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om dot-com / case file what do you have to lose visit Noom calm / case file to start your trial today that's Noom
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dot-com / case file [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
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anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website today's episode deals with the crime
00:01:44
committed against the child it won't be suitable for all listeners today the district of Notting Hill in London's
00:01:56
inner West is renowned as one of the city's more affluent areas but in the late 1940s it was not a desirable place
00:02:03
to live a number of its buildings had been damaged or completely ravaged during the Blitz an intensive German
00:02:11
bombing campaign during the Second World War that killed more than 40,000 civilians
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many of the larger houses that remained standing were sold to landlords who divided them into multi occupancy
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dwellings with tenants leasing either a room or a single storey 10 Rillington place in Notting Hill the Ladbroke Grove
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neighborhood was one such abode it was the tenth house in a row of narrow matching three-story brick residences
00:02:42
situated at the end of a cul-de-sac that had joined a busy thoroughfare named st.
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Mark's Road all of the houses had been built during the 1870s and by the late 1940s they had fallen into neglect and
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disrepair as they were home to so many residents the street had a bustling atmosphere with local children often
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gathering outside to play during the summer months the landlord for number-10 lived elsewhere they had split the house
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into three flats that each occupied an entire story of the building it was poorly maintained and had no phone or
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indoor bathroom facilities instead residents had to use bed pans or a lavatory in the backyard which had
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joined a small communal washhouse in March 1948 the property's ground and middle floor flats were
00:03:39
leased to long term tenants but the top floor remained available to ran newlyweds Timothy into Beryl Evans had
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been living with Timothy's parents and sisters just around the corner on st. Mark's Road their living quarters were
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small and crowded when Beryl discovered she was pregnant she and Timothy decided
00:04:01
it was time to find a place of their own they were informed of a house nearby that had a sign in its top floor window
00:04:09
reading flat two-lap its affordability coupled with its convenient location near their extended family compelled the
00:04:17
Evanses to submit an application despite the property's less than desirable features their submission was
00:04:25
approved and on Monday March 29 1948 the young couple moved in to 10 Rillington place
00:04:33
[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Beryl Susannah Thorley was born on September 19 1929 in the southeast the
00:05:06
London area of the lewisham she was the oldest of four children with two younger
00:05:12
brothers and the sister during the Second World War the thorleys moved to the West London neighborhood of
00:05:19
Kensington when Barrels mother died in 1947 her father relocated to the seaside resort of Brighton roughly 53 miles
00:05:28
south of the capital Beryl remained in London where she worked as a telephone switchboard operator had Grove in her
00:05:36
house hotel on Park Lane a hotel in the upmarket district of Mayfair one of her colleagues was dating a young man who in
00:05:45
turn offered to set Beryl up on a blind date with his friend Timothy John Evans was born on November 20 1924 in the
00:05:55
Welsh mining town of Merthyr Tydfil located in the country's south his father who worked locally as a coal
00:06:03
Hulya abandoned to the family seven months before Timothy was born as a result Timothy and his elder sister
00:06:11
Eileen were raised by their mother Thomasina in 1929 she remarried another co-worker named Penry Probert later that
00:06:22
year the newlyweds had a daughter Mary Timothy Evans childhood was marred by a number of developmental delays he
00:06:32
struggled to walk and speak though eventually learned how to do both at age 8 Timothy cut a toe on his right
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foot on some glass by a river the wound was bandaged too using a dirty cloth which led to him developing
00:06:48
tubercular Veruca a rash of small red popular nodules related to the infectious disease tuberculosis the
00:06:57
injury never healed properly and Timothy was often in hospital receiving treatments he missed out on much of his
00:07:04
schooling causing his literacy to suffer to the extent that he could barely write
00:07:09
and could only read simple texts such as comic books in 1935 when Timothy was 10
00:07:18
years old the Welsh coal fields were experiencing a depression so his stepfather relocated to London in search
00:07:25
of work the rest of the family joined him six weeks later settling in the cities in a West Timothy continued to
00:07:34
miss school due to his ill health in 1939 he was sent to a clinic in Hampshire that specialized in treating
00:07:42
children with tuberculosis and stayed for an entire year though the physicians there couldn't entirely fix Timothy's
00:07:51
foot injury they managed to treat it effectively enough that it never bothered him significantly again though
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he was left with a permanent limp by the time he reached that old hood Timothy stood at 5 foot 5 inches tall and had a
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slight frame described as cocky and cheerful he had dark eyes and dark hair which he slicked back across his head
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his leg impairment excused him from military service during World War two and he remained in London with his
00:08:22
family as the city in June at the Blitz although his limited education hindered his work prospects he managed to secure
00:08:31
a job as a car cleaner amongst friends and family Timothy was renowned for exaggerating and telling tall tales
00:08:40
he developed the habit as a form of entertainment when he was bedridden as a child he claimed that his father was an
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Italian count and that he had a brother who owned an enormous fleet of cars though he had a Welsh accent he would
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sometimes feign a cockney manner of speaking to fit in with these English friends Thomasina attributed her son's
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fibbing to his lack of self-confidence if caught out in a lie Timothy would become ashamed and would
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plead with his mother not to tell his older sister Eileen whom he adored in January 1947
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shortly after Timothy's 22nd birthday a friend offered to set him up on a date with a girl named Beryl Thorley Timothy
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was drawn to the petite dark-haired Beryl and the pair hit it off instantly they met several more times to attend to
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local dances and to go to the cinema within weeks of their first date they became engaged on September 20 one day
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after Barrels 18th birthday they married at Kensington registry office six months later the couple moved into
