John Straffen
Encyclopedia
John Thomas Straffen was a British
serial killer
who was the longest-serving prisoner in British legal history. Straffen killed two young girls in the summer of 1951. He was found to be unfit to plead and committed to Broadmoor Hospital
; during a brief escape in 1952 he killed again. This time he was convicted of murder
and sentenced to death. Reprieved because of his mental state, he had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment
and he remained in prison until his death more than 55 years later.
. He was the third child in the family; his older sister was regarded as a "high grade mental defective" who died in 1952. Straffen was born at Bordon
Camp in Hampshire
where his father was then based, but at the age of two his father was posted abroad and the family spent six years in India
. Returning to Britain in March 1938, Straffen's father took a discharge from the Army and the family settled in Bath, Somerset.
. In June 1939 he first came before a Juvenile Court for stealing a purse from a girl, and was given two years' probation
. His probation officer found that Straffen did not understand the difference between right and wrong, or the meaning of probation. The family was living in crowded lodgings at the time and Straffen's mother had no time to help, so the probation officer took the boy to a psychiatrist
. As a result, Straffen was certified as a mental defective under the Mental Deficiency Act 1927. A report was compiled on him in 1940 which gave his Intelligence Quotient
as 58 and placed his mental age at six. From June 1940, the local authority sent him to a residential school for mentally defective children, St Joseph's School in Sambourne
.
owned by one of the officers of the school; however, no proof was found and it was not noted on his records. At the age of 16 the school authorities undertook a review which found his I.Q. was 64 and his mental age 9 years 6 months and recommended his discharge.
ed her by putting his hand over her mouth and saying "What would you do if I killed you? I have done it before." This incident was not connected to Straffen until later. Six weeks later, Straffen was found to have strangled five chicken
s belonging to the father of a girl with whom he had quarrelled. When arrested Straffen was also under suspicion for burglary
, and in interview cheerfully confessed to it and many other incidents to which he had not been connected. He was remanded in custody and the Medical Officer of Horfield prison
examined him, certifying that he was mentally retarded
. On 10 October Straffen was committed to Hortham Colony in Bristol
under the Mental Deficiency Act of 1913.
. There he did well initially but fell back into old ways when he stole a bag of walnut
s, and was sent back to Hortham in February 1950. In August 1950 Straffen got in trouble with Hortham authorities when he went home without leave, and resisted the police when they went to recapture him.
readings showed that he had suffered "wide and severe damage to the cerebral cortex
, probably from an attack of encephalitis
in India before the age of six". By now, however, Straffen was considered sufficiently rehabilitated to be allowed a period of unescorted home leave. He used the time to get a job at a market garden
, which he was allowed to keep; Hortham licensed him to the care of his mother as the family home was less overcrowded. When Straffen's 21st birthday came, under the Mental Deficiency Act he had to be reassessed by Hortham, who continued his certificate for a further five years; the family disputed the assessment and appealed. As a result the Medical Officer of Health for Bath examined Straffen again on 10 July 1951 and found improvement in mental age to 10; he recommended that Straffen's certificate be renewed only for six months with a view to discharge at the end.
in Bath, where five-year-old Brenda Goddard lived with her foster parents. According to Straffen's later statement to the police, he saw Brenda gathering flowers and offered to show her a better place. After lifting Brenda over a fence into a copse, he strangled her and when she did not scream, bashed her head against a stone. After killing Brenda Goddard, Straffen did not make any attempt to hide the body and simply went on to the cinema (the film was 'Shockproof
') and returned home.
Although Bath police had not suspected Straffen was violent, he was considered a suspect in the murder and was seen by police on 3 August. Meanwhile the police had visited Straffen's employer to check on his movements; this resulted in Straffen being dismissed on 31 July. In a later interview with a prison psychiatrist, Straffen said that he knew he was under suspicion and wanted to annoy the police, because he hated them for shadowing him.
