Sentenced to Death Over an Apple

A market trader who believed that a teenager had stolen an apple from her stall stabbed him, leading to her being found guilty and sentenced to death.

On the evening of Saturday 30th November 1872 a seventeen year old named Thomas Jones and a friend attended a play at the Royal Amphitheatre, stood on the site of the present Royal Court. At 730pm they came out during the refreshment break and as they walked down Great Charlotte Street, a fruit dealer named Catherine Hanlon rushed after the pair and accused Thomas of stealing an apple. He denied this but as she held his collar with one hand she then struck him with the other, then stabbed him in the abdomen.

Fifty year old Hanlon was apprehended immediately and Thomas was rushed to the Royal Infirmary with his bowels protruding. The following day, his condition being described as critical, he gave a deposition stating that he had not stolen any apple. At the police court on the Monday morning Hanlon was remanded in custody charged with attempted murder and told by the magistrate that Thomas was unlikely to survive. He died from his injuries later that day. 

An inquest took place on 4th December where Thomas's friend Thomas Beamer gave evidence. He said he did not see whether or not Hanlon had a knife, but when he saw his friend's bowels hanging out after he unbuttoned his trousers he ran away fearing he would be stabbed next. A stonemason said that when Hanlon and Thomas were arguing, the youth was pointing to an apple lying in the roadway.

The police constable who took Hanlon into custody said that she had first said Thomas was messing about with cauliflowers and that it was another lady who had stabbed him. A verdict of wilful murder was returning, leading to Hanlon being brought before the police court again to be committed for trial.

At the Liverpool assizes on 17th December Hanlon's solicitor claimed that the charge should be reduced to manslaughter as the stealing of an apple was provocation. In summing up though Mr Justice Mellor said he could not see how the charge cold be reduced and that if the jury were satisfied Hanlon had carried out the stabbing she was guilty of murder.

Hanlon was found guilty and sentenced to death. She was taken to Kirkdale gaol to await her fate along with a fishmonger named Richard Spencer who had killed his lover. The execution date was fixed for 6th January, but she was informed on New Years Eve that the sentence had been commuted to life imprisonment. 

Beer Errand Uncovers Murder

A woman who was suspicious of her servant's behaviour discovered the body of a newborn baby after sending her out for beer.

On 24th January 1867 a twenty nine year old named Letitia Dordy took up a position as a servant at 22 Everton Valley, the home of a widow named Eliza Forrest. Soon noticing that her new employee appeared to be in the 'family way' Eliza asked her if this was the case but Dordy replied that it was due to her clothing being out of shape and asked to borrow a needle. A few days later she complained of pains in her side but was better within 24 hours. 

On the morning of 22nd February Eliza went to the kitchen and saw blood on the floor, with Dordy struggling to clean it up. At midday Eliza sent Dordy to get some beer and while she was out of the house searched her bedroom, where she found the body of a newborn girl under the bedclothes. When asked about the find, Dordy admitted giving birth to a stillborn baby the previous night in the coal cellar but was unable to explain the red marks around the neck.

A police constable took the body to Dr Costine in Boundary Street, then to the deadhouse at Princes Dock, while Dordy was allowed to remain at Everton Valley under the supervision of Eliza. The following morning she was arrested on suspicion of murder and taken to observe the inquest.  

Eliza's eleven year old son John and a neighbour deposed to having heard screams at around 8pm on the evening of the 21st February. John stated that he had gone to the coal cellar and asked what was the matter and Dordy told him that she had kicked the cat because it had stolen some cake. Dr Costine told of the post mortem he had carried out, which established that the tongue was swollen, there were marks of external violence and the lungs had expanded. He put the cause of death down to suffocation as a result of violence, leading  to the Coroner's jury returning a verdict of wilful murder.

