury retired to consider their verdict, although they would deliberate for just 23 minutes before announcing they had reached their verdict. Peter Griffiths was found
710:
To both substantiate Griffiths' confession, and to garner further evidence, investigators went to his house to conduct a thorough search. During this search, a ticket was found from a local
645:
Peter Griffiths was arrested by DCI Capstick as he left his Blackburn home to attend work on the evening of 12 August. He was taken to Blackburn Police Headquarters, where he was formally
449:
the child in the adjacent cot — June Anne Devaney — was sound asleep. Humphreys then returned to her breakfast duties before checking on the children in her care in Ward CH4, then CH3.
527:
due to both extensive internal injuries and multiple skull fractures. The internal injuries were consistent with the child having been raped, and the multiple, extensive fractures and
985:
Griffiths had been familiar with the layout of Queen's Park Hospital. As a child, he had spent approximately two years as an in-patient at the hospital in the same wing as Ward CH3.
757:
in the United Kingdom at the time). As Griffiths had already admitted to his crime, all that remained was a question of his sanity, and as such, the defence had entered a plea of
581:
undertaking, with the promise that all records obtained would not be compared for usage in other cases, and that these records would be destroyed at the completion of this task.
418:
of every male aged 16 and above who had been in the vicinity of Blackburn on the night of 14–15 May and compared them to those left at the crime scene by the perpetrator.
584:
The mass operation began on 23 May, and a special card was developed so that the identifiable sections of the perpetrator's left hand found upon the bottle (the left
2310:
2265:
572:
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.
407:. Her murderer, 22-year-old Peter Griffiths, was arrested three months after the crime and was subsequently tried and convicted of June Anne's murder. He was
2295:
147:
2255:
769:
since 14 August. He stated that, based on his observations of Griffiths throughout his incarceration, Griffiths was sane when he had committed the crime.
105:
2285:
563:
traced all individuals who could have had a legitimate reason to have been in Ward CH3 within five years prior to the murder for the purposes of both
535:
Considering the area where the body was discovered, plus soon being contacted by a taxi driver who informed police that he had picked up a man with a
624:
against individuals registered at the local Food Office, investigators identified over two hundred men whose fingerprints had not yet been obtained.
861:
754:
603:
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
324:
615:
By late July, investigators had checked the fingerprints of each individual upon the Electoral Register. Each individual had been eliminated. As
2275:
2177:
2129:
2110:
2091:
2053:
2017:
1996:
1836:
1814:
1495:
1450:
1417:
1336:
1270:
1251:
1198:
1154:
597:
2280:
600:. Also on the card was a section pertaining to the individual's stated movements between 11 p.m. on 14 May and 2 a.m. on 15 May.
2300:
761:. This opinion was voiced by Dr. Alaistair Robertson Grant, who stated for the defence that Griffiths was displaying the early signs of
434:
486:
972:
a quarry located adjacent to the Queen's Park Hospital. This taxi driver's account, if correct, suggests the murder of June Anne was
2072:
1977:
1958:
1877:
1795:
1707:
1666:
1514:
1358:
1037:
753:
During the trial, Griffiths' defence counsel openly stated they were not fighting for his freedom, but for his life (murder being a
399:
to her skull when her head was repeatedly swung into a sandstone wall. The assault caused extensive internal injuries and multiple
2305:
2270:
1606:
1006:
621:
1552:
2290:
2160:
1380:
2315:
1556:
2184:
1679:
2250:
1727:
1079:
503:, seeking the assistance of an experienced investigator, who—alongside a sergeant—caught the 6:20 a.m. train from
2325:
596:
and a section of the left palm) could be recorded swiftly. The card also recorded the individual's name, address, and
559:
After all hospital staff had their fingerprints compared against those upon the bottle, a team of detectives from the
1850:
1531:
1221:
830:
on the morning of 19 November 1948. His body was later buried within the confines of the prison. His executioner was
1134:
2166:
508:
425:, being the first time a mass fingerprinting exercise had been employed to solve a murder in the United Kingdom.
2320:
2260:
691:
380:
72:
560:
1306:
896:
715:
504:
2234:
1634:
727:
568:
declared by the head of the Lancashire Fingerprint Bureau to have belonged to the child's murderer. The
549:
524:
438:
404:
239:
84:
1578:
886:
664:
660:
276:
650:
Capstick and stated: "Well, if they are my fingerprints on the bottle, I'll tell you all about it."