At Taunton
Assize Court, on 17 October 1951, Straffen stood trial for murder before Mr Justice Oliver. However, the only witness to be heard was Dr. Peter Parkes, medical officer at Horfield Prison, who testified to Straffen's medical history and stated his conclusion that Straffen was unfit to plead. Oliver commented that "In this country we do not try people who are insane
. You might as well try a baby in arms. If a man cannot understand what is going on, he cannot be tried." The jury formally returned a verdict that Straffen was insane and unfit to plead.
in Berkshire
. Broadmoor had originally been termed a criminal lunatic asylum, but by the Criminal Justice Act 1948
responsibility for it had been transferred to the Ministry of Health and those committed to it had been renamed patients. Inside Broadmoor, Straffen was given a job as a cleaner.
On 29 April 1952 Straffen went, with an attendant and another patient, to clean some outbuildings which were close by the 10-foot-tall external wall. In a small yard immediately adjacent to the wall was a low shed with a sloping roof which was 8½ feet high at its highest point. In the yard were empty disinfectant tins. Straffen asked his supervisor if he could shake his duster and on receiving permission went into the yard. Once the other patient had gone back in, Straffen climbed onto the roof and jumped over the wall. He had already made sure he had his civilian clothes under his work clothes.
and approached Mrs. Doris Spencer who was in her garden. He asked her for a drink of water, which she gave him, and then discussed the proximity of Broadmoor and the likelihood of escapes. After ten minutes he left. An hour and a half later he reached Farley Hill
and at about five o'clock Straffen came to the point where five-year-old Linda Bowyer was riding her bicycle around the village. Within half an hour Linda Bowyer was dead.
Straffen then begged a cup of tea from another householder, Mrs. Kenyon, who agreed to drive him to the bus stop. As they were drawing up to the stop, Straffen saw some men in uniform and asked whether they were police; on learning that they were, he swiftly got out of the car and ran away. Kenyon told the men (who were actually Broadmoor nurses) of the suspicious behaviour of her passenger and Straffen was recaptured a few minutes later. Driven in the car on the journey back to Broadmoor, Straffen said "I have finished with crime". The body of Linda Bowyer was found at dawn the next day.
Straffen then made a long statement, which the police checked. On 1 May Straffen was charged with the murder of Linda Bowyer, and he appeared before Reading
County Magistrates the following day. He was remanded in custody, and despite the fact of the order committing him to Broadmoor, the Magistrates decided that since they had failed to hold him he should be remanded to Brixton Prison
. The Ministry of Health meanwhile called for a full inquiry into how Straffen escaped; a group of local residents held a meeting on the same evening as Straffen's court appearance to call for some system of public warning of an escape. The Ministry of Health inquiry was extended to a full independent inquiry. A system of warning sirens was set up later in 1952 as a result of the inquiry recommendations.
as an issue to be determined by the jury. After the prosecution case (led by the Solicitor-General
, Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller
) had opened and called the first witnesses to establish the facts about the murder of Linda Bowyer, they applied to call additional evidence about the two murders in Bath. This application was resisted by Straffen's defence as prejudicial, but the Judge ruled the evidence admissible.
On the second day, the judge was late into court and explained that "owing to the alleged conduct of one of your members" he was compelled to discharge them and start again with a new jury. It turned out that one of the first set of jurors had gone to a political club in Southsea
in the evening and told those present that he was on the jury for the Straffen case, that Straffen was not guilty, and that one of the prosecution witnesses had murdered Linda Bowyer. The Judge required the errant juror, William Gladwin, to remain in court throughout the trial, before calling him to apologise for his "wicked discharge of your duties as a citizen".
The first day's proceedings were repeated before the second jury, followed, as permitted, by evidence of what had happened in Bath. Straffen's defence called several of those who had seen Straffen in earlier years and gave evidence of his mental condition. The prosecution then called prison medical officers and psychiatrists to give evidence in rebuttal. Dr. Thomas Munro, who was a specialist in mental deficiency and had seen Straffen, testified that Straffen had said that to murder was wrong because it was breaking the law and because "it is one of the commandments
". When Munro asked Straffen to name the other commandments, Straffen could remember only four.