When Dordy appeared at  the Liverpool assizes on 28th March, the Liverpool Mail reported that she looked sixty years old.  Dr Costine was quite clear in his evidence that he believed the baby had breathed, because respiration had been established in every part of the lungs. This led to Mr Justice Mellor saying in his summing up that Dordy must have known that the baby was alive after the birth. 

The jury found her guilty of murder and she was sentenced to death. Dordy was sobbing violently and almost fainted as she was led from the dock. However a week later the Home Secretary respited the sentence and she was sent to prison in Woking. By 1891 she had been released and was listed in that years census as being back in service, residing in Lambeth.

Peacemaker Killed By Fighting Woman's Son

A man who intervened in a fight between two women was kicked to death by the teenage son of one of them.

On Monday 19th September 1864 John O'Neill, a thirty seven year old cattle driver returned to his home in a court at Bull Entry, off Scotland Road. Witnesses said he was in an intoxicated state but he was able enough to try and calm down two women who were fighting outside his home.

One of the women lived in the court but the other, Mrs Nolan lived in nearby Ennerdale Street and O'Neill told her to go home, putting his arm on her shoulder to escort her there. A scuffle broke out between the two and they fell to the ground. Mrs Nolan's fourteen year old son saw what was going on and kicked O'Neill in the neck, close to the ear. He then picked his mother up and took her home.

A few moments later O'Neill was sat up but then fell down immediately, sighed a few times and died. A postmortem revealed that there was a contusion under the skin by the ear, at the same place where he had been kicked. There was also extravasated blood at the base of the brain, which was considered to have been caused by external violence.

When the youth was told that O'Neill had died he replied 'How could I kill him with these', pointing to his laced up boots. He then disappeared and an inquest was held two days later in his absence before the Deputy Coroner Mr John Wybergh. Mrs Nolan was present and Wybergh showed some sympathy in his summing up, saying 'No doubt seeing his mother on the ground and not knowing the cause he felt bound to assist her.'

The coroner's jury found Nolan guilty of manslaughter but added there were extenuating circumstances. The Deputy Coroner then said that he hoped the boy could be found and that he could offer bail. He did not have the same sympathy for Mrs Nolan though, telling her that her conduct had been reprehensible and that if it had not been for her drunkenness O'Neill would be alive and her son wouldn't be facing trial at the next assizes.

Nolan remained at large for a week, having made his way to Ormskirk where he stayed with relatives. he surrendered himself to Wybergh on 27th September and was granted bail at £20. The following March he appeared at the assizes,where Mr Justice Mellor sentenced him to four months imprisonment with hard labour.

Two Days Jail For Baby Boot Killer

A man who threw a boot at his wife but instead killed a baby was sentenced to just forty eight hours behind bars.

On 10th October 1864 at around 5pm Joseph Whittle finished work as a baker and went to his Duncan Street home, expecting his wife to have his tea ready for him. She wasn't home and when she did return drunk, she refused his request for food and shouted what the Liverpool Mail described as 'filthy and abusive language' back. 

In anger Whittle took off his boot and threw it at his wife, who ducked out of the way. At exactly the same time Mrs Hanson, who also lived in the house, came into the room carrying her six week old son John. The boot struck the baby on the head and he was taken to the South Dispensary where some medicine was given.

Two days later John died, a postmortem revealing that there was compression on the brain as a result of external violence. The inquest on 14th October returned a verdict of manslaughter and Whittle was committed for trial, but the Coroner allowed bail on sureties of £40.

Whittle surrendered himself at St George's Hall on 24th October he was found guilty but with a strong recommendation for mercy by the jury. Mr Justice Mellor then sentenced him to imprisonment without hard labour for a period of just two days, allowing him to return to work on the Monday.

Death of an Unknown Hawker

The identity of a man who was robbed and later found dead in a ditch with head injuries was never discovered, while a man charged in relation to his death was acquitted.

On the evening of 24th September 1864 a man carrying a bundle under his arm entered the Eagle & Child public house on the turnpike road in Huyton. A number of carters were presented and he offered combs for sale, three of which were bought. He stayed for three glasses of ale then left and took the road in the direction of Liverpool.

