Timothy Evans

Timothy John Evans (November 20, 1924 - March 9, 1950) was a young man, possibly mentally retarded, who was hanged in England in 1950 for the murder of his infant daughter. Events subsequent to his execution, including a book and a pardon for his daughter?s murder, led to abolition of capital punishment in Britain.

Related Topics:
November 20 - 1924 - March 9 - 1950 - Mentally retarded

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Evans was a native of Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales. On September 20, 1947 he married Beryl Susanna Thorley and at Easter 1948 he moved to the top-floor flat at 10 Rillington Place, North Kensington, London. Their daughter Geraldine was born on October 10, 1948.

Related Topics:
Merthyr Tydfil - Wales - 10 Rillington Place - Kensington - London - October 10 - 1948

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On 30 November 1949, Evans went to the police in Merthyr Tydfil and confessed to killing Beryl and disposing of her body down the drain outside 10, Rillington Place. He said that he had given his wife some ?abortion pills? and that she died after taking them. He told the police that afterwards he had made arrangements to have his daughter Geraldine looked after, and had returned to Wales.

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When police examined the drain they found nothing. When re-questioned, Evans told a different story. He now claimed that the neighbour living in the ground floor flat, John Reginald Halliday Christie, had offered to provide an abortion for Beryl. Evans had returned home from work on 7 November to find Beryl dead. He said Christie then disposed of the body and made arrangements for some people to look after Geraldine while Evans laid low for a while in Wales.

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During a search of 10, Rillington Place, on 2 December 1949, the police found the bodies of Beryl and Geraldine hidden in the wash house in the back garden. Both had been strangled.

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When Evans was shown the clothing taken from the bodies of his wife and child, he was asked whether he was responsible for their deaths. He replied with a simple ?Yes?.

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Evans now confessed to having strangled Beryl during a row over debts on 8 November 1949, and strangling Geraldine two days later, after which he left for Wales.

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Evans went on trial at the Old Bailey in January 1950. The court heard evidence related to both killings, although Evans was officially charged only with the killing of his daughter Geraldine. During the trial he reverted to his earlier story that his neighbor Christie was the actual killer. The jury found Evans guilty of his daughter?s murder and he was hanged on 9 March 1950.

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Three years later, a new tenant in Mr. Christie?s flat found three bodies hidden in the kitchen pantry. They were the bodies of prostitutes murdered by Christie. Further search of the building and grounds turned up three more bodies, including that of Christie?s wife. Christie was arrested on 31 March 1953, and during the course of interrogation confessed to the killing of Beryl Evans. He denied killing Geraldine Evans. Christie was found guilty of the murder of his wife, and was hanged on 15 July 1953.

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Christie?s conviction, and his confession to Beryl?s murder, raised questions about the execution of Timothy Evans three years earlier, but a brief inquiry at the time found no reason to doubt Evans? guilt in the murder of his daughter.

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Journalist Ludovic Kennedy wrote a book about the case, ?10, Rillington Place?, and he and Barrister Michael Eddowes fought to clear Evans' name. Evans was ultimately granted a posthumous pardon in 1966. The outcry over the Evans' case contributed to the abolition of the death penalty in the UK.

Related Topics:
Ludovic Kennedy - Michael Eddowes

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