. Straffen appealed, on the grounds that the evidence about the Bath murders was wrongly admitted, and that his statements on the morning after the murder of Linda Bowyer were wrongly admitted because they had been made before he was cautioned. Both grounds of the appeal were dismissed, and Straffen was refused leave to appeal to the House of Lords
. 4 September was fixed as the date for execution of judgment of death. However, on 29 August, it was announced that the Home Secretary
David Maxwell Fyfe
had recommended to Queen Elizabeth II that Straffen be reprieved.
. In November 1952 the Home Office denied a rumour that he was about to be moved to Rampton
mental institution. In 1956 Straffen was moved to Horfield Prison in Bristol, after officers discovered an escape attempt by Wandsworth prisoners who intended to take Straffen with them as a diversion. The news caused extreme concern in Bristol and a petition demanding his removal was organised by a local councillor and signed by 12,000 people within weeks.
In August 1958, Straffen was moved to Cardiff Prison
when the regime at Horfield Prison was changed to a more liberal one. However, he was reported to have been transferred back in June 1960.
was built and ready for opening early in 1966. The Home Office pointedly did not deny rumours that Straffen had been secretly transferred there on 31 January 1966. He was the first to arrive, and was followed by six of the Great Train robbers
.
. Placed on the top security E wing, Straffen was joined by fellow child killer Ian Brady. Crime author Jonathan Goodman wrote that "the shambling lunatic [Straffen] .. is in prison only because no mental institution is secure enough to guarantee his confinement". Many years later, a prison officer recalled seeing Straffen "circling, banging the fence every couple of minutes", and that one fellow officer described Straffen as aloof and hostile: "Never talks unless he has to ask for something. Always on his own".
Straffen was still there in January 1984 when Kenneth Barlow was released after serving 26 years for murder, at which point he became the longest serving British prisoner.
had to agree to the release of any life sentence prisoner; no occupant of the office was ever willing to let Straffen out. In 1994 Michael Howard
decided to set up a select list of about 20 prisoners serving life sentences who must never be released at all, and Straffen's name was said to be on it. The whole list was published by the News of the World
in December 1997 and this report confirmed that Straffen would indeed spend the rest of his life in prison.
The Sun
profiled Straffen's prison life in March 2006, quoting an un-named inmate as saying "He's still lively. He works as a cleaner in the craft shop and makes tea for the officers. They treat him well, call him by his first name and often take time to chat with him." The inmate was also reported as saying that other inmates left Straffen alone but that he was instantly recognisable.
, who examined previously confidential records, uncovered that Straffen was reprieved after a majority of doctors who examined him found that he was 'insane'. Woffinden also doubted Straffen's guilt of the murder of Linda Bowyer, because Straffen had no fingernails with which to cause injuries seen on Linda Bowyer's body and because some local witnesses placed the time of the murder after his recapture. However, Straffen's application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission
was turned down in December 2002.
In May 2002 the European Court of Human Rights
decided a case brought by a life sentence prisoner which challenged the authority of the Home Secretary to refuse to release him after the Parole Board
recommended he be freed. The Court decided that politicians should not interfere in life sentences and therefore current practice was unlawful. It was immediately noted that this meant an opportunity for release for Straffen, who had been in Long Lartin Prison
since 2000.
in County Durham
on 19 November 2007. He was 77 years old and had been in prison for a British record of 55 years. This left Moors Murderer
Ian Brady
(who had been in prison since October 1965 and was then in a mental hospital) as the longest-serving prisoner in Britain.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who was the longest-serving prisoner in British legal history. Straffen killed two young girls in the summer of 1951. He was found to be unfit to plead and committed to Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It is the best known of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth and Rampton...
; during a brief escape in 1952 he killed again. This time he was convicted 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...
and sentenced to death. Reprieved because of his mental state, he had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
and he remained in prison until his death more than 55 years later.
Family life
Straffen's father, John Senior, was a soldier in the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. He was the third child in the family; his older sister was regarded as a "high grade mental defective" who died in 1952. Straffen was born at Bordon
Bordon
Bordon is a town in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It lies 5.4 miles southeast of Alton and forms a part of the civil parish of Whitehill, the adjoining village. Both settlements are on the A325 road and close to the A3 road between London and Portsmouth...