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10 Rillington place in preparation of their growing family their flat consisted of a single bedroom with a
00:10:07
joint living and kitchen space despite the cramped quarters and a lack of modern amenities they liked their new
00:10:14
home and decided to stay put even when told of a ground floor flat available elsewhere that had its own
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garden and a lavatory number 10 Rillington place had several communal areas including the hallway
00:10:28
staircase and outside rear yard so the Evanses often saw their neighbors throughout the day the ground floor flat
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was home to another married couple while the middle residence was occupied by an
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orderly man later that year Timothy commenced the new job as a delivery driver for a food wholesaler he
00:10:50
managed to drive a van all over London despite having difficulty reading signs and maps on Sunday October 10 1948
00:11:00
Timothy and Beryl welcome to their first born a girl they named to Geraldine Beryl was an affectionate mother while
00:11:09
Timothy spent hours playing with his daughter he would bring her home small gifts that he collected throughout his
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delivery shifts on Wednesday evenings Thomasina would babysit her grandchild so that the new parents could go to the
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cinema together yet their relationship grew increasingly fraught and difficult money was scarce they struggled to
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afford to rent and to make great payments on their furniture Timothy felt his wife did not know how to cook clean
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or manager household budget Beryl was frustrated at the amount of time and money her husband spent drinking at
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local pubs he also had a quick temper that was exacerbated by alcohol their neighbors overheard their loud arguments
00:11:58
which sometimes became physical by July 1949 Beryl had returned to work part-time to support her family she
00:12:10
struck up a mild flirtation with a colleague and once teased Timothy about it when he paid her a visit he slapped
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her and the pair caused the scene that resulted in Beryl losing her job on another occasion Beryl threw a jar of
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baby cream at her husband causing a gash that required stitches Beryl's father concluded that his daughter was
00:12:35
unhappily married and her relationship with Timothy was not quote a genuine friendship other relatives and
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acquaintances were of the opposite opinion believing the couple were happy and in love
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Timothy's younger sister Mary attributed their marital issues to struggling to make ends meet in post-war London a
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young girl who babysat Geraldine described them as a lovely couple very fond of each other they did quarrel
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a bit but never badly and never for long on the evening of August 28 1949 a police officer was called to 10
00:13:19
Rillington place following reports of a layout fire in the top floor flat they found Timothy barrel Thomasina
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and a teenage girl in the midst of an argument the girl 17 year old Lucy Endicott was a friend of barrels who was
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temporarily staying with the Evanses Beryl had slapped Lucy after accusing her of sleeping with her husband the
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previous night Thomasina was demanding Lucy leave as her presence was causing problems in her son's marriage
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Lucy denied the allegations she claimed to have witnessed Timothy beat Beryl and
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threatened to throw her out of a window the feud ended with lucy and timothy leaving the flat they stayed together
00:14:09
for two nights until lucy tired of his company and went home to her mother timothy returned to Beryl who accepted
00:14:19
him back at around 7 a.m. on Tuesday November 15 1949 Cornelius Lynch was in the midst of
00:14:31
preparing for work when he heard a knock on the front door he was surprised to greet his 24-year old nephew Timothy
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Evans the son of his sister Thomasina Timothy was far from home although he was born and raised in
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southern Wales he currently lived in London 164 miles from Cornelius house in the Welsh
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village of from earth avail Timothy informed his uncle that he had been traveling with his boss searching for
00:15:02
areas to expand his food wholesaling business their car broke down in the city of Cardiff about half an hour's
00:15:09
drive south leaving them stranded for a few days at least Cornelius and his wife
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violet were happy to let their nephew stay with them forever he needed timothy spent the following days going for walks
00:15:25
in the nearby hills reading comics by the fire and accompanying his aunt on shopping errands his week-long absence
00:15:33
from home would go unnoticed as barrel was holidaying at her widowed father's place in Brighton and had taken one year
00:15:41
older Geraldine with her a framed picture of the infant was displayed in the Lynch's house and Timothy was often
00:15:49
caught talking to it on one occasion he turned to his aunt violet and told her just wait till you see her on TV
00:15:59
she's a Smasher while at a pub with his nephew one day Cornelius noticed timothy holding what
00:16:08
appeared to be a woman's wedding ring when asked if it was barrels timothy said no he'd just found it somewhere
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he also gifted an old friends wife and necklace though didn't reveal where it had come from on his fifth day in mirth
00:16:26
avail Timothy celebrated his 25th birthday he left the following day of Monday November 21 telling the lynches he
00:16:35
needed to meet his boss in Cardiff to collect some pay and expenses three days later
00:16:43
Timothy reappeared he admitted to his aunt and uncle that he never went to Cardiff he had actually been back to
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London when asked if he had seen his wife and daughter during his brief trip home Timothy replied that he had he
00:17:00
revealed that Beryl had walked out on him and baby Geraldine during his journey back to mirtha Vale he dropped
00:17:08
his daughter off with some acquaintances in the city of Newport just outside of Cardiff the lynches were suspicious of
00:17:18
their nephews odd behaviour and confusing explanations and were not inclined to believe that Beryl had
00:17:25
abandoned him and her baby one night Cornelius asked Timothy to again confirm what had happened he changed his story
00:17:35
this time saying Beryl was pregnant by another man so he had to left her and would never see her again meanwhile
00:17:46
Timothy's mother and sisters hadn't heard from him in more than a fortnight on Sunday November 27
00:17:55
Timothy's sister Eileen visited 10 Rillington place only to find the Evanses top story flat quiet she
00:18:03
inquired with the neighbours and spoke to the occupants of the ground floor flat a middle-aged couple named to John
00:18:10
and death old Christie Ethel reported that Beryl had left the property with the Geraldine almost three weeks earlier