375:
which occurred on 15 May 1948 when a girl aged 3 years 11 months was abducted from her cot while an
2146:
1912:
901:
891:
881:
827:
810:
695:
553:
1458:
1167:
876:
831:
793:
of June Anne Devaney's murder. In response to this verdict, Mr. Justice Oliver donned his formal
766:
604:
536:
396:
141:
1776:
1756:
1290:
1050:
1051:"Freedom of Information: Records Released as a Result of Freedom of Information (FOI) Requests"
2171:
2125:
2106:
2087:
2068:
2049:
2032:
2013:
1992:
1973:
1954:
1950:
The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World's Most Baffling Crimes
1873:
1832:
1810:
1791:
1772:
1752:
1703:
1701:
The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World's Most Baffling Crimes
1662:
1510:
1491:
1413:
1354:
1352:
The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World's Most Baffling Crimes
1332:
1286:
1266:
1247:
1194:
1150:
1033:
747:
261:
92:
2198:
921:
All the children in wards CH4 and CH3 on the night of 14–15 May were under the age of seven.
786:
758:
735:
422:
866:
577:
496:
1109:
1080:"The Fingerprint Society Commemorates 60 Years Since Landmark Fingerprint Identification"
421:
The investigation into the murder of June Anne Devaney was a milestone in the history of
1890:
2222:
646:
569:
472:
400:
183:
88:
1610:
2244:
2007:
973:
951:
762:
589:
500:
257:
2155:
1583:
851:. Several local journalists were present to record the destruction of the records.
844:
687:
for his crime: "I'm sorry for both parents' sake and I hope I get what I deserve."
616:
528:
415:
372:
1948:
826:
Peter Griffiths did not lodge an appeal against his conviction. He was hanged at
2205:
2151:
871:
790:
593:
520:
806:
2210:
1680:"The Blackburn Child Killer and Rapist who Changed Criminal Forensics Forever"
955:
711:
585:
388:
308:
218:
57:
2036:
162:
149:
120:
107:
1087:
848:
794:
458:
was still in place, meaning the child had to have been lifted from her cot.
442:
384:
376:
53:
726:
The trial of Peter Griffiths began on 15 October 1948. He was tried before
32:
959:
668:
296:
224:
1942:. Notable British Trials series. London: William Hodge and Company Ltd.
731:
684:
408:
265:
243:
391:. The child was removed to the grounds of the hospital, where she was
774:
314:
475:, bludgeoning about her face, and blood exuding from her nostrils.
1579:"Finger-Print Check: House-to-House Inquiry Into Blackburn Murder"
1553:"A Three-year-old's Brutal Murder Begins an Unusual Investigation"
805:
576:
local police forces and senior detectives from Scotland Yard, the
564:
739:
392:
1301:
1299:
813:. Griffiths was hanged within the grounds of this prison on 19
1851:"Federal Bureau of Investigation Law Enforcement Bulletin"
1532:"Federal Bureau of Investigation Law Enforcement Bulletin"
1222:"Federal Bureau of Investigation Law Enforcement Bulletin"
1007:"FreeBMD: Births Registered: July, August, September 1944"
1940:
The Trial of Peter Griffiths (The Blackburn Baby Murder)
1135:"The History of the First Mass Fingerprinting Operation"
667:. He had then decided to walk around in an attempt to "
2009:
Bloody Business: An Anecdotal History of Scotland Yard
2182:
1525:
1523:
950:
Griffiths claimed to have drunk at least 11 pints of
690:
Following Griffiths' confession, he was immediately
2031:(53). London, England: Eaglemoss Publications Ltd.
351:
343:
335:
330:
320:
306:
292:
282:
272:
250:
232:
209:
197:
189:
179:
137:
98:
80:
65:
46:
23:
2027:Lane, Bran (1993). "I Hope I Get What I Deserve".
637:discreetly arrest him when he next left his home.
481:rain, that I would bring her murderer to justice.