Camp in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
where his father was then based, but at the age of two his father was posted abroad and the family spent six years in India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. Returning to Britain in March 1938, Straffen's father took a discharge from the Army and the family settled in Bath, Somerset.
Certification as a mental defective
In October 1938 Straffen was referred to a Child Guidance Clinic for stealing and truancyTruancy
Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions...
. In June 1939 he first came before a Juvenile Court for stealing a purse from a girl, and was given two years' probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
. His probation officer found that Straffen did not understand the difference between right and wrong, or the meaning of probation. The family was living in crowded lodgings at the time and Straffen's mother had no time to help, so the probation officer took the boy to a psychiatrist
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
. As a result, Straffen was certified as a mental defective under the Mental Deficiency Act 1927. A report was compiled on him in 1940 which gave his Intelligence Quotient
Intelligence quotient
An intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
as 58 and placed his mental age at six. From June 1940, the local authority sent him to a residential school for mentally defective children, St Joseph's School in Sambourne
Sambourne
Sambourne, formerly spelled Sambourn, is a hamlet and civil parish north-west of Coughton, from Stratford upon Avon and from Warwick in the county of Warwickshire, England. It is situated on sloping ground rising westwards to about 500 feet near the ancient Ridge Way, which forms the county...
.
Suspected of animal cruelty
Two years later Straffen moved to Besford Court, a senior school. He was noted as a solitary boy who took correction very badly. In one incident when Straffen was 14, he was strongly suspected of being responsible for strangling two prize geeseGoose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
owned by one of the officers of the school; however, no proof was found and it was not noted on his records. At the age of 16 the school authorities undertook a review which found his I.Q. was 64 and his mental age 9 years 6 months and recommended his discharge.
Return to Bath
Accordingly, Straffen returned home to Bath in March 1946 where the Medical Officer of Health examined him and found he still warranted certification under the Mental Deficiency Act. After several short term jobs he found a place as a machinist in a clothing factory. Early in 1947 Straffen began to go into unoccupied homes and steal small items to hide them; he never brought them home nor did he give them to others. Straffen had no friends, and began stealing without being enticed by others.Arrest for burglary
On 27 July 1947 a 13-year-old girl reported to police that a boy called John had assaultAssault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
ed her by putting his hand over her mouth and saying "What would you do if I killed you? I have done it before." This incident was not connected to Straffen until later. Six weeks later, Straffen was found to have strangled five chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s belonging to the father of a girl with whom he had quarrelled. When arrested Straffen was also under suspicion for burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
, and in interview cheerfully confessed to it and many other incidents to which he had not been connected. He was remanded in custody and the Medical Officer of Horfield prison
Bristol (HM Prison)
HMP Bristol is a Category B men's prison, located in the Horfield area of Bristol. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
examined him, certifying that he was mentally retarded
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
. On 10 October Straffen was committed to Hortham Colony in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
under the Mental Deficiency Act of 1913.
Hortham Colony
Hortham was an "open" colony which specialised in training mentally retarded offenders for resettlement in the community. As he had been under investigation for burglary, Straffen's certificate stated that he was "not of violent or dangerous propensities". He was well-behaved at Hortham and kept away from other inmates. As a result, in July 1949 he was transferred to a lower-security agricultural hostel in WinchesterWinchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. There he did well initially but fell back into old ways when he stole a bag of walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
s, and was sent back to Hortham in February 1950. In August 1950 Straffen got in trouble with Hortham authorities when he went home without leave, and resisted the police when they went to recapture him.
Reassessment of mental state
In 1951 Straffen was examined at a Bristol hospital, where electroencephalographElectroencephalography
Electroencephalography is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain...
readings showed that he had suffered "wide and severe damage to the cerebral cortex
Cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural tissue that is outermost to the cerebrum of the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different...