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on Tuesday November 8 she was certain of it as she helped a barrel carry her bags
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Ethel's husband - John told Eileen they've had a rail best to leave young couples alone the following day
00:18:36
Timothy's other sister Mary arrived at Rillington place to carry out her own investigations she also spoke with the
00:18:44
Christie's and couldn't understand why Beryl hadn't written as she must have known they would worry if they didn't
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hear from her John Christie revealed that Timothy had sold all the couple's furniture as though he had no intention
00:18:59
to return it appeared to have been in response to his mother who was interfering with the couple's lives too
00:19:07
much John stated that Beryl left without saying goodbye though his wife claimed otherwise explaining Beryl bid her
00:19:17
farewell and stated she would write Mary planned to contact the police if she didn't hear from her brother or Beryl by
00:19:26
the end of the wake John Christie advised her against it as Timothy would not thank her if she involved to the
00:19:33
authorities in his personal matters when Thomasina last spoke with her son he claimed that Beryl and Geraldine were
00:19:43
holidaying in Brighton yet it had been almost a month since the otherwise communicative Beryl contacted her
00:19:51
in-laws Thomasina sent a telegram to Beryl's father in Brighton as she had purchased a dress for Geraldine as a
00:19:59
Christmas gift and wanted to confirm Beryl would still be there before sending it in his reply er barrels
00:20:08
father revealed that his daughter hadn't been staying with him a short time later Thomasina received a
00:20:16
letter from her sister-in-law violet Lynch informing her that Timothy had spent the previous two weeks at her
00:20:23
home in mirth avail a number of individuals told Thomasina that her son owed them money leading her to suspect
00:20:33
he had run away from his debts furious that Timothy was lying and had seemingly abandoned his responsibilities Thomasina
00:20:42
wrote back to violet sheep and there is some mystery about him you can tell him from me I never want to see him again as
00:20:52
long as I live he packed up a good job here he is like his father no good to himself or anybody else
00:21:05
violet Lynch received Thomas Tina's letter the morning of Wednesday November 30 she read it to Timothy at the
00:21:13
breakfast table before accusing him of lying he maintained his story that barrel and Geraldine were in Brighton he
00:21:22
also denied selling their furniture he appeared anxious and didn't finish eating his meal at 3:10 that afternoon
00:21:31
he walked into mirth avails police station Timothy told the officer on duty Detective Constable Quinn Fran Evans I
00:21:42
would like to have a chat with you alone he was taken into the station's charge office where he announced I want to give
00:21:52
myself up I have disposed of my wife when asked what he met Timothy elaborated I put her
00:22:01
down the drain the detective queried whether Timothy knew what he was admitting to he
00:22:10
answered yes I know what I'm saying I can't sleep and want to get it off my chest
00:22:17
he was cautioned and asked if he wanted to make a written statement as he couldn't read or write Timothy suggested
00:22:25
he'd talk about it while officers dictated he was then transferred five miles north to the Criminal
00:22:32
Investigation Department in his hometown of Merthyr Tydfil once there Timothy gave an official statement to
00:22:41
Detective Constable Gwynn fern Evans and another officer Detective Sergeant Glynn
00:22:46
dog off he started with the discovery months earlier that Beryl was pregnant with their second child the news
00:22:55
distressed 19 year-old Beryl who was already struggling to make ends meet with one child she had also started a
00:23:03
new job at a news agency and would have to quit if she had another baby she wanted to terminate the pregnancy but
00:23:11
abortions were illegal in the United Kingdom at the time Timothy didn't share his wife's concern telling her if you
00:23:21
are having a baby well you've had one another one won't make any difference Beryl said about trying to abort the
00:23:31
pregnancy herself Timothy warned that she would only end up making herself unwell but Beryl was
00:23:39
adamant Timothy approached his mother to see whether she knew of anything that could
00:23:45
induce a miscarriage as a practicing Catholic Thomasina was firmly against the idea Beryl also discussed the matter
00:23:55
with Timothy's sisters her a friend and her neighbors John and Ethel Christie at the advice of those
00:24:04
she spoke to she obtained some over-the-counter pills and a syringe to inject glycerine into carbolic soap into
00:24:11
her body but her attempts failed as time went on the combination of her unhappy marriage unwanted pregnancy and other
00:24:22
home remedies caused the barrel to become increasingly ill and emotionally distraught she confided to her neighbor
00:24:31
Ethel Christie that she wanted to have an illegal abortion performed but couldn't afford one then in early
00:24:42
November barrels overall well-being appeared to improve on Friday November 4 her brother basil noted that she seemed
00:24:51
to be in good spirits without coming plans to go on a holiday with baby Geraldine yet her husband told a
00:25:00
different story on Sunday November 6 after a month of trying and failing to induce a miscarriage Beryl told Timothy
00:25:09
that if she couldn't have an abortion then she would take her own life as well as Geraldine's the following morning
00:25:18
Timothy visited a cafe for breakfast a man sitting nearby engaged him in conversation asking you were looking
00:25:28
pretty worried is there anything on your mind Timothy shared his troubles with the
00:25:34
stranger who in turn gave him a bottle wrapped in brown paper stating tell your wife to take it first thing in the
00:25:43
morning before she has any tea then to lay down on the bed for a couple of hours and that should do the job
00:25:51
that night barrel went to fetch a cigarette from her husband's coat pocket and discovered the bottle
00:25:58
Timothy spoke of his encounter with the stranger at the cafe but cautioned her not to consume the bottles contents he
00:26:07
went to work the next day of Tuesday November raid upon returning home in the evening he noticed the flat was in
00:26:15
darkness inside he found barrel in bed deceased between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. he dragged two barrels body downstairs out
00:26:29
the front door and to lowered her head first into a storm drain he then smoked a cigarette by the
00:26:36
living-room fire Timothy planed he didn't go to work the next day and instead resigned telling his
00:26:43
employer that he had received a better offer he visited his mother to tell her barrel and Geraldine had gone to
00:26:51
Brighton he then arranged to have a secondhand furniture dealer purchase all of his furniture for forty pounds the
00:27:00
dealer couldn't collect the items until Monday November 14 so Timothy remained in London for the next five days
00:27:08
afterwards he caught a train to Wales to visit his aunt and uncle in mirth avail
00:27:14
he told the officers that he had arranged for someone to look after baby Geraldine before departing Timothy
00:27:24
concluded his statement at 5:10 p.m. at which point it was read back to him and he signed it three officers were
00:27:32
dispatched to 10 Rillington place where they spotted a storm drain in the street
00:27:37
out front as Timothy described even with their combined strengths they were unable to lift its heavy cover their
00:27:47
efforts drew the attention of ground-floor resident John Christie who emerged from his flat and reaffirmed
00:27:54
that Beryl and Geraldine had a left some time ago through the use of Alevis the officers
00:28:01
were finally able to lift the storm drain lid they peered inside only to find it empty at approximately 9:00 p.m.