471:extensive bloodstains upon her clothing, numerous
1913:"Peter Griffiths. Date Of Execution: 19 Nov 1948"
1381:"A Brutal Murder Begins an Unusual Investigation"
1060:. HM Government of the United Kingdom. June 2005
403:, causing the child to develop a fatal state of
1187:
1185:
1086:. The Fingerprint Society. 2008. Archived from
799:
478:
1215:
1213:
1211:
1209:
1207:
441:on 5 May 1948, to recover from a mild bout of
2084:The Evil that Men Do: Twenty Man-made Murders
2012:. University of Michigan: St. Martins Press.
1825:
1823:
1808:The Evil that Men Do: Twenty Man-made Murders
1730:. The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 February 1954
1655:
1653:
1651:
1649:
1647:
1645:
1484:
1482:
1480:
1478:
1476:
1406:
1404:
1402:
1347:
1345:
1240:
1238:
8:
1953:. New York City: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
1893:. The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 October 1948
1026:
1024:
2124:. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishing.
2105:. California: Harcourt, Brace & World.
1915:. Britishexecutions.co.uk. 19 November 1948
1722:
1720:
1718:
1716:
433:June Anne Devaney had been admitted to the
1891:"Split Mind Defence in Child Murder Trial"
1375:
1373:
1371:
1369:
1367:
217:
206:
31:
20:
1444:
1442:
1440:
1438:
1436:
1434:
1432:
1430:
1428:
1426:
962:on the night he killed June Anne Devaney.
785:The trial lasted for two days. Following
1609:. NHS Information Centre. Archived from
1168:"Avalanche Journal: Sunday May 16, 1948"
862:Capital punishment in the United Kingdom
414:To solve the crime, police obtained the
2189:
2147:case file pertaining to Peter Griffiths
998:
914:
16:1948 child murder in Blackburn, England
2086:. London: Robert Hale Publishers Ltd.
742:to the charge of murder on this date.
738:, and chose to enter a formal plea of
2311:May 1948 events in the United Kingdom
2266:Child abduction in the United Kingdom
598:National Identity Registration Number
7:
523:revealed that June Anne had died of
227:, taken after his August 1948 arrest
2296:Incidents of violence against girls
2067:. London: Robinson Publishing Ltd.
1137:. mentalfloss.com. 25 October 2015.
1009:. freebmd.org.uk. 19 September 2001
548:Beside Devaney's cot, a glass 1946
2256:1948 murders in the United Kingdom
1987:Innes, Brian; Jane Singer (2008).
1682:. Lancashire Live. 27 October 2019
14:
2065:The Murder Guide to Great Britain
1871:The Murder Guide to Great Britain
1789:The Murder Guide to Great Britain
1660:The Murder Guide to Great Britain
1508:The Murder Guide to Great Britain
1451:"The Murder of June Anne Devaney"
1031:The Murder Guide to Great Britain
102:Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn
2286:History of Blackburn with Darwen
2228:
2216:
2204:
2192:
2046:Chronicle of 20th Century Murder
1830:Chronicle of 20th Century Murder
1489:Chronicle of 20th Century Murder
1245:Chronicle of 20th Century Murder
1170:. Avalanche Journal. 16 May 1948
759:not guilty by reason of insanity
75:, Blackburn, Lancashire, England
1932:Cited works and further reading
1385:This Day in History — 5/14/1948
797:and made the following speech:
750:by Griffiths' defence counsel.
2048:. Wiltshire: Select Editions.
499:of Blackburn Police contacted
1:
2276:Child sexual abuse in England
1972:. London: Hamlyn Publishing.
1849:Carl Mulvey (18 March 1949).
1530:Carl Mulvey (18 March 1949).
1307:"Case Study: Peter Griffiths"
1220:Carl Mulvey (18 March 1949).
1110:"Sixty Years of Fingerprints"
802:Lord have mercy on your soul.
395:, before suffering extensive
38:
2103:The Century of the Detective
1991:. New York City: Routledge.
1989:Fingerprints and Impressions
1148:The Century of the Detective
2281:Deaths by person in England
2173:Murder of June Anne Devaney
2162:Murder of June Anne Devaney
1319:– via basd.k12.wi.us.
611:Further fingerprint records
369:murder of June Anne Devaney
286:The Blackburn Baby Murderer
2342:
2301:Kidnapped English children
1728:"Ten Million Fingerprints"
1115:. BBC News. 20 August 2008
462:hospital and its grounds.
288:The Blackburn Child Killer
254:19 November 1948 (aged 22)
2101:Thorwald, JĂĽrgen (1965).
