Bruce George Peter Lee
Encyclopedia
Bruce George Peter Lee (born Peter Dinsdale 31 July 1960) became one of Britain’s most prolific killers when he was convicted of 26 charges of manslaughter
in 1981. He confessed to a total of 11 acts of arson
, and was convicted of 26 counts of manslaughter. 11 of these were overturned on appeal. Lee was imprisoned for life in 1981.
, the son of a prostitute, Lee was brought up in children's homes and suffered from epilepsy
and congenital spastic
hemiplegia
in his right limbs
, which left him with a limp in his right leg and a compulsion
to hold his right arm across his chest. As an adult, he worked as a labourer and was known locally as "daft Peter". In 1979 his mother remarried. His stepfather's surname was Lee, and Dinsdale changed his name as an homage to Bruce Lee
.
. Inside were Edith Hastie and her sons Thomas, Charles (15), Paul (12), and Peter (8). The family was asleep at the time.
Charles rescued his mother by pushing her out of an upstairs window, but was unable to help his brothers. Both were in the same bedroom as he; however, opening the bedroom window had caused a draught which fed the fire. Burned severely, they were taken to the specialist burns unit in Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield
, West Yorkshire
, where they later died. Thomas survived, escaping through a window in the back bedroom, where the flames were less severe. Mrs. Hastie had three daughters, who were staying with relatives elsewhere in the area that particular night. Her husband, Tommy Hastie, was in prison.
The police set up a makeshift incident room in a former police station on Gordon Street and began talking to local people about the fire and the family. They were surprised and shocked by a rather casual response from the neighbourhood regarding the brothers, despite the severity of the fire which led to their deaths. The indifference of the neighbourhood came to a climax at the joint funeral for the boys in January 1980 when a grief-stricken Edith Hastie issued an outburst to the gathering crowd over their lack of sympathy for the loss of her sons. The three boys were buried together in one grave at the Northern Cemetery in Hull.
Once the police had established that the Hasties were known as a "problem" family, responsible for petty crime and vendettas, they began looking for an arsonist who may have been seeking a form of revenge. Lee was one of many teenagers who volunteered to be questioned routinely about the fire. Six months after the inquiry began, he confessed in great detail about pouring paraffin
through the letterbox and setting it alight in revenge against Charles Hastie, with whom he had had some sexual contact. Lee said the 15-year-old boy had threatened to go to the police (as he was a minor
) unless Lee gave him money. Lee had also become infatuated with Charless' sister Angeleena Hastie but she had rejected his repeated advances.
car. Detective Superintendent Ron Sagar and his investigators could trace this car to the local homosexual scene and decided to interview a number of suspects. Sagar accused each of them with starting the fire, hoping that the real killer would then confess.
Lee confessed to the Selby Street fire, saying "I didn't mean to kill them," and told the police how Charlie Hastie had demanded money from him for sexual activities. Moreover Lee had been ridiculed by members of the Hastie family for falling in love with daughter Angeleena Hastie. This was the reason why Lee had set the fire at the back of the Hastie's house.
During further questioning - and to the complete surprise and horror of the police - Lee then went on to confess to starting nine more fatal fires in Hull over the previous seven years. None of the fires was treated with suspicion at the time; inquest
s recorded misadventure verdict
s and arson was never considered. A total of 26 people had died in the blazes, ranging from a six-month-old baby, a young mother and her three small sons, to 11 elderly men in a residential home, Wensley Lodge. Countless more were burned or suffered from smoke inhalation
, or received injuries while escaping.
Lee claimed that most of the fires were started at random because he loved fire, and he rarely considered whether he was endangering life when he started them. Only the Hastie fire and two others were at houses owned by people he knew and against whom he bore a grudge.
Investigating officers then proceeded to drive Lee around the city of Hull to the locations he had specified, where upon Lee then pointed out the buildings in question. Although Lee could not be particular with dates or chronology, research later showed that fires had indeed been started at each of the dwellings he had indicated. Lee said that when he heard of many of the deaths he had caused, he sought solace in the Bible
but was not persuaded to stop or confess.
To test Lee's story and rule out any prospect of him being merely a well-informed fantasist
, officers deliberately took him to a dwelling where a high-profile fire had occurred but a criminal conviction had already been secured. Lee immediately ruled out his involvement - he said he had never been anywhere near the area - leading police to believe that he was being truthful about the number of fires he had started.
Despite initially saying he was not sorry for the deaths he caused, as killing was not on his mind when he began the majority of the fires, Lee later offered apologies for his actions while awaiting trial.
not guilty at Leeds Crown Court
to 26 counts of murder
, but guilty to 26 counts of manslaughter
on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and to 11 counts of arson.