, probably from an attack of encephalitis
Encephalitis
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis with meningitis is known as meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, confusion, drowsiness, and fatigue...
in India before the age of six". By now, however, Straffen was considered sufficiently rehabilitated to be allowed a period of unescorted home leave. He used the time to get a job at a market garden
Market gardening
A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. It is distinguishable from other types of farming by the diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically, from under one acre ...
, which he was allowed to keep; Hortham licensed him to the care of his mother as the family home was less overcrowded. When Straffen's 21st birthday came, under the Mental Deficiency Act he had to be reassessed by Hortham, who continued his certificate for a further five years; the family disputed the assessment and appealed. As a result the Medical Officer of Health for Bath examined Straffen again on 10 July 1951 and found improvement in mental age to 10; he recommended that Straffen's certificate be renewed only for six months with a view to discharge at the end.
Murders
According to Letitia Fairfield in the introduction to the "Notable British Trials" series volume about Straffen, Straffen had a "smouldering hatred" and an "intense resentment" of the police, and blamed them for all his troubles from the age of eight. On the morning of Straffen's assessment, a young girl named Christine Butcher was murdered. Fairfield speculates that Straffen saw the press coverage that followed and made the connection that strangling young girls gave the maximum amount of trouble to the police.Brenda Goddard
On 15 July 1951 Straffen went on a visit to the cinema, on his own. His route took him past 1 Camden CrescentCamden Crescent, Bath
Camden Crescent in Bath, Somerset, England was built by John Eveleigh in 1788. Numbers 6 to 21 have been designated as a Grade I listed building....
in Bath, where five-year-old Brenda Goddard lived with her foster parents. According to Straffen's later statement to the police, he saw Brenda gathering flowers and offered to show her a better place. After lifting Brenda over a fence into a copse, he strangled her and when she did not scream, bashed her head against a stone. After killing Brenda Goddard, Straffen did not make any attempt to hide the body and simply went on to the cinema (the film was 'Shockproof
Shockproof
Shockproof is a 1949 movie starring Cornel Wilde and Patricia Knight.The director of Shockproof, Douglas Sirk, said he took the assignment because the movie dealt with one of his favorite themes: the price of flouting taboos....
') and returned home.
Although Bath police had not suspected Straffen was violent, he was considered a suspect in the murder and was seen by police on 3 August. Meanwhile the police had visited Straffen's employer to check on his movements; this resulted in Straffen being dismissed on 31 July. In a later interview with a prison psychiatrist, Straffen said that he knew he was under suspicion and wanted to annoy the police, because he hated them for shadowing him.
Cicely Batstone
On 8 August Straffen was again at the cinema when he met nine year-old Cicely Batstone. He first took Cicely to a different cinema to see another film, and then went on the bus to a meadow known as "Tumps" on the outskirts of Bath. There he strangled her to death. The circumstances of the murder left many witnesses who had seen Straffen with the girl: the bus conductor recognised Straffen as a former workmate, a courting couple in the meadow had seen Straffen very closely, and a policeman's wife had also seen the two together. She mentioned it to her husband; when the alarm was raised the next morning, she guided police to where she had seen the two and the body of Cicely Batstone was discovered. Her description of the man was enough to identify Straffen immediately as the suspect.Arrest and trial for Bath murders
Accordingly, the police drove to Straffen's home and arrested him for the murder of Cicely Batstone on the morning of 9 August. Straffen made a statement admitting he had killed Cicely Batstone and also confessed to the murder of Brenda Goddard: "The other girl, I did her the same". He was duly charged with murder and remanded in custody; on 31 August after a two-day hearing at Bath Magistrates' Court Straffen was committed for trial for the murder of Brenda Goddard.At Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
Assize Court, on 17 October 1951, Straffen stood trial for murder before Mr Justice Oliver. However, the only witness to be heard was Dr. Peter Parkes, medical officer at Horfield Prison, who testified to Straffen's medical history and stated his conclusion that Straffen was unfit to plead. Oliver commented that "In this country we do not try people who are insane
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
. You might as well try a baby in arms. If a man cannot understand what is going on, he cannot be tried." The jury formally returned a verdict that Straffen was insane and unfit to plead.