2006:Jeffers, H. Paul (1992).
663:, he had become severely
578:Detective Chief Inspector
487:Detective Chief Inspector
361:
302:
216:
30:
2082:Lloyd, Georgina (1989).
958:of rum, and one pint of
552:, partially filled with
201:Albert and Emily Devaney
2306:Kidnapping in the 1940s
2271:Child murder in England
1938:Godwin, George (1950).
1607:"1939 Register Service"
561:Lancashire Constabulary
2120:Wilson, Colin (1993).
897:Murder of Mona Tinsley
818:
804:
483:
163:53.766312°N 2.473279°W
2291:History of Lancashire
2178:The National Archives
1947:Evans, Colin (1996).
1635:The Milwaukee Journal
1058:The National Archives
809:
692:remanded into custody
620:most recently issued
439:Blackburn, Lancashire
435:Queen's Park Hospital
411:on 19 November 1948.
381:Queen's Park Hospital
240:Blackburn, Lancashire
73:Queen's Park Hospital
2316:Murder in Lancashire
2063:Lane, Brian (1991).
2044:Lane, Brian (1995).
1968:Hall, Angus (1976).
887:List of executioners
847:exercise at a local
702:Formal murder charge
453:Abduction and murder
339:June Anne Devaney, 3
277:Execution by hanging
168:53.766312; -2.473279
121:53.73722°N 2.46111°W
69:15 May 1948 (aged 3)
2251:1940s in Lancashire
2145:British Executions
2122:Murder in the 1940s
902:Murder of Vera Page
892:List of kidnappings
882:HM Prison Liverpool
828:HM Prison Liverpool
811:HM Prison Liverpool
273:Cause of death
159: /
117: /
81:Cause of death
2326:Torture in England
1632:"Was it Murder?".
1613:on 9 November 2012
877:Child Sexual Abuse
832:Albert Pierrepoint
819:
728:Mr. Justice Oliver
605:Electoral Register
429:Hospital admission
397:blunt force trauma
142:Blackburn Cemetery
126:53.73722; -2.46111
2152:June Anne Devaney
2131:978-0-881-84962-2
2112:978-0-151-16350-2
2093:978-0-709-03530-5
2055:978-0-425-14649-1
2019:978-0-886-87678-4
1998:978-0-765-68114-0
1837:978-0-425-14649-1
1815:978-0-709-03530-5
1771:(1993) Issue 53.
1751:(1993) Issue 53.
1496:978-0-425-14649-1
1449:Woodruff, Lorna.
1418:978-1-850-51170-0
1337:978-1-850-51170-0
1285:(1993) Issue 53.
1271:978-1-850-51170-0
1252:978-0-425-14649-1
1199:978-1-850-51170-0
1155:978-0-151-16350-2
787:closing arguments
550:Winchester bottle
365:
364:
262:Walton, Liverpool
205:
204:
93:internal injuries
25:June Anne Devaney
2333:
2233:
2232:
2231:
2221:
2220:
2219:
2209:
2208:
2197:
2196:
2195:
2188:
2135:
2116:
2097:
2078:
2059:
2040:
2029:Real-Life Crimes
2023:
2002:
1983:
1970:Crimes of Horror
1964:
1943:
1925:
1924:
1922:
1920:
1909:
1903:
1902:
1900:
1898:
1887:
1881:
1868:
1862:
1861:
1859:
1857:
1846:
1840:
1827:
1818:
1805:
1799:
1786:
1780:
1769:Real-Life Crimes
1766:
1760:
1749:Real-Life Crimes
1746:
1740:
1739:
1737:
1735:
1724:
1711:
1698:
1692:
1691:
1689:
1687:
1676:
1670:
1657:
1640:
1639:
1629:
1623:
1622:
1620:
1618:
1603:
1597:
1596:
1594:
1592:
1575:
1569:
1568:
1566:
1564:
1549:
1543:
1542:
1540:
1538:
1527:
1518:
1505:
1499:
1486:
1471:
1470:
1468:
1466:
1457:. Archived from
1446:
1421:
1411:Crimes of Horror
1408:
1397:
1396:
1394:
1392:
1377:
1362:
1349:
1340:
1330:Crimes of Horror
1327:
1321:
1320:
1318:
1316:
1311:
1303:
1294:
1283:Real-Life Crimes
1280:
1274:
1264:Crimes of Horror
1261:
1255:
1242:
1233:
1232:
1230:
1228:
1217:
1202:
1192:Crimes of Horror
1189:
1180:
1179:
1177:
1175:
1164:
1158:
1145:
1139:
1138:
1131:
1125:
1124:
1122:
1120:
1114:
1106:
1100:
1099:
1097:
1095:
1084:Fpsociety.org.uk
1076:
1070:
1069:
1067:
1065:
1055:
1047:
1041:
1028:
1019:
1018:
1016:
1014:
1003:
986:
983:
977:
976:from the outset.
