Harold Jones (murderer) - Knowledge (XXG)

416:, insisting he had heard Jones and his own son working in the store in the early morning of 5 February before the two had been sent to deliver a sack of potatoes to a customer at approximately 10 a.m., later returning to the shop where they worked for the rest of the day. Furthermore, on the third day of the trial, Jones's own father challenged the prosecutor's contention his son had placed Freda's body in the alley on the evening of her murder, insisting his son had not left the family home between the time he had returned home from work and the following morning, and that he would likely have known so had this been the case. His testimony was 272: 440: 556: 291:) that the child had visited the store at approximately 9:05 a.m. and that he had served her a bag of poultry spice, adding that she had also asked for a bag of poultry grit but he had informed her the store only had loose poultry grit. Burnell, he claimed, had left the store to ask her father whether loose poultry grit would suffice, and he had not seen her since. By 3:00 p.m., the Burnell family had informed police Freda was missing, and an exhaustive search for the child was launched. 264: 832: 319:

disappearance was also found on the ground in the shed. In addition, an axe handle determined to have caused the blunt trauma to the child's head was discovered concealed beneath some sacking inside the shed. Aside from his employers, Jones was the only individual in possession of a key to the shed, and investigators established a clear time frame of between 9:15 and 9:40 a.m. when no witnesses had physically seen him inside the store.

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knocked at the Jones residence on the date of her daughter's disappearance, it had taken Jones (the sole occupant in the house at the time) a full two minutes to answer the door, with the explanation he had been bathing when she called. When she asked Jones whether he had seen her daughter, he had smiled before replying: "Florrie's been here, but went through the back way."

796: 222:, in January 1906, the eldest of four children born into a poor family. His father, Phillip, worked as a coal miner and his mother was a housewife. Jones and his siblings attended a local council school where he was regarded as a popular and exemplary pupil, showing a particular flair for sports, and holding aspirations to become a professional 481:

Little, a small egg-saucepan filled with a mixture of blood and water beneath the sink over which he had cut the child's throat, a bloodstained plank of wood measuring nineteen inches in length concealed beneath the family boiler, and a bloodstained table close to the entrance to the attic in which Little's body had been concealed.

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Jones walked free from the courtroom to a private and reportedly tearful reunion with his parents before being escorted to a local restaurant for a meal. At this service, Jones stood upon a table and addressed his numerous supporters with a speech in which he stated: "I thank you all. I do not hold a

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into the death of Burnell was formally opened on 7 March. Jones was one of many individuals called to testify. He performed poorly on the stand; repeatedly giving conflicting testimony as to his actions on the day of the murder and being forced to admit to lying about various aspects of his testimony

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evident via a cord still tied around her neck, with the time of death having been between 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on the date of her disappearance. In addition, Burnell had been gagged, her elbows had been bound behind her back, and her ankles were knotted together. An attempt had also been

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A workman would inform investigators he had passed the precise spot where Burnell's body was discovered just fifteen minutes before the collier had discovered her body, and was adamant the sack had not been there, thus making the most likely time the body had been deposited at this location sometime

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On 11 July, an inquest into the death of Little was formally opened. Again conducted by the deputy coroner for the district, the jury heard testimony on this date that Little had bled to death from the wound to her throat. Also to testify at the inquest was Elsie Little, who stated that when she had

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Police were notified of Little's disappearance at 11:15 p.m., and immediately conducted house-to-house searches. The simultaneous searches of nearby woodland and mountains were assisted by hundreds of local volunteers including Jones. Questioned by police as to whether he had seen Little on the

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Despite the evidence presented at this trial clearly indicating that Burnell had most likely been killed in the shed belonging to Jones's employers, and only Harold and the Mortimer family having access to the key, after deliberating for over five hours the jury found Jones not guilty of the murder,

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Jones left school at age 14 to obtain employment—largely as a means of supplementing his family's income. He found employment at a local oil and seed merchant named Mortimer's Stores. Here, he was known to be a punctual and trustworthy employee who was both capable of managing the shop without help,

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Shortly after Jones was escorted to prison to begin his sentence, a second written statement was read aloud to the court. This statement—also penned prior to his trial—read: "I, Harold Jones, wilfully and deliberately murdered Freda Burnell in Mortimer's Shed on 5 February 1921. The reason for this

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Shortly after the murder of Little, his employer, Herbert Mortimer, closed his shop and relocated with his family from Abertillery. Reportedly, this decision was made due to both a mixture of ostracization from locals regarding the false testimony he had delivered at the Burnell trial, and his own

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When news of Jones's arrest for the suspected murder of a second young girl reached the local public, an irate crowd of approximately 500 people gathered outside the local police station, demanding his immediate release. In response, Superintendent Lewis addressed the crowd, stating: "I have found

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Levi Meyrick's statement asserted he and Mortimer had accompanied Jones as he walked to his employer's shed on the evening of 5 February to retrieve a sack of potatoes scheduled to be delivered to a customer the following morning. Upon returning to his friends from the shed without the potatoes,

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of the murder of his first victim, eight-year-old Freda Burnell, at Monmouthshire Assizes on 21 June 1921. Seventeen days later, he murdered an 11-year-old neighbour named Florence Little. Jones pleaded guilty to Little's murder and also confessed to having murdered Burnell at his second trial.