Lee was initially taken to Park Lane Special Hospital in Liverpool
and was later transferred to Rampton Secure Hospital
where he remains. Although he was the most prolific killer in the UK at the time, he received relatively little national publicity at the time, possibly because he was convicted of manslaughter rather than murder, and also because the trial of Peter Sutcliffe
, which was a much more high profile case, was ongoing at the same time.
In 1983, a public inquiry
concluded that the fire at the Wensley Lodge was accidental and that Lee was not responsible for it or the deaths of the eleven residents. Senior fire investigation officers supported the inquiry's conclusions. Lee's eleven relevant manslaughter convictions were duly later quashed on appeal.
Ronald Sagar, later launched a libel action against The Sunday Times
after they published articles suggesting Lee’s statements had been not entirely voluntary. The judge at Lee's 1983 appeal stated that he was confident that Lee's statements were "freely given" and the paper later withdrew the allegations and offered an apology, with the case finally settling out of court
in 1987. Sagar, who retired and was awarded an MBE
, had stated that he hoped Lee will one day be deemed fit and safe enough to be freed. Ron Sagar died in March 2010.
Manslaughter in English law
In the English law of homicide, manslaughter is a less serious offence than murder, the differential being between levels of fault based on the mens rea . In England and Wales, the usual practice is to prefer a charge of murder, with the judge or defence able to introduce manslaughter as an option...
in 1981. He confessed to a total of 11 acts of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, and was convicted of 26 counts of manslaughter. 11 of these were overturned on appeal. Lee was imprisoned for life in 1981.
Early life
Born in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, the son of a prostitute, Lee was brought up in children's homes and suffered from epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
and congenital spastic
Spastic
The word spastic is used differently depending on location which has led to some controversy and misunderstanding. Derived via Latin from the Greek spastikos , the word originally referred to a change in muscles affected by the medical condition spasticity, which is seen in spastic diplegia and...
hemiplegia
Hemiplegia
Hemiplegia /he.mə.pliː.dʒiə/ is total paralysis of the arm, leg, and trunk on the same side of the body. Hemiplegia is more severe than hemiparesis, wherein one half of the body has less marked weakness....
in his right limbs
Limb (anatomy)
A limb is a jointed, or prehensile , appendage of the human or other animal body....
, which left him with a limp in his right leg and a compulsion
Compulsion
Compulsion may refer to:* Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so...
to hold his right arm across his chest. As an adult, he worked as a labourer and was known locally as "daft Peter". In 1979 his mother remarried. His stepfather's surname was Lee, and Dinsdale changed his name as an homage to Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
.
Selby Street fire
On 4 December 1979, a fire broke out at the front of a house in Selby Street, HullKingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. Inside were Edith Hastie and her sons Thomas, Charles (15), Paul (12), and Peter (8). The family was asleep at the time.
Charles rescued his mother by pushing her out of an upstairs window, but was unable to help his brothers. Both were in the same bedroom as he; however, opening the bedroom window had caused a draught which fed the fire. Burned severely, they were taken to the specialist burns unit in Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, where they later died. Thomas survived, escaping through a window in the back bedroom, where the flames were less severe. Mrs. Hastie had three daughters, who were staying with relatives elsewhere in the area that particular night. Her husband, Tommy Hastie, was in prison.
The police set up a makeshift incident room in a former police station on Gordon Street and began talking to local people about the fire and the family. They were surprised and shocked by a rather casual response from the neighbourhood regarding the brothers, despite the severity of the fire which led to their deaths. The indifference of the neighbourhood came to a climax at the joint funeral for the boys in January 1980 when a grief-stricken Edith Hastie issued an outburst to the gathering crowd over their lack of sympathy for the loss of her sons. The three boys were buried together in one grave at the Northern Cemetery in Hull.
Once the police had established that the Hasties were known as a "problem" family, responsible for petty crime and vendettas, they began looking for an arsonist who may have been seeking a form of revenge. Lee was one of many teenagers who volunteered to be questioned routinely about the fire. Six months after the inquiry began, he confessed in great detail about pouring paraffin
Paraffin
In chemistry, paraffin is a term that can be used synonymously with "alkane", indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20 ≤ n ≤ 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature and begin to enter the...
through the letterbox and setting it alight in revenge against Charles Hastie, with whom he had had some sexual contact. Lee said the 15-year-old boy had threatened to go to the police (as he was a minor
Minor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
) unless Lee gave him money. Lee had also become infatuated with Charless' sister Angeleena Hastie but she had rejected his repeated advances.
Arrest and conviction
In the night the fire at the Hastie's home was started, police received an anonymous telephone call, reporting three people driving away from the direction of the house in a Rover 2000Rover 2000
Two different automobiles from Rover have been called the 2000:* Rover P6, 1963-1973* Rover SD1, 1977-1986...
car. Detective Superintendent Ron Sagar and his investigators could trace this car to the local homosexual scene and decided to interview a number of suspects. Sagar accused each of them with starting the fire, hoping that the real killer would then confess.
