Killed and Dumped in a Cellar

A ship's fireman was hanged in 1943 for killing a woman he was having a relationship with and dumping her body in a cellar.

28 year old Gwendoline Sweeney was separated from her husband and became a prostitute who plied her trade around the docks. On 17th August 1943 she spent the evening drinking with 26 year old marine fireman Thomas James and his friend George Dias.

After leaving the Bush hotel in St James Street Dias left James and Sweeney in Kitchen Street where they were seen to go into a bombed out house together. The following day James told Dias he was worried about Sweeney and they both went to Kitchen Street where her mutilated body was found. Dias told the police, who arrested James at his lodgings in Upper Warwick Street that evening.

When James was questioned by detectives he made an error that would go a long way to convicting him, telling them that if he had killed her he wouldn't have done it by strangulation. At this moment, the cause of death hadn't been disclosed. This led to him being charged with murder and after being found guilty at his trial he was sentenced to death. James, who the press referred to as 'coloured' at every opportunity, was hanged on 29th December.

Indian Sailor Hanged After Stabbing Friend

In 1938 an Indian sailor, was hanged after bludgeoning his friend to death in a ship that was berthed in Liverpool's docks.

30 year old Jan Mohamed and Animul Hag had been friends for a number of years but fell out during a voyage in the spring of 1938, leading to Hag attacking Mohamed with an iron bar and knocking some of his teeth out. They were separated and Mohamed, who had a previous exemplary record, was given lodgings in Great George Square whilst he awaited a transfer to another ship.

Hag was kept on board the SS Kabinga (below) at Gladstone Dock and it was here that the terrible murder happened. At 2pm on 11th April Mohamed was seen sliding down a rope and running away from the Kabinga and he was stopped by a policeman ten minutes later who noticed that he was bleeding from the mouth. Mohamed said 'Trouble in ship man hurt' and was taken back to the vessel, where the body of 20 year old Hag was found lying on the engine room steps. Mohamed told the officer he was acting in self defence and picked up the nearest weapon he could find, which was an iron file.

At his trial which began less than three weeks later at Manchester Assizes Mohamed pleaded self defence, but medical evidence showed that the blows to Hag had come from behind. This implied premeditation and that he had struck first after laying in wait. Mohamed was found guilty although there was a strong recommendation for mercy by the jury. Mohamed was unmoved as the sentence was translated into Hindustani for him and replied 'I did not intentionally kill him'.

After the execution date was set for 17th May a last minute appeal was lodged but this was unsuccessful.

Mohamed was hanged at Walton Gaol on 8th June, having spent his final days playing draughts and dominoes against the warders, games in which he was rarely beaten. A crowd of 100 were outside the prison awaiting the posting of the execution notice, including two of his countrymen. The Kabinga sank in 1943 after colliding with another vessel in fog.

Man Hanged for Killing Pregnant Wife

In 1929 John Maguire was hanged for killing his pregnant wife Ellen leading to sensational scenes outside Walton Gaol.

45 year old fish hawker John and Ellen (42) had had ten children together, whose ages ranged from 24 to just eighteen months. They lived with the youngest seven children in a tenement in Newsham Street, off Scotland Road and on 5th September John killed Ellen, who was six months pregnant, by cutting her throat and stabbing her in the back. He then calmly left the home as neighbours came round to investigate the screams, which had occurred while the youngest child was playing in the street.

Ellen was found lying in a pool of blood and rushed to hospital but she was dead on arrival and three of the couple's children were told the terrible news of what had happened when they returned home from school.

Maguire handed himself in to police that evening and made his first appearance in court the following day. He broke down, saying that he had lost his temper but that it was over in a matter of minutes and he was glad his wife hadn't suffered.

At his trial before the next Assizes the defence put forward the argument that the crime had been committed while Maguire was in a state of post epileptic automatism. However the fact that he had bought a razor and knife on the day the murder was committed suggested premeditation and a guilty verdict was returned.