969:
963:
948:
942:
938:
932:
928:
922:
919:
816:
698:to await trial.
490:
423:forensic science
353:Date apprehended
321:Criminal penalty
311:
283:Other names
221:
207:
174:
173:
171:
170:
169:
164:
160:
157:
156:
155:
152:
132:
131:
129:
128:
127:
122:
118:
115:
114:
113:
110:
87:due to multiple
40:
35:
21:
2341:
2340:
2336:
2335:
2334:
2332:
2331:
2330:
2321:Rape in England
2261:1948 in England
2241:
2240:
2239:
2229:
2227:
2217:
2215:
2203:
2193:
2191:
2183:
2142:
2132:
2119:
2113:
2100:
2094:
2081:
2075:
2062:
2056:
2043:
2026:
2020:
2005:
1999:
1986:
1980:
1967:
1961:
1946:
1937:
1934:
1929:
1928:
1918:
1916:
1911:
1910:
1906:
1896:
1894:
1889:
1888:
1884:
1869:
1865:
1855:
1853:
1848:
1847:
1843:
1828:
1821:
1806:
1802:
1787:
1783:
1767:
1763:
1747:
1743:
1733:
1731:
1726:
1725:
1714:
1699:
1695:
1685:
1683:
1678:
1677:
1673:
1658:
1643:
1631:
1630:
1626:
1616:
1614:
1605:
1604:
1600:
1590:
1588:
1577:
1576:
1572:
1562:
1560:
1559:. 27 July 2019
1551:
1550:
1546:
1536:
1534:
1529:
1528:
1521:
1506:
1502:
1487:
1474:
1464:
1462:
1461:on 4 April 2012
1448:
1447:
1424:
1409:
1400:
1390:
1388:
1379:
1378:
1365:
1350:
1343:
1328:
1324:
1314:
1312:
1309:
1305:
1304:
1297:
1281:
1277:
1262:
1258:
1243:
1236:
1226:
1224:
1219:
1218:
1205:
1190:
1183:
1173:
1171:
1166:
1165:
1161:
1146:
1142:
1133:
1132:
1128:
1118:
1116:
1112:
1108:
1107:
1103:
1093:
1091:
1090:on 6 March 2012
1078:
1077:
1073:
1063:
1061:
1053:
1049:
1048:
1044:
1029:
1022:
1012:
1010:
1005:
1004:
1000:
995:
990:
989:
984:
980:
970:
966:
949:
945:
939:
935:
929:
925:
920:
916:
911:
906:
867:Child abduction
857:
840:
824:
814:
783:
755:capital offence
724:
704:
656:
643:
630:
613:
546:
517:
497:chief constable
492:
485:
473:skull fractures
468:
455:
431:
401:skull fractures
354:
307:
293:Criminal status
287:
268:
255:
246:
237:
228:
212:
211:Peter Griffiths
167:
165:
161:
158:
153:
150:
148:
146:
145:
144:
125:
123:
119:
116:
111:
108:
106:
104:
103:
99:Body discovered
89:skull fractures
76:
70:
61:
51:
42:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
2339:
2337:
2329:
2328:
2323:
2318:
2313:
2308:
2303:
2298:
2293:
2288:
2283:
2278:
2273:
2268:
2263:
2258:
2253:
2243:
2242:
2238:
2237:
2235:United Kingdom
2225:
2213:
2201:
2181:
2180:
2169:
2158:
2149:
2141:
2140:External links
2138:
2137:
2136:
2130:
2117:
2111:
2098:
2092:
2079:
2073:
2060:
2054:
2041:
2024:
2018:
2003:
1997:
1984:
1978:
1965:
1959:
1944:
1933:
1930:
1927:
1926:
1904:
1882:
1863:
1841:
1819:
1800:
1781:
1761:
1741:
1712:
1693:
1671:
1641:
1624:
1598:
1570:
1544:
1519:
1500:
1472:
1455:Cottontown.org
1422:
1398:
1363:
1341:
1322:
1295:
1275:
1256:
1234:
1203:
1181:
1159:
1140:
1126:
1101:
1071:
1042:
1020:
997:
996:
994:
991:
988:
987:
978:
964:
943:
933:
923:
913:
912:
910:
907:
905:
904:
899:
894:
889:
884:
879:
874:
869:
864:
858:
856:
853:
839:
836:
823:
820:
817:November 1948.