Nobody can be sure what happened as the man walked along the road, but at 630pm he called at the home of Catherine Ashton and asked if she had seen any boys wearing white smocks, as he had been robbed of twelve shillings. A passing girl named Jane Bulfield said she knew they were two brothers, but refused to give him their names even when offered half a guinea, a handsome sum back then.

Half an hour the man was seen being chased by a man named Thomas Roughsedge  near the Farmers Arms. When Roughsedge caught him he struck him and the man fell down, staying on the ground as his attacker made off. At 8pm police arrived and found that the man was dead, but Roughsedge, a farm labourer, was not apprehended until the Monday night at Horn Smithies off Stockbridge Lane.

At the inquest at the Knotty Ash hotel a lady named Ellen Woods said she saw Roughsedge quarreling with a man who had a bundle under his arm and both then separately made off towards Liverpool. She didn't see any blows traded, but did see the unknown man make offensive gestures. Ralph Elsby, who had seen Roughsedge strike the man near the Farmers Arms, deposed as to what he had seen. 

In summing up the coroner Mr Driffield said provocation hadn't been proven but neither could it be certain that Roughsedge intended to cause serious harm. As such, he suggested that the jury should instead consider a manslaughter verdict, which they did. Roughsedge was formally charged and appeared at the magistrates for committal, where he was granted bail.

The following March Roughsedge, described by the Liverpool Mail as 'a respectable looking aged man' appeared at the Liverpool assizes. He acknowledged that he 'slapped' the deceased, whose identity still hadn't been established, but that it was down to insulting remarks being made. 

Dr Glazebrook of West Derby, who had carried out the post mortem, described the dead man's brain as in a diseased state though intemperance and said that excitement other than the blow may have caused death. Given this evidence, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty and Roughsedge was freed.

Two Months Jail For Wife killing

A man who habitually abused his wife and eventually caused her death after elbowing her in the face was sentenced to just two months imprisonment.

On the evening of Saturday 1st October 1864 John Robinson, a forty year old tinplate layer asked his wife Catherine for money for ale, but she refused his request. John then struck her with his elbow in the face and stomach, leading to her screaming for help from the landlady of the house where they lodged in Cavendish Street, which was situated where the St Johns Ambulance offices off Scotland Road are now.  

The landlady Mrs Winter tried to stop the bleeding but was unable to do so, but John would not get out of bed to assist in taking his wife to the dispensary. When heavily pregnant Catherine threw some blood at her husband he threatened to knock her downstairs if she asked him again.

In the early hours John eventually agreed to go to the dispensary, from where they were referred to the Northern Hospital. As she was being helped there, Catherine said to her husband 'Take more time for I am dropping, this is the last walk I will have.'

On the Monday Catherine was visited in hospital  by a detective. She said the bleeding had started when she fell over after carrying some tins on her head, then it had occurred again after being punched in the face by John. He was then arrested and taken to the police office where he admitted assaulting his wife, but said he had only slapped her with the back of his hand.

Catherine gave birth to a stillborn male child on 6th October, doctors estimating that she was eight months into her pregnancy. Heavily effected by the loss of blood, her condition deteriorated and she died on 18th October. A post mortem revealed that both bones in the nose were broken as a result of considerable violence. 

At the inquest two days later the couple's fourteen year old son said that his parents had quarreled for as long as he can remember and that his father had often said whilst drunk that he would kill her one day. Mrs Winter said that another lodger had drawn her attention to the attack and that she feared Catherine was being killed. The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter and the Deputy Coroner Mr Wybergh remanded John pending his trial at the assizes.

At the Liverpool Assizes on 14th December the defence pleaded that Catherine had contributed to her own death by carrying the tins on her head. John was found guilty but with a recommendation for mercy. The judge, Mr Justice Mellor, said there were mitigating factors on the case and James was sentenced to a period of imprisonment of just two more months.