00:28:17
Detective Constable Quinn friend Evans returned to where Timothy Evans was being held and told him the drain which
00:28:24
you say you put your wife's body down has been examined and that there is nothing there he replied well I put it
00:28:33
there when asked who helped him lift the cover Timothy stated that he had done so
00:28:40
entirely by himself given its weight the detective was skeptical and remarked I don't think that your wife's body has
00:28:49
ever been in the drain Timothy responded no I said that to protect a man named Christie it's not true about the men in
00:29:00
the cafe either I'll tell you the truth now he then proceeded to give a second statement which the officers transcribed
00:29:11
he admitted to lying about meeting a stranger in a cafe but maintained the rest of his statement was essentially
00:29:18
true roughly a week before Beryl had died Timothy was approached by his downstairs neighbor John Christie John
00:29:27
who was aware of barrels attempts to terminate her pregnancy remarked I'd like to have a chat with you about your
00:29:35
wife taking these tablets I know what she's taking them for she's trying to get rid of the baby if you or your wife
00:29:43
had come to me in the first place I could have done it for you without any risk John revealed that he had been studying
00:29:52
to be a doctor prior to the outbreak of World War one and showed Timothy a medical textbook he owned Timothy was
00:30:00
unable to read it but it contained diagrams and illustrations of the human anatomy John said he could perform an
00:30:08
abortion but cautioned there was a one in ten chance Beryl would die Timothy was disinterested in the offer and went
00:30:17
upstairs to his flat when he entered Beryl immediately asked whether John Christie had spoken to him about
00:30:24
performing an abortion Timothy said he had but told Beryl she wasn't to have anything to do with it
00:30:32
as she trusted John she intended to take him up on his offer several days later on Monday November 7
00:30:43
Timothy arrived home from work and was told by barrel that John Christie had made arrangements to carry out the
00:30:49
procedure the next morning shortly before her husband left for work the following morning Beryl asked him to
00:30:58
tell John on his way out that everything was all right to proceed she threatened
00:31:03
to tell him herself if Timothy didn't Timothy did as he was asked then went to work when he returned home that evening
00:31:13
John Christie was waiting for him at the bottom of the staircase he followed Timothy upstairs and told him it's bad
00:31:23
news it didn't work Timothy entity's flat and found his wife's body on their bed covered with a
00:31:32
quilt he uncovered her seeing that she was dressed in a black skirt her checked blouse and a light blue jacket there was
00:31:41
blood around her mouth and nose and between her legs geraldine was nearby in her car
00:31:49
timothy picked her up wrapped her in a blanket and took her into the kitchen where John Christie was waiting he said
00:31:59
Beryl had been dead since about three o'clock adding that her stomach had been septic poisoned and that she would have
00:32:06
had to go to the hospital anyway he refused to give any details about the failed abortion procedure or what it
00:32:14
involved for the past month the middle floor flat at 10 Rillington place had been unoccupied its sole resident an
00:32:25
elderly man named Charles Kitchener had been hospitalized to undergo an operation on his eyes John Christie took
00:32:33
a Barrels body into the vacant flat and promised to dispose of it later down a nearby drain Timothy remarked that it
00:32:42
was foolish to dispose of barrels body but John said it was necessary to prevent police prosecuting him for
00:32:49
performing an illegal medical procedure he instructed Timothy to go to work as per usual in the morning while he looked
00:32:58
after baby Geraldine their suspicions might arise if she was sent to her grandmother's home unexpectedly
00:33:07
over the next few days John urged Timothy to leave London as soon as possible in order to conceal the death
00:33:14
of his wife he recommend that a local furniture dealer Timothy could sell his belongings - and said he knew a young
00:33:22
couple in the nearby area of East Acton who would be happy to look after Geraldine Timothy did as he was told and
00:33:31
while he was at work on Thursday November 10 John had the young couple come by to collect the Geraldine Timothy
00:33:40
told his relatives that his wife and daughter were on holiday has instructed by John and disposed of barrels clothing
00:33:47
by tearing it up into pieces and giving them to a rag dealer once his personal affairs were in order and the flat was
00:33:56
empty he caught a train to mirth avail [Music] by the time Timothy concluded giving
00:34:03
this second statement it was 11:50 p.m. he had been in police custody for almost
00:34:09
the nine hours and spent the remainder of the night in solitary confinement both the John and Ethel Christie were
00:34:20
questioned at length in relation to Timothy's accusations John denied offering to perform an abortion on Beryl
00:34:28
that had been aware she was trying to terminate an unwanted pregnancy he advised her against it for the sake of
00:34:35
her health Ethel told police that Beryl mentioned going to a location near a hospital where she could pay to have an
00:34:43
abortion carried out the Christie's described to the Evanses marriage as an unhappy one with John explaining quote
00:34:52
Beryl has told my wife and I on more than one occasion that Timothy has assaulted her and grabbed hold of her
00:34:59
throat she said he has a violent temper and one time would do her in John had spent the first two weeks of November
00:35:10
practically housebound after taking time off from the factory where he worked due
00:35:15
to ill health on the date of barrels alleged to death he was at home suffering severe back pain and
00:35:22
inflammation of the small intestine he left his flat twice to see the doctor at 5:20 p.m. and to visit the library with
00:35:31
his wife John saw barrel for the last time that day as she left the house at seven o'clock that evening
00:35:41
Timothy returned home and spoke to the Christie's telling them that Beryl and Geraldine had gone to the city of
00:35:48
Bristol to visit friends and he would join them later in the week almost a week later on Monday November 14 Timothy
00:35:58
told John that he had quit his job and was moving before his departure Timothy gave his neighbor two suitcases
00:36:06
as well as Geraldine's pram and highchair asking him to hold on to them until he found a new home for his family
00:36:14
he reappeared almost ten days later on Wednesday November 23 John said that his wife had inquired about Beryl at which
00:36:24
point Timothy revealed that she had left him police also spoke with Timothy's mother
00:36:32
who confirmed she hadn't seen her son his wife or their child in weeks they passed on a message from Timothy asking
00:36:41
her to contact a John Christie to confirm the address of the young couple who had Geraldine his message didn't
00:36:49
make sense the Thomasina who replied I know my son has a very vivid imagination and is a terrible liar
00:36:59
Timothy's personal belongings were retrieved from the mirtha Vale home of Cornelius and violet Lynch including the
00:37:07
letter his mother sent days earlier conveying her frustrations that he had abandoned his family afterwards
00:37:15
Detective Constable Gwyn Fran Evans spoke with Timothy Evans again who feigned ignorance over the letter penned
00:37:22
by his mother he was asked when he last saw barrel's body and whether he had helped a John Christie move it to
00:37:30
Charles kitcheners middle floor flat here Timothy changed his story yet again he claimed he had heard his 50 year old
00:37:40
neighbor huffing and puffing as he struggled to drag his wife's body downstairs he had been assisted by