782:
779:
748:cross-examined
723:
720:
703:
700:
655:
652:
642:
639:
629:
628:Identification
626:
612:
609:
545:
542:
516:
513:
477:
467:
464:
454:
451:
430:
427:
363:
362:
359:
358:
357:12 August 1948
355:
352:
349:
348:
345:
341:
340:
337:
333:
332:
328:
327:
322:
318:
317:
312:
304:
303:
300:
299:
294:
290:
289:
284:
280:
279:
274:
270:
269:
256:
252:
248:
247:
238:
234:
230:
229:
222:
214:
213:
210:
203:
202:
199:
195:
194:
191:
190:Known for
187:
186:
181:
177:
176:
139:
135:
134:
100:
96:
95:
91:and extensive
82:
78:
77:
71:
67:
63:
62:
52:
48:
44:
43:
36:
28:
27:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
2338:
2327:
2324:
2322:
2319:
2317:
2314:
2312:
2309:
2307:
2304:
2302:
2299:
2297:
2294:
2292:
2289:
2287:
2284:
2282:
2279:
2277:
2274:
2272:
2269:
2267:
2264:
2262:
2259:
2257:
2254:
2252:
2249:
2248:
2246:
2236:
2226:
2224:
2214:
2212:
2207:
2202:
2200:
2190:
2186:
2179:
2175:
2174:
2170:
2168:
2164:
2163:
2159:
2157:
2153:
2150:
2148:
2144:
2143:
2139:
2133:
2127:
2123:
2118:
2114:
2108:
2104:
2099:
2095:
2089:
2085:
2080:
2076:
2074:1-854-87083-1
2070:
2066:
2061:
2057:
2051:
2047:
2042:
2038:
2034:
2030:
2025:
2021:
2015:
2011:
2010:
2004:
2000:
1994:
1990:
1985:
1981:
1979:1-85051-170-5
1975:
1971:
1966:
1962:
1960:0-471-07650-3
1956:
1952:
1951:
1945:
1941:
1936:
1935:
1931:
1914:
1908:
1905:
1892:
1886:
1883:
1879:
1878:1-854-87083-1
1875:
1872:
1867:
1864:
1852:
1845:
1842:
1838:
1834:
1831:
1826:
1824:
1820:
1816:
1812:
1809:
1804:
1801:
1797:
1796:1-854-87083-1
1793:
1790:
1785:
1782:
1778:
1774:
1770:
1765:
1762:
1758:
1754:
1750:
1745:
1742:
1729:
1723:
1721:
1719:
1717:
1713:
1709:
1708:0-471-07650-3
1705:
1702:
1697:
1694:
1681:
1675:
1672:
1668:
1667:1-854-87083-1
1664:
1661:
1656:
1654:
1652:
1650:
1648:
1646:
1642:
1638:. 3 May 1954.