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The inquest was adjourned until 23 July with the jury subsequently reaching a unanimous verdict of wilful murder against Jones after just thirty minutes' deliberation. When asked if he had anything to say in relation to this verdict and his being committed to again stand trial at Monmouthshire

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to the attic was bloodstained despite evident attempts to clean it, the constable conducting the search entered the attic where he discovered Little's body outstretched across the rafters. Also discovered in the police search of Jones's home were the bloodstained knife Jones had used to murder

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also informed police he had heard a female child's screams emanating from this shed on the actual morning of Burnell's disappearance. When questioned as to these facts, Jones insisted he had not been in the shed on the day of the child's disappearance. Nonetheless, investigators were convinced

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Both Burnell and Little were buried in Brynithel Cemetery. Their graves fell into a state of disrepair over the decades, although a 2017 appeal initiated by a local author named Neil Milkins to restore their graves and headstones raised more than £4,000, he having been inspired to do so after

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The trial of Jones for the murder of Little began at Monmouthshire Assizes on 1 November 1921. He was tried before Mr Justice Bray, with the prosecution contending this murder had been primarily committed due to Jones having enjoyed being "a part of the public eye" due to the attention he had

324:"Halfway down the lane, Harold said: 'You wait here while I go down to the shed.' Harold walked on alone, turned and whispered loudly, 'You lot keep quiet!' ... Harold went into the shed ... when he came out, he locked the shed door and came back to us whispering, 'Keep quiet, keep quiet.'" 318:

Investigators noted that a chicken run in the shed belonging to Jones's employers located just a few hundred yards from where Burnell's body had been discovered had corn chaff extensively scattered upon the ground, and a handkerchief known to have been in her possession at the time of her

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with his sister, Flossie, outside his home at 10 Darran Road. He lured Little into his house on the pretext of asking her to perform an errand for his family. Inside Jones's home, she was instantly partially strangled and dragged into the kitchen, where she was beaten across the head and

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by her parents. She had last been seen by her father, Frederick, at approximately 9 o'clock that morning, having been sent on an errand from her home at 9 Earl Street to purchase poultry spice and grit from Mortimer's Stores in nearby Somerset Street to feed the family

465:. He then wrapped Little's head and neck in a grey army shirt before concealing her partially dressed body in the family attic. Having washed all the bloodstains he noted from the sink, walls, floor, and entrance hatch to the attic, Jones proceeded to bathe himself. 469:

day of her disappearance, Jones repeated the same lie he had earlier recited to Little's mother, Elsie, when she had called upon his house asking as to her daughter's whereabouts: that she had been at his front door, but had then simply "ran off."

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When Burnell had not returned home after an hour, her frantic parents began making inquiries, including at the store Freda had been sent to visit. The 15-year-old assistant at this store, Harold Jones, confirmed to Burnell's father (and later the

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guilt that this false testimony had enabled Jones to subsequently remain at liberty and kill again. It is unknown where the Mortimer family initially relocated to, although the death of Herbert Henry Mortimer, at age 69, was registered in the

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A friend of Jones named Levi Meyrick also informed police that Jones had actively dissuaded him and another youth named Frank Mortimer from accompanying him to the shed at approximately 10:20 p.m. on 5 February; another

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alleged that Jones had murdered Burnell inside the shed belonging to his employers on the morning of 5 February before placing her body in a sack, and placing the body in an alley close to the shed that evening. He pleaded

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on 2 January 1971. At the time of his death, he was employed as a night watchman and living under the alias of Harry Stevens, although before he died, he told his wife the name Harold Jones should be written on his

622:, a series of murders of prostitutes committed between 1964 and 1965 in West London. These theories have only abounded since Jones's death, and he was never contemporarily considered as a suspect in the case. 914:

Following Jones's acquittal of the murder of Burnell, Little had repeatedly informed Jones of her being convinced of his guilt of the crime, although whether she had merely been joking with him is unknown.

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and kill a child simply inconceivable. One of those to greet Jones upon his return was a neighbour named George Little, who greeted him with the statement: "Well done, lad. We knew you didn't do it."

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Assizes for a child murder, Jones—having taken copious notes of the court proceedings—reportedly jumped to his feet and proclaimed his innocence. He was again detained at Usk Prison to await trial.

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the body of the child in the attic of Harold Jones, foully murdered, and I have arrested Harold Jones. I think this is all I can tell you and it would help us if you disperse and go to your homes."

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received following his arrest and acquittal of Burnell's murder weeks earlier, adding that he had made evident attempts to conceal evidence of the crime within his home after the murder.