After the death sentence was passed by Mr Justice Humphreys, Maguire thanked his counsel Basil Neild, saying he hoped he rose to the top of his profession. He was about to speak about other witnesses when the judge told him there was no time for speeches and insisted he be taken down.

The Home Secretary refused a request for a reprieve and the day before his execution Maguire was visited by his two oldest children. On 26th November a crowd of 250 people were at Walton Gaol and when the notice was pinned to the gates his sister Mary Hagan was heard to scream 'Oh Johnny my poor brother' and threw herself to the floor. She was helped up by four police and eventually taken away in a taxi.

The inquest heard that Thomas Pierrepoint had carried out the execution and death was instantaneous.

The Serial Seducer Killer

In 1929 American Joseph Clarke, a confidence trickster who had relationships with a string of women, was hanged after killing the mother of one of them.

Raised in Norfolk, Clarke's mother was American and he finished his education at Princeton University, studying psychology and hypnotism. He used what he learned to great effect, engaging in a series of affairs in America and then taking a ship across the Atlantic in 1928 after persuading one woman to loan him a large sum of money.

Once in England he developed relationships with a number of women, including four sisters from Birkenhead. After their mother found out what was going on, he began seeing Mary Fontaine, a nineteen year old typist from Toxteth who he met whilst sheltering from the rain under the entrance to the Rialto cinema. He charmed her so much that he was soon lodging with her and her mother Alice at their home in Northbrook Street.

Clarke convinced the the two women that he was a wireless operator on the seas when he was in fact a deckhand. This led to Alice agreeing to lend him some money to set up a wireless repair business, which he ran from the basement of her home. On the morning of 28th October 1928 though, Alice asked Clarke about money he owed and he strangled her and then tried to do the same to Mary, but she managed to escape and run into the street to raise the alarm. Police arrived and Clarke surrendered himself, making a full confession.

On 4th February 1929 Clarke appeared at Liverpool Assizes and stunned the court by pleading guilty, leading to him being sentenced to death by Justice Finlay in a hearing that lasted just four minutes. An appeal was lodged against the death sentence, his counsel saying that he had pleaded guilty to spare Mary the trauma of giving evidence. This was rejected though and Clarke was hanged on 12th March by Thomas Pierrepoint, walking firmly to the scaffold. He was just 21 years old and outside the prison gates, some unknown women were seen to be sobbing as the notice confirming the execution was posted.

Fiancee Killed By Army Veteran

In 1928 Albert Absolom killed his fiancee Mary after he became jealous of her friendship with other men, leading to him being hanged for the murder.

Absolom was discharged from the army in 1923 and took lodgings in Scotland Road, working as a labourer. He met Mary Reed, who lived with her parents in Garibaldi Street and they began saving for a future together.

Absolom though was in and out of work and a marriage never seemed to be close, leading to him getting jealous of Mary's friendships with other men. It was one of these that would lead to the tragic events of 11th May 1928.A week earlier, Mary had gone out for the evening with her neighbour whilst Absolom worked in a fish and chip shop and he refused to believe that any wrong doing hadn't occurred.

At around 6pm on 11th May Absolom and Mary were seen arguing in Sackville Street (situated adjacent to Roscommon Street) outside St Peter's Church. When Mary tried to leave Absolom prevented her then pulled out a knife and plunged it into her throat. Mary collapsed at his feet and Absolom threw the knife away before running off, but some other males managed to catch him and turn him into a Rose Hill police station, where he admitted his act.

Mary died on the morning of 17th May and thousands of women lined the streets for her funeral and followed the hearse all the way to Walton Cemetery. Absolom was tried for her murder in July where his defence was that Mary's death wasn't a direct result of the stabbing but due to other occurrences in hospital. This was rejected and he was found guilty, although the jury did recommend mercy on the grounds of his previous good character.

The Home Secretary refused to grant a reprieve, informing Absolom of this just two days before he was hanged by Thomas Pierrepoint on 25th July. A crowd of around 200 women waited outside Walton Gaol for the execution notice to be pinned on the wall.

