10 Rillington Place

10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill, Notting Hill Gate, London, was the site of one of Britain's most notorious serial killers, and a miscarriage of justice which contributed towards the abolition of the death penalty in Britain. It is also the title of a book on the murder case by Ludovic Kennedy published in 1965, and a movie starring Richard Attenborough in 1970.

Timothy Evans as prime suspect

At this time the police thought they were dealing with a run-of-the-mill domestic murder. Investigation showed that both mother and child had been strangled, which contradicted Evans' account. Evans was brought back to London where without legal advice, he made a third statement admitting that he had strangled his wife, and killed his daughter two days later, and hidden the bodies in the wash-house.

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At the trial at the Old Bailey in January 1950, barely six weeks after his arrest, two important facts were withheld from the jury. There was evidence that Beryl had been sexually assaulted after death, which was inconsistent with Evans' statement, and two workmen, who were willing to testify that there were no bodies in the wash-house when they worked there several days after Evans supposedly hid them, were never called to give evidence. This was because Christie only moved the bodies there two weeks later, after the workmen had finished their work.

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The jury was convinced by Evans' poor performance in the witness box and by Christie's accomplished denials of any involvement, and took only 40 minutes to find Evans guilty of his daughter's murder. It had been decided not to charge him with his wife's murder as the evidence was not as strong. A few weeks later, on 9 March 1950, Albert Pierrepoint hanged Timothy Evans at Pentonville prison, London.

Related Topics:
9 March - 1950 - Albert Pierrepoint - Pentonville

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