Seaman Killed on Emigrant Ship

A crew member on board an emigrant ship was killed by another who was convicted of manslaughter in what today would be seen as a racially aggravated attack.

On the morning of 16th July 1864 the Raymond sailed from Queenstown in Ireland bound for New York, carrying mainly emigrant passengers. The voyage was a long one and she was still at sea on 16th September, when a disagreement broke out between 21 year old John Bennett and John West, who was twice his age.

Bennett had seen West with a knife on deck and said to others around him 'If the black beast has a knife I'll knock his head off'. West turned around and told Bennett that he was just minding his own business and he should mind his, leading to Bennett throwing a punch. Someone shouted out that if they were going to fight West should put the knife down which he did.

Despite the knife having been thrown down, Bennett was seen to keep hold of a marlin spike that was used for ropework and during the struggle West was stabbed. After the two men were separated West was seen staggering on the deck with his bowels protruding. Bennett was immediately put in irons and said he had acted in self defence by stabbing him with the marlin spike. When asked what had happened West said he was stabbed by a knife not the marlin spike and a search of Bennett found no knife on him, just an empty sheath attached to his belt. 

There was no surgeon on board the ship and West had to be operated on by fellow crew members, who gave him brandy and laudanum to try and ease the pain. They put his entrails back in and sewed the wound, but he was unable to keep any food down him and died the following day. 

On arrival at New York, Bennett was handed over the British Consul. Although there were dozens of witnesses to the incident, the captain didn't have the authority to detain any of them and not surprisingly nobody volunteered to return to the British Isles to give evidence. Bennett was sent back on the mail steamer Persia, while the two crew members who witnessed the incident remained in New York until the Raymond was ready to set sail again.

Bennett arrived in Liverpool on 26th November and was taken into custody by Detective James Graham. Due to the two witnesses sailing back on the Raymond via Antwerp, he was unable to appear at the following month's assizes and instead had to wait until 27th March the following year to be tried before Mr Justice Mellor.

When the chief mate Thomas Cunningham gave his evidence he said he had seen Bennett paint West's jaw white a few weeks before the incident, but had believed it to be a joke. He also said that prior to throwing the punch Bennett had called him a 'black son of a bitch' and had not been attacked. Under cross examination though he admitted that Bennett had a reason to have the marlin spike in his hand at the time and also that West was about half as strong again.

The ship's master Lawrence Lenders told how he was attracted by a large crowd and cries of female passengers and when he got to the scene Bennett was boasting 'I told you I'd let them out for you.' When Lenders asked Bennett why he had done what he did he replied 'because he was annoying me.' In respect of the wound, the master said it was too large to have been cut with a marlin spike and he believed that a knife had been used which was thrown overboard.

In addressing the jury on behalf of Bennett, his defence counsel Charles Russell said there had been no evidence of prior ill feeling between the two men and no premeditation. As such he suggested that a manslaughter verdict would be more appropriate. In summing up the judge said that for a manslaughter verdict there had to be some form of reasonable provocation, leading to the jury deliberating for an hour before finding Bennett guilty of manslaughter.


In his pre sentencing remarks the judge said that this case was 'a very serious one for manslaughter' and that his life had been spared by the jury's decision. Telling Bennett that he deserved a 'long period of penal servitude' he then sentenced him to fifteen years. Bennett then said he was satisfied with the verdict but that Lender's evidence about him saying 'he would let them out' was false. The judge then interrupted and said that his sentence was very reasonable under the circumstances and that if he had anything else to say he should raise it with the Home Secretary.

Kicked to Death at Wavertree

Two Liverpool men who went drinking in Wavertree got into a row with some locals leading to the death of one of them and their attackers being convicted of manslaughter.