Lee confessed to the Selby Street fire, saying "I didn't mean to kill them," and told the police how Charlie Hastie had demanded money from him for sexual activities. Moreover Lee had been ridiculed by members of the Hastie family for falling in love with daughter Angeleena Hastie. This was the reason why Lee had set the fire at the back of the Hastie's house.
During further questioning - and to the complete surprise and horror of the police - Lee then went on to confess to starting nine more fatal fires in Hull over the previous seven years. None of the fires was treated with suspicion at the time; inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
s recorded misadventure verdict
Verdict
In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. The term, from the Latin veredictum, literally means "to say the truth" and is derived from Middle English verdit, from Anglo-Norman: a compound of ver and dit In law, a verdict...
s and arson was never considered. A total of 26 people had died in the blazes, ranging from a six-month-old baby, a young mother and her three small sons, to 11 elderly men in a residential home, Wensley Lodge. Countless more were burned or suffered from smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death in victims of indoor fires.Smoke inhalation injury refers to injury due to inhalation or exposure to hot gaseous products of combustion. This can cause serious respiratory complications....
, or received injuries while escaping.
Lee claimed that most of the fires were started at random because he loved fire, and he rarely considered whether he was endangering life when he started them. Only the Hastie fire and two others were at houses owned by people he knew and against whom he bore a grudge.
Investigating officers then proceeded to drive Lee around the city of Hull to the locations he had specified, where upon Lee then pointed out the buildings in question. Although Lee could not be particular with dates or chronology, research later showed that fires had indeed been started at each of the dwellings he had indicated. Lee said that when he heard of many of the deaths he had caused, he sought solace in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
but was not persuaded to stop or confess.
To test Lee's story and rule out any prospect of him being merely a well-informed fantasist
Fantasy (psychology)
Fantasy in a psychological sense is broadly used to cover two different senses, conscious and unconscious. In the unconscious sense, it is sometimes spelled "phantasy".-Conscious fantasy:...
, officers deliberately took him to a dwelling where a high-profile fire had occurred but a criminal conviction had already been secured. Lee immediately ruled out his involvement - he said he had never been anywhere near the area - leading police to believe that he was being truthful about the number of fires he had started.
Despite initially saying he was not sorry for the deaths he caused, as killing was not on his mind when he began the majority of the fires, Lee later offered apologies for his actions while awaiting trial.
Trial and sentence
On 20 January 1981, he pleadedPlea
In legal terms, a plea is simply an answer to a claim made by someone in a civil or criminal case under common law using the adversary system. Colloquially, a plea has come to mean the assertion by a criminal defendant at arraignment, or otherwise in response to a criminal charge, whether that...
not guilty at Leeds Crown Court
Leeds Crown Court
Leeds Crown Court is the highest court in West Yorkshire, England. The buildings are situated in Westgate in Leeds city centre, adjacent to Leeds magistrates courts.-Notable cases:...
to 26 counts of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, but guilty to 26 counts of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and to 11 counts of arson.
Lee was initially taken to Park Lane Special Hospital in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and was later transferred to Rampton Secure Hospital
Rampton Secure Hospital
Rampton Secure Hospital is a high security psychiatric hospital near the village of Woodbeck between Retford and Rampton in the Bassetlaw District of Nottinghamshire, England...
where he remains. Although he was the most prolific killer in the UK at the time, he received relatively little national publicity at the time, possibly because he was convicted of manslaughter rather than murder, and also because the trial of Peter Sutcliffe
Peter Sutcliffe
Peter William Sutcliffe is a British serial killer who was dubbed "The Yorkshire Ripper". In 1981 Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women and attacking seven others. He is currently serving 20 sentences of life imprisonment in Broadmoor Hospital...
, which was a much more high profile case, was ongoing at the same time.
In 1983, a public inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
concluded that the fire at the Wensley Lodge was accidental and that Lee was not responsible for it or the deaths of the eleven residents. Senior fire investigation officers supported the inquiry's conclusions. Lee's eleven relevant manslaughter convictions were duly later quashed on appeal.
Aftermath
The detective in charge of Lee’s case, SuperintendentSuperintendent (police)
Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...
Ronald Sagar, later launched a libel action against The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
after they published articles suggesting Lee’s statements had been not entirely voluntary. The judge at Lee's 1983 appeal stated that he was confident that Lee's statements were "freely given" and the paper later withdrew the allegations and offered an apology, with the case finally settling out of court
Settlement (law)
In law, a settlement is a resolution between disputing parties about a legal case, reached either before or after court action begins. The term "settlement" also has other meanings in the context of law.-Basis:...
in 1987. Sagar, who retired and was awarded an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, had stated that he hoped Lee will one day be deemed fit and safe enough to be freed. Ron Sagar died in March 2010.