00:37:47
carrying her legs while John lifted her torso quote that's the truth and that's the last time I saw her body
00:38:00
when asked if he had returned to London after fleeing to mirth avail Timothy responded oh yes I forgot about
00:38:09
that he claimed to have returned to inquire about Geraldine's welfare but John Christie had told him he couldn't visit
00:38:18
his daughter for another two or three weeks as she was still settling into her new home detective Evans expressed his
00:38:27
disbelief at Timothy storey prompting the response I may have made a few mistakes but as far as Christie is
00:38:36
concerned I have said the truth meanwhile a search of 10 Rillington place was underway police examined the
00:38:46
garden were recently disturbed earth but found nothing in the ground floor flat belonging to
00:38:54
John and Ethel Christie police bound to Geraldine's clothing pram and highchair the Evanses upstairs flat was emptier
00:39:03
furniture but for newspaper clippings were discovered they detailed a notorious crime that had taken place
00:39:11
earlier that autumn on October 4 1949 Stan Lee said he a wealthy car dealer from London's East End disappeared
00:39:22
nearly three weeks later his torso was found in a marsh in the nearby County of Essex a 29 year old named Brian Hume was
00:39:32
later charged with the murder the clippings included pictures of the bundle that Stanley's torso had been
00:39:40
wrapped in officers also found a briefcase that had been stolen in August from a residential Notting Hill address
00:39:48
enabling them to arrest Timothy Evans for grant the larceny by the morning of Friday December 2 more than 36 hours had
00:40:01
passed since Timothy Evans had given his initial confession yet police still hadn't found barrel or Geraldine Timothy
00:40:10
remained insistent that John Christie had killed Beryl and had knowledge of Geraldine's whereabouts but John's
00:40:17
Donnelly denied these claims by this stage chief detective inspector George Jennings had been placed in charge of
00:40:26
the case another officer and a biologist from Scotland Yard too joined him in a thorough search of 10 Rillington place
00:40:36
the house was again checked from top to bottom but resulted in no significant discoveries they went into the communal
00:40:45
backyard next finding a broken dustbin that didn't garner their interest they searched the outdoor lavatory before
00:40:54
turning their attention to the small wash house that had joined it though the door stuck shut
00:41:01
ethel christy who was observing the goings on with her husband explained that the door had a habit of jamming and
00:41:09
fetched a knife which was used to prise that open it was so dark inside that the
00:41:16
officers needed a torch to see the washhouse measured just 54 by 52 inches and it was primarily used for storage or
00:41:25
fetching water there was a copper boiler in the left corner and to the right was
00:41:31
a sink with a pile of timber boards stacked against it chief detective Inspector Jennings reached behind that
00:41:40
woodpile and felt something he removed some of the boards and uncovered something wrapped in a green tablecloth
00:41:48
and tired with a cotton sash cord he asked death or what was in it but she had never seen it before the officers
00:41:58
laid at the bundle on the cement outside the wash house as they did so a pair of feet that were
00:42:05
bound together slip down detective Jennings returned to the wash house and spotted something else hidden behind
00:42:13
some wood stacked behind the door it was the body of a baby girl with a man's tire knotted around her neck
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00:47:04
the large band parcel contained the body of 19 year old Beryl Evans bent with her
00:47:11
head between her fate the infant body was that of her one-year-old daughter Geraldine as the weather in London had
00:47:21
been cold in recent weeks both corpses were preserved and had no foul odor Beryl and Geraldine had been deceased
00:47:30
for roughly three weeks and the cause of death in both cases was asphyxiation by
00:47:35
strangulation ligature marks and bruises on Beryl's throat and neck were consistent with her killer using a piece
00:47:43
of rope or twisted stocking she was dressed in a skirt blouse and jacket with the latter two undone exposing her
00:47:52
upper body her underwear was missing her face was bruised with her right eye and
00:47:59
upper lip both swollen indicating that she'd been struck about twenty minutes before her
00:48:04
death Beryl also had two bruises on her upper left thigh one on her left shin and another small bruise inside her
00:48:14
vagina wore her womb contained a 16 week old male fetus and bore no signs of the
00:48:22
work of an amateur abortionist it was believed that the bruise in her vagina might have been from a self-inflicted
00:48:29
injury done to induce a miscarriage yet the possibility that her killer had attempted to sexually assault her
00:48:36
postmortem was also considered Geraldine Evans was fully clothed her only injuries were ligature marks on her neck
00:48:45
caused by the tire found with her remains the pair's clothing was identified by John and Ethel Christie
00:48:54
who confirmed the items had belonged to their neighbors when shown that I used to kill Geraldine John thought he might
00:49:02
have seen Timothy Evans wearing one quite similar Timothy Evans was transported from Merthyr Tydfil back to
00:49:11
London so that he could be formally charged with the murder of Beryl and Geraldine without
00:49:17
telling him that the bodies of his wife and daughter had been found the officers
00:49:21
escorted Timothy on a train to London that night a police tip-off alerted the media and depressed photographer was
00:49:29
waiting as the train pulled in at Paddington Station they snapped the picture of a startled and distraught
00:49:36
Timothy as he disembarked flanked by two officers he was taken to Notting Hill police station where he was placed in
00:49:45
the charged room laid out on the floor where the items recovered from barrel and Geraldine's bodies including their
00:49:52
clothing the blanket tablecloth and cord used to wrap barrels body and the knotted tie used to strangle Geraldine
00:50:00
as Timothy surveyed the items chief detective inspector George Jennings stated at 11:50 today I found the dead
00:50:11
body of your wife Beryl Evans concealed in a wash house at 10 Rillington place and Notting Hill also the body of your
00:50:19
baby daughter Geraldine concealed behind some timber in the same our building and
00:50:24
this clothing was found with them tears appeared in Timothy's eyes as he picked up the tyre detective Jennings informed
00:50:35
him that his wife and daughter had been strangled to death and that he had reason to believe Timothy was
00:50:41
responsible Timothy replied yes Timothy immediately provided a brief verbal confession to
00:50:55
the crimes which detective Jennings transcribed into his notebook at red barrel was incurring one dead after
00:51:04
another I could not stand it any longer so I strangled her with a piece of rope and took her down to the flat below the
00:51:12
same night whilst the old man was in hospital I waited till the Christie's downstairs had gone to bed then I took
00:51:20
her to the wash house after midnight this was on Tuesday 8th of November on Thursday evening after I came home from
00:51:30
work I strangled my baby in our bedroom with my tie and - later that night I took her down into the wash house after
00:51:38
the Christie's had gone to bed when Timothy signed to this confession he allegedly told the officers he felt a
00:51:47
great relief at finally sharing the truth before offering to go into more detail about the crimes he then provided
00:51:56
another more detailed statement his fourth since turning himself in to police two days earlier he described