Man Hanged After Suicide Pact

In 1927 William Robertson and his lover entered into a suicide pact but when his own attempt failed he ended up facing the hangman anyway.

37 year old salesman Robertson lived in Channell Road in Kensington and was dating Evelyn Jennings, the owner of a hairdressing salon in Prescot Road. On 15th August 1927 the couple went to Speke, then just a small country village, where Robertson cut Evelyn's throat, killing her instantly.

When he tried to do the same to himself, he failed to do so and was found by a police constable crawling down a footpath where he wrote a note saying 'I love her dearly, save her not me.' There was absolutely no chance of saving Evelyn, as such was the force of the cut her head was almost severed from the body, which was lying in bushes.Robertson was taken to Garston hospital where he pleaded with doctors to let him die, saying that Evelyn was fed up and couldn't go on, and that they had planned to die together.

Garston Hospital, photo by Sue Adair 

At the inquest two days later a doctor said that there was absolutely no doubt that Evelyn's wounds had been inflicted by somebody else. Evelyns brother, who lived in Chester, told the coroner that he had received a letter from her stating that she loved Robertson but he was having no luck and they couldn't go on any more. Ominously it said 'He is going and I don't feel I can possibly hang on without him. You will find us in a wood off Boundary Lane on the main road to Liverpool.'


Robertson was first able to appear at Widnes Police Court on 12th September, when he was committed to the Assizes for trial. On 28th October at the Liverpool Assizes his defence pleaded insanity but this was rejected and Robertson was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. He was hanged by Thomas Pierrepoint on the morning of 6th December, walking firmly and unassisted to the scaffold.

Callous Husband Admits Intent to Kill Wife

In 1911 a man killed his wife before handing himself in to the police and pleading guilty at his trial, but this plea still wasn't enough to save him from the hangman.

Fifty Seven year old seaman Thomas Seymour married his cousin Mary in 1904, with some suggesting that it was down to an inheritance she had received. The couple moved to a property at 3 Breckfield Place, part of which remains off Breckfield Road North, near the Grove pub.

                         

By 1910 Seymour had left the Merchant Navy and spent most of his days drinking. The relationship had deteriorated and Mary often left him after a beating, only to return. On 11th March 1911 Mary's sister Elizabeth knocked at the house and Seymour refused her entry, but when she did manage to push him aside she was confronted with the sight of Mary lying dead on the floor, her head beaten to a pulp with a coal hammer.

Seymour calmly told Elizabeth he was going out to find a policeman. On handing himself in, the officer thought he was crazy but was then confronted with the sight of Mary's body. Seymour then co-operated with the coroner's inquest and on his first appearance at the magistrates' court asked if the matter could be dealt with there and then to avoid wasting any more time. This request was refused due to the stipendiary magistrate not having enough sentencing powers and he was committed to stand trial at the Liverpool Assizes on 19th April.

Continuing to show total indifference to his fate, Seymour pleaded guilty and said he had intended to kill his wife. Justice Avory refused to accept this plea and instead adjourned for lunch. In the early afternoon Seymour was brought back into court and the prison medical officer, Dr Arthur Price, was questioned by the judge. Dr Price stated that he had observed Thomas since 13th March and he seemed fully aware of his actions and the consequences of them. Seymour was then taken back down to the cells to be spoken to by counsel, who were told by the judge to reiterate the consequences of a guilty plea.

When Seymour came into the dock for the third time that day he was quite agitated, replying 'Certainly I do' when asked if he understood that there was only one sentence that could be passed. Telling Seymour that he had an air of indifference, Justice Avory passed the death sentence and the prisoner then walked firmly down the steps to the cells.

No appeal against the sentence was made and Seymour was hanged at Walton by John Ellis on 9th May, continuing to show no emotion. Due to the notoriety of the case, a larger crowd than usual turned up outside the gaol, described by the Liverpool Echo that evening as 'a bigger cluster of busybodies.'