1637:
1636:
1628:
1625:
1612:
1608:
1602:
1599:
1587:. 24 May 1948
1586:
1585:
1580:
1574:
1571:
1558:
1554:
1548:
1545:
1533:
1526:
1524:
1520:
1516:
1515:1-854-87083-1
1512:
1509:
1504:
1501:
1497:
1493:
1490:
1485:
1483:
1481:
1479:
1477:
1473:
1460:
1456:
1452:
1445:
1443:
1441:
1439:
1437:
1435:
1433:
1431:
1429:
1427:
1423:
1419:
1415:
1412:
1407:
1405:
1403:
1399:
1387:. History.com
1386:
1382:
1376:
1374:
1372:
1370:
1368:
1364:
1360:
1359:0-471-07650-3
1356:
1353:
1348:
1346:
1342:
1338:
1334:
1331:
1326:
1323:
1308:
1302:
1300:
1296:
1292:
1288:
1284:
1279:
1276:
1272:
1268:
1265:
1260:
1257:
1253:
1249:
1246:
1241:
1239:
1235:
1223:
1216:
1214:
1212:
1210:
1208:
1204:
1200:
1196:
1193:
1188:
1186:
1182:
1169:
1163:
1160:
1156:
1152:
1149:
1144:
1141:
1136:
1130:
1127:
1111:
1105:
1102:
1089:
1085:
1081:
1075:
1072:
1059:
1052:
1046:
1043:
1039:
1038:1-854-87083-1
1035:
1032:
1027:
1025:
1021:
1008:
1002:
999:
992:
982:
979:
975:
968:
965:
961:
957:
954:, two double
953:
947:
944:
937:
934:
927:
924:
918:
915:
908:
903:
900:
898:
895:
893:
890:
888:
885:
883:
880:
878:
875:
873:
870:
868:
865:
863:
860:
859:
854:
852:
850:
846:
837:
835:
833:
829:
821:
812:
808:
803:
798:
796:
792:
788:
780:
778:
776:
770:
768:
764:
763:schizophrenia
760:
756:
751:
749:
743:
741:
737:
733:
729:
721:
719:
717:
713:
708:
701:
699:
697:
693:
688:
686:
680:
676:
672:
670:
666:
662:
653:
651:
648:
640:
638:
634:
627:
625:
623:
618:
610:
608:
606:
601:
599:
595:
591:
590:middle finger
587:
582:
579:
573:
571:
566:
562:
557:
555:
554:sterile water
551:
544:Investigation
543:
541:
538:
533:
530:
526:
522:
519:A subsequent
514:
512:
510:
506:
502:
501:Scotland Yard
498:
491:
489:John Capstick
488:
482:
476:
474:
465:
463:
459:
452:
450:
446:
444:
440:
436:
428:
426:
424:
419:
417:
412:
410:
406:
402:
398:
394:
390:
386:
382:
378:
374:
371:is a British
370:
360:
356:
350:
346:
342:
338:
334:
329:
326:
323:
319:
316:
313:
310:
309:Conviction(s)
305:
301:
298:
295:
291:
285:
281:
278:
275:
271:
267:
263:
259:
258:Walton Prison
253:
249:
245:
241:
235:
231:
226:
220:
215:
208:
200:
196:
193:Murder victim
192:
188:
185:
182:
178:
175:(approximate)
172:
143:
140:
138:Resting place
136:
133:(approximate)
130:
101:
97:
94:
90:
86:
83:
79:
74:
68:
64:
59:
55:
49:
45:
34:
29:
22:
19:
2172:
2161:
2156:Find a Grave
2121:
2102:
2083:
2064:
2045:
2028:
2008:
1988:
1969:
1949:
1939:
1919:27 September
1917:. Retrieved
1907:
1895:. Retrieved
1885:
1870:
1866:
1854:. Retrieved
1844:
1829:
1807:
1803:
1788:
1784:
1768:
1764:
1748:
1744:
1732:. Retrieved
1700:
1696:
1684:. Retrieved
1674:
1659:
1633:
1627:
1615:. Retrieved
1611:the original
1601:
1589:. Retrieved
1584:The Guardian
1582:
1573:
1561:. Retrieved
1547:
1535:. Retrieved
1507:
1503:
1488:
1465:27 September
1463:. Retrieved
1459:the original
1454:
1410:
1391:27 September
1389:. Retrieved
1384:
1351:
1329:
1325:
1313:. Retrieved
1282:
1278:
1263:
1259:
1244:
1225:. Retrieved
1191:
1172:. Retrieved
1162:
1147:
1143:
1129:
1119:30 September
1117:. Retrieved
1104:
1094:27 September
1092:. Retrieved
1088:the original
1083:
1074:
1064:27 September
1062:. Retrieved
1057:
1045:
1030:
1011:. Retrieved
1001:
981:
974:premeditated
967:
946:
936:
926:
917:
841:
825:
800:
784:
771:
752:
744:
732:assize court
725:
709:
705:
689:
681:
677:
673:
661:closing time
657:
644:
635:
631:
622:ration books
617:World War II
614:
602:
583:
574:
558:
547:
537:local accent
534:
529:blunt trauma
518:
493:
484:
479:
469:
460:
456:
447:
432:
420:
416:fingerprints
413:
373:child murder
368:
366:
236:January 1926
18:
2167:History.com
1798:pp. 130-131
1557:history.com
1339:pp. 130-131
872:Child Abuse
696:Walton Gaol
665:intoxicated
594:ring finger
521:post mortem
515:Post mortem
347:15 May 1948
223:Griffiths'
180:Nationality
166: /
124: /
41:spring 1948
2245:Categories
1897:24 January
1734:27 January
1315:5 December
1013:27 January
993:References
781:Conviction
775:sound mind
740:not guilty
712:pawnbroker
654:Confession
586:forefinger
389:Lancashire
151:53°45′59″N
109:53°44′14″N
58:Lancashire
2199:Biography
2037:1354-9502
1777:1354-9502
1757:1354-9502
1617:4 October
1591:1 January
1563:1 January
1291:1354-9502
849:papermill
838:Aftermath
822:Execution
795:black cap
736:Lancaster
647:cautioned
509:Blackburn
466:Discovery
443:pneumonia
385:Blackburn
377:inpatient
198:Parent(s)
154:2°28′24″W
112:2°27′40″W
60:, England
54:Blackburn
50:June 1944
37:Devaney,
960:Guinness
931:inquiry.
