NCJ Number
184042
Date Published
2000
Length
459 pages
Annotation
This book examines 50 murder cases in England, Scotland, and Wales in the 20th century; in all the cases the accused was found guilty and either executed or sentenced to life imprisonment; in each case the author asserts that there was reasonable doubt either as to the guilt or the sanity of the accused.
Abstract
In addition to examining the case for reasonable doubt regarding the guilt or sanity of the accused in each case, the prosecution's presentation and interpretation of evidence is also described so as to achieve balanced coverage. In each case, details are provided on important dates, facts, names, witnesses, and statements. The book contains cases of those who were said to be child murderers, such as Louisa Masser, George Alfred Rice, and Stefan Kiszko; those accused of mass murder, such as Judith Ward and the Birmingham Six; those said to be terrorist killers, such as the Guildford Four; and those accused of killing more than one victim at different times (serial killers) such as Timothy Evans. Through an examination of these 50 cases, the author develops an argument against capital punishment. He asks how a civilized society that condemns killing can then punish its killers by killing them. He also asks how a civilized society can overlook police deviance in the manufacturing of confessions, the manipulation of evidence, and the assaulting of suspects. He notes that not one of the police officers who behaved improperly to obtain a conviction in the cases examined served a day in prison. The author advocates bringing serious criminal charges for such police behavior. 29 suggestions for further reading, a listing of assizes documents and newspapers examined, and a subject index