00:52:04
murdering Beryl around 6:30 on the evening of Tuesday November 8 after she initiated a dispute that quickly became
00:52:11
physical Timothy hit her across the face and the barrel retaliated quote in a fit
00:52:20
of temper I grabbed a piece of rope from a chair which I had brought home off my
00:52:24
van and strangled her with it I then took her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed with the Rope still tired
00:52:31
around her neck before 10:00 that night I carried my wife's body downstairs to the kitchen of mr. kitchen as flat as on
00:52:40
you he was away in hospital he then fed Geraldine put her to bed and smoked a cigarette before returning to Charles
00:52:50
kitchen is vacant flat to wrapper barrels body in a blanket and green tablecloth he beyond her concealed body
00:52:57
with cord from a kitchen cupboard and carried her downstairs to the wash house she was placed under the sink with
00:53:05
planks of wood stacked in front Timothy then slipped back into the house and spent the rest of the night lying
00:53:13
fully dressed on his bed over the next two days he fed and changed to Geraldine before going to work leaving her alone
00:53:23
at the flat until he returned in the evenings on Wednesday November 10 he had an argument with his employer and
00:53:32
subsequently quit upon arriving home he picked up Geraldine from her cart and strangled her with one of his tires
00:53:41
after waiting for John and Ethel Kristy to go to bed he crept to downstairs with
00:53:47
the Geraldine's body and hid her in the wash house as well news of Evans arrest broke quickly on Saturday December 3
00:53:58
through London papers published stories about his late-night interrogation with the Evening Standard running a headline
00:54:05
that read men all night with the police that same morning Timothy was formally charged with murder to which he replied
00:54:15
yes that's right he was transported to Brixton prison in London's inner south to await trial upon admission he
00:54:26
confessed to the prison's principal medical officer who was required to ascertain whether he was sane and
00:54:32
mentally competent to stand trial for reasons unknown Barrels father and siblings were not given details
00:54:41
regarding her and Geraldine's funeral authorities arranged for the mother and daughter to be laid to rest in a shared
00:54:49
grave known as a corpus grave alongside six other bodies their burial site was located in the Catholic section of
00:54:58
London's Gunners bury symmetry despite barrel being of Jewish faith in the days that followed investigators
00:55:10
set about building a case for the prosecution they revisited 10 Rillington place on Monday December 5 to obtain a
00:55:18
more detailed statement from residents John and Ethel Christie both reported hearing heavy thudding from above on the
00:55:26
night of November 8 as though someone were moving furniture in relation to the backyard washhouse Ethel told police
00:55:35
that they locked its door however there was no lock on the door with residents merely jamming it shut in a manner that
00:55:43
made it difficult to open as the rooms boiler was broken the space was typically used for storage Ethel had
00:55:53
been using it daily since November 8 to rinse out a bedpan and saw the pile of timber stacked in front of the sink but
00:56:01
didn't notice anything tucked behind it John Christie didn't visit the wash house until Monday November 14 the date
00:56:09
Timothy Evans left for Wales at 7:30 that morning John ventured out to fetch some firewood he entered the wash house
00:56:19
and two noticed the timber pile but didn't disturb it the day before Beryl was murdered she spoke to Ethel about a
00:56:29
friend named - Jane Vincent coming to visit Beryl was less than enthused accusing the woman of causing trouble
00:56:37
between herself and Timothy John was one of barrels oldest friends having met in school when they were
00:56:44
children they lost touch only to reconnect after a chance meeting at a post / natal clinic where they took
00:56:51
their infant daughters the two women would catch up several times a week taking it in turns to visit one another
00:57:00
Joan told police that she couldn't quite recall when she had last visited Beryl naming November 5 7 & 8 as possible date
00:57:11
Joan arrived that 10 Rillington place around lunchtime the building's front door was open something she had never
00:57:19
seen before she went upstairs and found the door to the Evanses flat which was usually kept open closed she knocked and
00:57:29
called out Beryl that's me there was no answer which Joan found odd as Beryl was always
00:57:37
home at lunchtime she attempted to open the door by turning the handle it gave slightly before closing again as though
00:57:48
someone were pushing against it convinced there was somebody standing on the other side Joan said if you don't
00:57:57
want to see me you've only got to say so there was no reply so Joan left in the course of their investigation
00:58:10
police discovered that around at the time of barrels murder structural work was underway at 10 Rillington place
00:58:19
the landlord had hired a team of five laborers to repair plastering and to replace wall boards a manager plaster a
00:58:27
carpenter and two assistants commenced work on Monday October 31 and were at the property on and off over the next
00:58:35
two weeks repair work on the roof of the outdoor wash house and lavatory commenced on Tuesday November a
00:58:45
plasterer Frederick Willis and his assistant Frederick Jones left the building's front door open as they were
00:58:51
constantly entering and exiting to gather equipment at around 10 a.m. Jones was mixing materials out front
00:58:59
when a young woman came downstairs with a baby in her arms accompanied by another young woman she put the baby in
00:59:07
a pram and two left he couldn't recall seeing her again the plaster is finished mending the
00:59:16
washout sealing by the following day and for the rest of the week were regularly
00:59:21
in and out of the small building as they stored their tools in there when there were finished on Friday November 11
00:59:28
jones cleaned and swept the room thoroughly before leaving the property for good
00:59:34
both men were certain there had been nothing out of the ordinary there during that period all five workmen were shown
00:59:43
a crime-scene photograph of the wash house that depicted the timber pile by the sink
00:59:49
carpenter Robert Anderson identified the planks as floorboards he had removed from the ground floor hallway on
00:59:55
November 14 he left them in the wash house for the tenants to use as firewood these statements were at odds with
01:00:05
Timothy Evans final confession he had described placing the bodies of Beryl and Geraldine in the wash house on
01:00:12
November 8 and a November 10 respectively yet the workmen had been accessing the small room on both those
01:00:20
dates upon realizing this discrepancy chief detective inspector George Jennings summoned plasterer Frederic Willis and
01:00:29
his assistant Frederick Jones to clarify matters along with their manager raymond
01:00:35
phillips detective Jennings asked Phillips to speak with him first while his two employees waited in
01:00:42
another room three hours passed and Willis and Jones grew frustrated finally Jones was brought in for questioning
01:00:54
detective Jennings wasted no time in telling him that his earlier statement was incorrect as the bodies had been
01:01:01
placed in the wash house before he concluded his work there on November 11 Jones was certain this could not be the
01:01:09
case as he had not seen anything suspicious in the wash house the entire time he was at 10 Rillington place he
01:01:17
was insistent refusing to budge from his story his boss Raymond Phillips was called into the room and told
01:01:27
we've got 30 or 40 witnesses to prove the bodies were in the wash hours but your man says they weren't Phillips