On the evening of 25th February 1865 William Scott and his brother in law William Shaw, who lived in Everton, went out to Wavertree to visit some public houses. As they were walking back towards Liverpool they briefly got separated and when Scott caught up with Shaw, he was walking alongside two men. Then almost immediately at Wellington Road three more jumped from behind a wall and all five then began beating them.

Shaw managed to break free and ran in the direction of Liverpool shouting 'police' and came across some other men who offered to help. When they returned though, Shaw was insensible on the ground with a small crowd and a policeman gathered around. A shandry was obtained and he was removed to Scott's house, where he was washed down and laid on the sofa.

In the morning Shaw regained consciousness and complained of soreness in his head, which was extremely swollen. However he refused to allow for a doctor to be sent for and instead was put to bed. That afternoon his condition worsened and Dr Rowland, a surgeon from Roscommon Street attended.

Five young men were taken into custody by police initially charged with assault. They were labourers Henry Peers, George Stanley and George Heeney, plumber John Doran and John Littler the assistant gardener at Childwall Abbey.  Doran and Littler admitted throwing punches but not kicking, while the other three denied having any involvement.

On Sunday 12th March Shaw's condition suddenly deteriorated and he slipped into a coma. An operation was carried out on the skull and there was a slight improvement when he regained consciousness and spoke. However after just fifteen minutes he became insensible again and never recovered, the journeyman baker dying the following Wednesday. A post mortem revealed bruises on the arm and shoulder which were consistent with being kicked and softening of brain lobes due to the skull fractures. 

When the inquest took place several witnesses told how Shaw had at first been so drunk that he fell down at the corner of the High Street and Sandown Lane. When one of those apprehended, Peers, tried to help him up Shaw knocked him to the ground. This led to Littler pushing Shaw off him and the subsequent group assault, which Doran and Heeney continued in brutal fashion by kicking him about the head and body as he lay on the ground. 

Nobody had dared intervene in the assault for fear of being attacked themselves. These included cattle driver William Brewer, who was returning from delivering a herd to Old Swan with his brother. when they shouted that they would kill Shaw, Heeney came at them and launched a kick before running off. Deputy Coroner Wybergh summed up by going through the evidence and making it clear two distinct assaults had taken place. The jury were out for a quarter of an hour before returning verdicts of manslaughter against Doran, Heeney and Littler, but acquitting Peers and Stanley. However, at the police court on 22nd March magistrates opted to still send Peers for trial.

Just a week after appearing at the police court the four men were at the assizes at St George's Hall, where they were found guilty of manslaughter. Peers and Littler were recommended for mercy by the jury and Justice Mellor told them that there was a marked distinction between their case and that of the other two. He then sentenced them to six months imprisonment with hard labour and imposed a term of twelve months for Doran and Heeney.

Cart Killer Caught a Year Later

A youth who absconded after a cart he was driving knocked down a man who died was finally apprehended a year later and brought to justice.

In 1863 Patrick Callaghan was then 17 years old and employed by Cade's ginger beer company as a general labourer. On 28th November that year he saw Mr Cade's cart stood empty while the driver was doing business at a house and decided to ride off in it.


When he got to the corner of St James Street and Duncan Street he was unable to stop as John Hughes crossed the road. Hughes was run over and crushed by the cart and died from his injuries ten days later. Callaghan disappeared and was not caught for another year, meaning it was  March 1865 when he finally appeared at the assizes.

In summing up Justice Mellor said that if the jury were satisfied that Callaghan was driving too fast whilst close to a kerb or bend then he was culpable. Foot passengers, he said, had rights and were not to be run over when crossing even though some drivers felt they should not be there at all. 

The jury found Callaghan guilty but recommended mercy. This led to the judge telling him that he was imposing a lesser sentence than he had been considering. Telling Callaghan that 'drivers should be made to understand their position if they drive recklessly' and the sentence should reflect that, he imposed a term of six months imprisonment with hard labour.  