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Jones would subsequently inform his family that the reason he had washed his own clothes on the date of Little's murder was because he had accidentally dropped them in the bath.

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Upon performing this citizen's arrest on his own son, Phillip Jones stated: "I've got no money; I can't help you this time" before escorting his son to the family home.

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and deliberately murdered Florence Irene Little on 8 July, causing her to die without preparation to meet her God. The reason for doing so being a desire to kill."

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on his son as he conversed with a friend in nearby Mitre Street. Jones then accompanied his father back to Darran Road, where he was placed under formal arrest.

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existed to formally charge him with the crime. In response to this formal charge, Jones replied: "I know it looks black against me, but I never done it." He was

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While awaiting trial, Jones formally confessed to the murder of Little via a written statement dated 17 September. In this statement, Jones described his

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review every five years, although the judge at Jones's trial emphasised that in this instance, a parole hearing would only be held every ten years.

579:. Against the recommendations of a psychiatrist, he was released from prison on parole on 6 December 1941 at age 35, and subsequently joined the 2444: 1861: 2383: 2346: 2308: 2289: 2270: 2251: 2186: 2148: 2129: 1978: 1959: 1940: 1892: 1847: 1799: 1780: 1761: 1742: 1720: 1644: 1571: 1549: 1530: 1511: 1448: 1429: 1403: 1330: 1306: 1284: 1236: 1210: 1191: 1172: 1148: 1071: 1035: 1008: 984: 681: 662: 401:

to the charge, insisting that he had last seen Burnell when he had served her at approximately 9:05 a.m. before she had left the store.

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and authors, the public reception he had experienced following his accusal and acquittal of Burnell's murder had nurtured such a degree of

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with a plank of wood before Jones suspended her head and neck over his sink, grabbed her by the hair, and cut her throat with his father's

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The following morning, Burnell's body was found by a collier concealed in a sack in an alleyway just 300 yards from Mortimer's Stores. Her

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speaking to relatives of both girls, who were upset by the condition of the graves. The girls' graves were subsequently restored in 2018.

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grudge against the people of Abertillery for the horrendous ordeal I have been put through." He subsequently returned to Abertillery in a

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Seventeen days after his acquittal of Burnell's murder, on 8 July, Jones observed a neighbour of his named Florence Irene Little playing

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Although Jones had contradicted himself on several occasions at the initial inquest, he remained calm when called to testify in his own

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Following Jones's acquittal for the murder of Burnell, public opinion had elevated him to a status of wronged hero. According to some

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adorned with flags and bunting to cheers from the local public, most of whom found the notion that a 15-year-old boy could

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Levi Meyrick's statement to police describing Harold Jones's actions between 10:20 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on 5 February 1921.

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Albert Heldon and Detective Sergeant Alfred Soden arrived in the town on 7 February to supervise the investigation.

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in Jones that he had simply murdered Little in order to experience the same public reception and legal acquittal.

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on 1 November 1921. He was released from prison in 1941, later marrying and fathering a child. Jones died of

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Harold Jones's written statement, formally confessing to the murder of Florence Little. 17 September 1921.

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otherwise, and Jones was held in detention at Abertillery Police Station to await the outcome of the

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by his wife, who also stressed her son had always exhibited "good behaviour" towards young girls.

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Exposing Jack the Stripper: A Biography of the Worst Serial Killer You've Probably Never Heard Of

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Exposing Jack the Stripper: A Biography of the Worst Serial Killer You've Probably Never Heard Of

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Exposing Jack the Stripper: A Biography of the Worst Serial Killer You've Probably Never Heard Of

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were also found upon and around Burnell's body, and inside the sack in which she was discovered.

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Jones was brought to trial for the murder of Burnell at Monmouthshire Assizes on 21 June. The

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have broadcast an episode focusing on the murders committed by Harold Jones as part of their

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A Question of Evidence: The Casebook of Great Forensic Controversies, from Napoleon to O.J.

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A Question of Evidence: The Casebook of Great Forensic Controversies, from Napoleon to O.J

1610:"How a Welsh Child Murderer May Have Become one of London's Most Notorious Serial Killers" 883: 768: 631: 544:. As he was under 16 at the time of conviction, he could not be subjected to any form of 484:

Informed of the discovery in his attic, Jones's father left his property and performed a

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On the afternoon of 5 February 1921, Freda Elsie Maud Burnell, aged eight, was reported

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has covered the case of Harold Jones. This episode was first broadcast on 31 July 2021.

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A number of investigators and authors believe Jones to be a likely perpetrator of the

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to scold him and insist he tell the truth). Nonetheless, despite there being little

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Owing to his being under 16 at the time he committed the murders, Jones escaped

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Jones simply informed Meyrick and Mortimer, "I'll pick them up in the morning."

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pertaining to a 2017 campaign spearheaded by the Abertillery community

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returning a unanimous verdict of murder by person or persons unknown.

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in an unsolved series of murders committed by a perpetrator known as

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