01:01:35
turned to Jones pointing out that if the police said this was the case then it must be so Jones altered his statement
01:01:44
writing that he now recalled clearing out the wash house on Tuesday November 8 not Friday November 11 Fredrik Willis
01:01:57
was then asked to join them he too began to doubt his own recollections and too changed his statement adding the words I
01:02:06
feel now that it would have been quite possible for anything to have been under the sink in the corner an officer was
01:02:15
dispatched to 10 Rillington place to verify the amended details with the Christie's who had become the primary
01:02:22
witnesses in the case John Christie confirmed that on Tuesday November 8th the plaster has told him
01:02:29
they had finished the repairs on the wash house and telemetry he also clarified that they had stored their
01:02:37
tools and materials in the front room of his flat from that date until November 11 Thomasina visited Brixton prison to
01:02:47
see her son she had tried to visit him while he was under arrest but was told she would have to wait until he'd been
01:02:54
formally charged upon reuniting with him after weeks of no contact Thomasina asked Tim why did you do it he
01:03:06
responded I didn't do it mum Christie done it before explaining that he hadn't even
01:03:14
realized that Geraldine was dead until police brought him back to London Timothy claimed that police had
01:03:22
interrogated him until five o'clock in the morning to coax a confession from him he pleaded with his mother to have
01:03:29
John Christie visit him stating he's the only one who can help me now Timothy Evans was granted a legal aid for his
01:03:40
defence as he had no money to pay for an attorney he continued to profess his innocence though his legal team viewed
01:03:49
his sworn statements as very damning their brief noted that it would be difficult to decide whether to try for
01:03:56
an insanity defense or provide an alternative scenario in line with their clients claims Timothy's barrister
01:04:05
Malcolm Morris visited him in prison on a number of occasions during these meetings
01:04:11
Timothy explained that he had been scared police would become violent with him if he didn't confess to the murders
01:04:18
he reverted back to his second statement blaming John Christie for killing Beryl
01:04:24
despite there being no evidence of her having undergone a botched abortion he remarked that John must have killed
01:04:32
Geraldine as well Morris warned his client that the court probably wouldn't believe this version of events and if he
01:04:41
was to insist on it as his defence then he would be required to testify Timothy understood and readily agreed to
01:04:49
do so British legal practice at the time meant that even if a defendant was charged with multiple murders they would
01:04:58
only be prosecuted for one therefore the prosecution had to decide whether to try
01:05:04
Timothy Evans for the murder of barrel or Geraldine in cases where two murders were tied together in a single event
01:05:13
evidence that related to the first murder could be given in a trial about the second but not the other way around
01:05:21
after some consideration they chose to proceed with trolling the accused for Geraldine's murder this way they could
01:05:29
still enter evidence about barrels death into court thus strengthening their case
01:05:34
against him for the murder of Geraldine the trial commenced on Wednesday January
01:05:41
11 1950 at the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales commonly known as the
01:05:48
Old Bailey there was a little media interest in the case and it was barely covered by the daily papers before
01:05:56
proceedings began at 10:30 Timothy Evans legal team were startled to learn that key witness for the prosecution John
01:06:05
Christie had a criminal record this was despite chief detective inspector George Jennings stating that
01:06:12
John's record was quote as white as the driven snow three decades earlier in 1921 John Christie stole two money
01:06:24
orders during his employment as a postman leading to a three-month prison sentence
01:06:30
three years later he committed a larceny twice and was again sent to prison that
01:06:37
same year he and Ethel separated and John struck up a new relationship with a woman he met in London named Maude
01:06:45
five years later he was convicted of assaulting Maude after striking her in the head with a cricket bat he was
01:06:53
sentenced to six months hard labor his final conviction was for stealing a car in 1933 for which he served another
01:07:02
three months the prosecution and police were satisfied that John Christie had since become an upstanding citizen
01:07:11
worthy of testifying on their behalf in a murder trial following the outbreak of
01:07:17
World War two he worked as a war reserve constable until his resignation in 1943
01:07:23
he and wife Ethel had since reunited and had lived at 10 Rillington place since 1938
01:07:32
despite this the defense regarded to John Christie as an unreliable witness when John was called to give evidence at
01:07:46
trial he gave detailed accounts of arguments he'd overheard between the Evanses painting their relationship as
01:07:53
destructive he claimed that on the evening of November 10 the night that the prosecution was alleging the accused
01:08:01
had killed baby Geraldine Timothy had arrived home quote extremely angry upset really wild he told John that he had
01:08:13
quit his job and was hoping to find a new one in Bristol where Beryl and Geraldine supposedly were and would be
01:08:21
selling his furniture before leaving defense barrister Malcolm Morris cross-examined to John using the
01:08:29
opportunity to share his defendants explanation for both murders by stating well mr. Christie I've got to suggest to
01:08:38
you and I do not want there to be any misapprehension about it that you are responsible for the death of mrs. Evans
01:08:45
and the little girl while he acknowledged that he had known about barrels unwanted pregnancy
01:08:52
John firmly denied suggesting that he could perform an abortion for her when asked whether he owned any medical
01:09:00
textbooks John said he owned a cent Johns Ambulance manual that included diagrams of the human body but had never
01:09:07
shown it to Timothy Evans he called the accusation that he helped carry barrels body downstairs ridiculous as he had
01:09:17
been bedridden with severe back pain and inflammation of the small intestine during the week in question in a final
01:09:25
attempt to undermine John's credibility Morris concluded his cross-examination by addressing his prior convictions
01:09:34
other witnesses for the prosecution included Ethel Christie whose testimony matched that of her husband's Timothy's
01:09:42
aunt violet Lynch and to dr. Robert T the pathologist who had performed the autopsies of Beryl and Geraldine
01:09:51
he described how the pair were killed by strangulation and made it clear that there was no evidence of damage to
01:09:58
Beryl's uterus indicative of an abortion procedure all four of Timothy Evans confessions were read to the court the
01:10:08
defense aimed to discredit them and managed to find one unreliable aspect according to an inspector who was
01:10:17
present at the time Timothy provided his statements chief detective inspector George Jennings
01:10:23
mentioned where barrel and Geraldine's bodies were found before Timothy provided that information himself the
01:10:35
defense only had one witness Timothy Evans Timothy explained to the court that he had initially blamed a stranger
01:10:43
he met in a cafe for Barrels death in order to protect to John Christie upon learning that her body wasn't in the
01:10:51
storm drain as he believed it would be he had decided to tell the truth he described his latter two confessions as
01:10:59
a load of lies that Heda made up because he was distraught at learning of Geraldine's death and believed police