Scythed to Death

A row between two gardeners over payment for beer led to one cutting the other with his scythe and being convicted of manslaughter.

On Saturday 9th September 1864 two jobbing gardeners, Felix O'Hara and Patrick Fleming, worked for the morning then went drinking in the afternoon. Things were fine until around 6pm when they played a card game in Rae's public house in Melville Place, Toxteth. When Fleming won the game a quart of ale was ordered, which he believed should be paid for by O'Hara and another man, Jimmy Vennard, who had joined them.

O'Hara threatened to poke both eyes out of Fleming's head if he didn't pay for the ale and without even giving him a chance to respond punched him in the nose, causing it to bleed. Fleming then went into the yard to clean himself up but was followed by O'Hara who picked up the scythe and threatened to cut him in two if he didn't pay. He then swung it at Fleming's led, severely wounding the thigh.

Fleming, who was 58 years old, walked to the Infirmary helped by another man who saw him struggling. By 7th October Fleming's condition had deteriorated considerably and a note was sent by Dr Nash to Superintendent Kehoe at the police. He dispatched Detective Cousens to speak with Fleming, who described what had happened, leading to O'Hara being arrested at 3am the following morning in a lodging house in Elm Grove off Paddington. The 30 year old denied what had happened, saying that Fleming fell against the scythe.

When O'Hara appeared at the police court charged with wounding with intent to kill his case was adjourned pending magistrates taking formal depositions from Fleming, who was now said to be in a very dangerous state with little hope of recovery. After describing the circumstances of the incident he told Mr Mills and Mr Stubbs that he had known O'Hara for a few years and they had never had a falling out. On the day in question, they were not drunk and knew what they were about, and the only reason O'Hara had for striking him was his refusal to pay for the ale. 

After Fleming died two days later an inquest before the Coroner Mr P. F. Curry heard that he had developed erysipelas about a week after entering hospital and that this had been as a direct result of the wound. The jury returned a verdict of wilful murder and O'Hara was committed for trial at the next Liverpool assizes.

On 16th December O'Hara appeared before Justice Mellor at St George's Hall. Other people who had been in the public house said that both men were in a state of intoxication and nobody had seen the blow get struck. A surgeon from the infirmary however said that the wound was the result of considerable force, being five inches in length and cut to the bone. The policeman who arrested O'Hara said that the first words spoken were 'is he dead'. The defence counsel said that the evidence was unreliable due to the level of drink involved and maintained that the wound could still have been caused by a fall, despite the medical evidence.

The jury deliberated for just a short time and found O'Hara guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. Justice Mellor then told O'Hara 'Happily for you they have taken a lenient view of this case and saved you from public execution' before sentencing him to ten years penal servitude.

Killed Over Broken Cups

A market trader who demanded reimbursement for some cups that had been broken ended up being kicked to death by an angry mob.

On 1st October 1870 Alexander Currie was at his stall on Great George Place when two girls accidentally broke two cups. The 47 year old went to their parents home to get money for the breakages and then returned to the market.

Unknown to Currie, a woman had followed him back to the stall and then wilfully smashed some crockery. When he chased after her into Greenland Street a crowd gathered around and began kicking at Currie, having been told by the woman that he had been abusive about Irish people.

After the beating stopped Currie was taken to the Southern Hospital where he died the following day. A post mortem revealed that he had a fractured skull and that this had been the cause of death. Some witnesses did come forward and two labourers Martin Judge (age 30) and Joseph Welsh (age 17) were charged with manslaughter.

At the assizes on 13th December witnesses were called to state that Welsh was just one of the crowd and did not administer any blows. In doing this though they implicated Judge, but said he had only punched not kicked Currie. In summing up Mr Justice Mellor said that any party who had struck the deceased was guilty of manslaughter even if it had only been a punch not a kick.