855:See also
669:sober up
297:Executed
225:mug shot
2223:England
2185:Portals
1779:p. 1169
1759:p. 1167
1686:23 June
1293:p. 1165
1174:30 June
1113:(Video)
845:pulping
730:at the
336:Victims
331:Details
266:England
244:England
184:British
2128:
2109:
2090:
2071:
2052:
2035:
2016:
1995:
1976:
1957:
1880:p. 131
1876:
1856:9 July
1839:p. 175
1835:
1813:
1794:
1775:
1755:
1710:p. 109
1706:
1669:p. 130
1665:
1537:7 July
1517:p. 129
1513:
1498:p. 174
1494:
1420:p. 132
1416:
1361:p. 108
1357:
1335:
1289:
1273:p. 130
1269:
1254:p. 173
1250:
1227:6 July
1201:p. 129
1197:
1157:p. 110
1153:
1040:p. 132
1036:
952:bitter
815:
791:guilty
767:remand
716:type A
685:hanged
641:Arrest
570:ridges
505:Euston
409:hanged
315:Murder
1817:p. 73
1310:(PDF)
1054:(PDF)
956:shots
909:Notes
722:Trial
565:alibi
525:shock
405:shock
393:raped
325:Death
85:Shock
2126:ISBN
2107:ISBN
2088:ISBN
2069:ISBN
2050:ISBN
2033:ISSN
2014:ISBN
1993:ISBN
1974:ISBN
1955:ISBN
1921:2012
1899:2019
1874:ISBN
1858:2017
1833:ISBN
1811:ISBN
1792:ISBN
1773:ISSN
1753:ISSN
1736:2021
1704:ISBN
1688:2021
1663:ISBN
1619:2012
1593:2024
1565:2024
1539:2017
1511:ISBN
1492:ISBN
1467:2012
1414:ISBN
1393:2012
1355:ISBN
1333:ISBN
1317:2022
1287:ISSN
1267:ISBN
1248:ISBN
1229:2017
1195:ISBN
1176:2017
1151:ISBN
1121:2012
1096:2012
1066:2012
1034:ISBN
1015:2021
495:the
367:The
344:Date
251:Died
233:Born
66:Died
47:Born
2211:Law
2176:at
2165:at
2154:at
777:.)
734:of
694:at
507:to
437:in
383:in
379:at
2247::
1822:^
1715:^
1644:^
1581:.
1555:.
1522:^
1475:^
1453:.
1425:^
1401:^
1383:.
1366:^
1344:^
1298:^
1237:^
1206:^
1184:^
1082:.
1056:.
1023:^
834:.
592:,
588:,
511:.
387:,
264:,
260:,
242:,
56:,
39:c.
2187::
2134:.
2115:.
2096:.
2077:.
2058:.
2039:.
2022:.
2001:.
1982:.
1963:.
1923:.
1901:.
1860:.
1738:.
1690:.
1621:.
1595:.
1567:.
1541:.
1469:.
1395:.
1231:.
1178:.
1123:.
1098:.
1068:.
1017:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