01:11:06
would knock him about if he didn't comply he stated that when police showed him his wife and daughters clothing and
01:11:14
the other artifacts found with their bodies they also revealed that the pair had been in the wash house concealed by
01:11:21
Tim Bob in his final question to his client Malcolm Morris asked had you anything left to live for when Geraldine
01:11:31
was dead Timothy replied no sir prosecutor Christmas Humphries referred to the defendants known and extensive
01:11:43
history of a lying he described to John Christie a World War one veteran who also worked in the war reserve police
01:11:51
during World War two as a perfectly innocent man who had no motive to murder his neighbors Humphries
01:11:59
asked the defendant can you suggest why he should have strangled your wife can you suggest why he should have strangled
01:12:08
your daughter to both of these questions Timothy replied no at the conclusion of
01:12:17
his 10 minute long closing argument Humphries asked the jury even if Christie had been responsible for the
01:12:25
woman's death why should he two days later go up to that flat and strangle an innocent little baby lying there aged 14
01:12:33
months even this fluent liar who will lie as and when he pleases cannot invent an answer to that question the defense's
01:12:45
closing argument was significantly longer Malcolm Morris reminded the jury that unlike ajahn Christie Timothy Evans
01:12:53
had no previous convictions for violent behaviour he asserted that elements of his clients
01:13:00
story were not something that an uneducated illiterate man could invent he explained that his client made no
01:13:08
admissions that Geraldine was dead until after he was told her body had been found at which point he confessed due to
01:13:16
his fear of the police the trial judge reminded the jury that they were only required to reach a verdict regarding
01:13:25
Geraldine Evans murder despite the defense's story that Beryl had died after arranging for John
01:13:32
Christie to perform an abortion the judge clarified that she had not died from such a procedure and added Evans is
01:13:41
a person who does not hesitate to lie the jury deliberated for forty minutes before returning with their verdict
01:13:50
they found Timothy Evans guilty of the murder of his one-year-old daughter Geraldine in 1950 death was the
01:14:00
mandatory sentence for murder when asked if he had anything to say as to why the court should not sentence him
01:14:07
to death Timothy replied no sir he remained silent as the judge stated Timothy John Evans the jury has found
01:14:21
you guilty of willful murder in the sentence of the court upon you is that you be taken from this place to a lawful
01:14:27
prison and thence to a place of execution and there you shall suffer death by hanging
01:14:35
may the lord have mercy on your soul at these words John Christie broke into sobs from his seat at the back of the
01:14:45
courtroom as the Christie stood to leave Timothy's mother shouted at John murderer
01:14:53
murderer Ethel replied don't you dare call my husband a murderer he's a good man
01:15:07
Timothy Evans was taken to Pentonville prison in North London to await his execution he was a model prisoner who
01:15:15
was generally liked by the guards one officer noted that Timothy talked of his deceased wife and child almost as if he
01:15:24
had forgotten the crime while another commented he speaks of his wife with respect
01:15:32
Timothy past time playing cards with other prisoners or discussing football and boxing he found renewed faith in the
01:15:40
Catholicism he had been raised with and attended Mass every week while also receiving regular visits from a Christ
01:15:48
his mother stepfather and sisters visited often Timothy continued to maintain his innocence a month after his
01:15:59
trial he appealed his conviction on several grounds including that evidence relating to Beryl's death should have
01:16:06
been inadmissible and that the judge had misdirected the jury to find him guilty
01:16:12
his appeal was ultimately dismissed once again Timothy showed no visible distress at the verdict but upon
01:16:22
returning to prison he began pacing in his soul his execution was scheduled for Thursday
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March 9 1955 days beforehand Timothy appeared before a Medical Board to confirm he was of sound mind
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he again attempted to recant his confessions stating I didn't care what happened to them so I made the statement
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he speculated that John Christie had killed Geraldine to get her out of the way he didn't dwell on his situation but
01:17:00
found it painful to discuss the board found no cause to provide a medical reprieve two days before his execution
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Timothy was visited by his mother and sisters he asked them if there was any hope and his mother replied we have done
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all we can son there's nothing more I want you to make your peace with God don't worry you'll go to heaven
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[Music] at their final visit Timothy's older sister Eileen stayed behind tough that
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the others had a left and said look Tim you've got nothing to lose now tell me the truth so that I can know did
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you do it he answered no why Lane I didn't do it cristy done it on Thursday March 9 1952 methey spoke with a priest
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before the executioner arrived at 9:00 a.m. he was taken to the prisons execution shed wear a hood was placed
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over his head and he was hanged his body was buried in an unmarked grave in the grounds of Pentonville prison the
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execution failed to make headlines five months later the owner of 10 Rillington place sold the house to a 35
01:18:35
year old Jamaican immigrant by this stage Charles Kitchener had permanently vacated the property and to the
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building's new landlord plans to lease each of the rooms in the middle and upper floor flats to maximize returns
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seven new tenants moved in four of whom were also from Jamaica John and Ethel Christie remained in their ground-floor
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residence though they were displeased by their new neighbors the pair held racist
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views and made a number of complaints about noise and intrusions to their property to a free legal advice service
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eventually John Christie negotiated exclusive access to the properties backyard on the grounds that he and his
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wife needed privacy by Tuesday March 24 1953 the Christie's were no longer living at 10 Rillington
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place that afternoon Beresford Brown the tenant who now occupied the top floor flat was making
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some repairs to the Christy's old kitchen after the landlord had given him permission to make use of it as he
01:19:50
installed some brackets for a wireless radio he tucked the portion of the rooms rear wall and discovered that it was
01:19:57
Hollow Beresford peeled back a small portion of wallpaper revealing a small hidden
01:20:04
alcove tucked away alongside the kitchen he's shown a torch inside and was alarmed at what he saw to be continued
01:20:17
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