The jury found Judge guilty of manslaughter but acquitted Welsh. In sentencing Judge to 5 years penal servitude, Justice Mellor acknowledged that he hadn't struck the fatal blow but did say that 'a person who was being pursued and hooted by a crowd was not to be set upon and beaten with impunity.'

Locals Ignore Desperate Woman's Plight

A Danish seaman who killed a prostitute in Upper Frederick Street was sentenced to life imprisonment for manslaughter following an incident in which locals showed shocking indifference to the victim.

19 year old Matthew Dedone spent the evening of 6th September 1880 drinking in Cottam's public house, on the corner of Frederick Street and Forrest Street. His drinking companion was Humphrey Murphy and Dedone produced a knife saying that if anybody tried to hurt his friend then he was prepared to use it on them.

At around 10pm Dedone and Murphy left the pub and headed their separate ways. Shortly afterwards a local 30 year old prostitute called Cecilia Rigby did so as well. What happened over the next hour was never fully established but at 11.10pm Dedone was seen walking along Pitt Street with a knife, then dragging a woman screaming into an entry and then back out again whilst repeatedly punching and kicking her.

Nobody tried to intervene in this episode and Dedone then asked his former landlady Ann King, who was sat on her step, if she would take in Cecilia as a lodger and offered some money. She refused and Dedone apologised for his actions and went away, with Ann continuing to sit on her step talking to her friend Mary Nolan.

It was not until after midnight that anybody offered assistance to Cecilia when dock labourer Francis Kehoe was returning home and walked past Ann and Mary who were still talking. A few yards later he saw Cecilia lying on the ground in Upper Frederick Street and found that she was dead. A police constable was called and the body was removed to the Royal Southern Hospital, where a post mortem found she had died after being stabbed in the lung and heart. Dedone, who had now disposed of the weapon, was apprehended soon afterwards at his lodgings in nearby Greetham Street.

Dedone was charged with murder and appeared before Mr Justice Mellor at Liverpool Assizes on 13th November. Witnesses told how they had seen him and Cecilia arguing around 11pm with Dedone demanding the return of his shilling, before he went on to carry out the brutal assault. Dedone's defence was a simple one, that he was not there at that time but had instead gone home at 10.30pm and stayed there, so the witnesses must be mistaken in identifying him. This was contradicted by the evidence of his boarding house keeper though, who said he had returned at 11.45pm.

In summing up, Justice Mellor said that the jury had to be satisfied that Dedone was the killer and needed to ask themselves if there had been any provocation that could reduce the verdict to manslaughter. After forty minutes deliberation, a verdict of manslaughter was returned. Before sentencing, Dedone reiterated his innocence, insisting that he was in his home at 10.30pm and went straight to bed. Justice Mellor said that both he and the jury were satisfied that Dedone was responsible for the killing and that given a knife was used in the killing, the verdict was a very lenient one. He then sentenced Dedone to penal servitude for life.

Man Kills Partner With Fatal Push

When a man's partner died after suffering a head injury when he pushed her and she fell against a table, the trial judge was forced to comment that he had never seen so many crimes from drunkenness in any other large town.

46 year old Thomas Evans saw in the New Year of 1867 by going out drinking with Elizabeth Hughes, who he cohabited with in Fox Street, Everton (below).

After returning to their 1st floor lodgings in the early hours they argued and Mrs Simons, the landlady who lived below, went up to see what was going on. She saw Elizabeth bleeding from a cut head but when she asked for a doctor, Thomas laughed and said that she would be alright.

Three weeks later Elizabeth died and the surgeon who attended her said it was down to fluid on the brain caused by her wound. Thomas admitted to having pushed Elizabeth, causing her to lose her footing and bang the back of her head on the corner of a table.

Thomas was indicted for manslaughter and found guilty, causing Mr Justice Mellor to say that he did not know any other large town where he saw so many crimes committed as a result of drunkenness as Liverpool. However, concluding that Thomas did not intend to cause harm, he sentenced him to just 12 months imprisonment with hard labour.