Broadmoor escape
Straffen was removed to Broadmoor InstitutionBroadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It is the best known of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth and Rampton...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. Broadmoor had originally been termed a criminal lunatic asylum, but by the Criminal Justice Act 1948
Criminal Justice Act 1948
The Criminal Justice Act 1948 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It has been described as "one of the most important measures relating to the reform of the criminal law and its administration." It abolished penal servitude, hard labour and prison divisions for England and Wales...
responsibility for it had been transferred to the Ministry of Health and those committed to it had been renamed patients. Inside Broadmoor, Straffen was given a job as a cleaner.
On 29 April 1952 Straffen went, with an attendant and another patient, to clean some outbuildings which were close by the 10-foot-tall external wall. In a small yard immediately adjacent to the wall was a low shed with a sloping roof which was 8½ feet high at its highest point. In the yard were empty disinfectant tins. Straffen asked his supervisor if he could shake his duster and on receiving permission went into the yard. Once the other patient had gone back in, Straffen climbed onto the roof and jumped over the wall. He had already made sure he had his civilian clothes under his work clothes.
Murder of Linda Bowyer
Only 20 minutes after escaping, Straffen came up a private drive in CrowthorneCrowthorne
Crowthorne is also a suburb of Johannesburg, South AfricaCrowthorne is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest district of south-eastern Berkshire. It has a population of 6,711...
and approached Mrs. Doris Spencer who was in her garden. He asked her for a drink of water, which she gave him, and then discussed the proximity of Broadmoor and the likelihood of escapes. After ten minutes he left. An hour and a half later he reached Farley Hill
Farley Hill, Berkshire
Farley Hill is a village in the English county of Berkshire.For local government purposes, the village is within the civil parish of Swallowfield, which in turn is within the unitary authority of Wokingham....
and at about five o'clock Straffen came to the point where five-year-old Linda Bowyer was riding her bicycle around the village. Within half an hour Linda Bowyer was dead.
Straffen then begged a cup of tea from another householder, Mrs. Kenyon, who agreed to drive him to the bus stop. As they were drawing up to the stop, Straffen saw some men in uniform and asked whether they were police; on learning that they were, he swiftly got out of the car and ran away. Kenyon told the men (who were actually Broadmoor nurses) of the suspicious behaviour of her passenger and Straffen was recaptured a few minutes later. Driven in the car on the journey back to Broadmoor, Straffen said "I have finished with crime". The body of Linda Bowyer was found at dawn the next day.
Police investigation
The police went to Broadmoor to interview Straffen at 8 a.m., arriving before news of the disappearance and murder of a local child had reached the hospital. The police went to Straffen's room and woke him up, then asking him what he had done when he was free and whether he had got into mischief. Straffen replied "I did not kill her". The police inspector told Straffen that no-one had suggested anyone had been killed, and Straffen said "I know what you policemen are, I know I killed two little children but I did not kill the little girl." The inspector then confirmed that a girl had been killed near where Straffen was recaptured. Straffen said "I did not kill the little girl on the bicycle."Straffen then made a long statement, which the police checked. On 1 May Straffen was charged with the murder of Linda Bowyer, and he appeared before Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
County Magistrates the following day. He was remanded in custody, and despite the fact of the order committing him to Broadmoor, the Magistrates decided that since they had failed to hold him he should be remanded to Brixton Prison
Brixton (HM Prison)
HM Prison Brixton is a local men's prison, located in Brixton area of the London Borough of Lambeth, in inner-South London, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
. The Ministry of Health meanwhile called for a full inquiry into how Straffen escaped; a group of local residents held a meeting on the same evening as Straffen's court appearance to call for some system of public warning of an escape. The Ministry of Health inquiry was extended to a full independent inquiry. A system of warning sirens was set up later in 1952 as a result of the inquiry recommendations.
Murder trial
When Straffen's murder trial opened on 21 July, he pleaded not guilty, and the Defence opted to leave the question of his sanitySanity
Sanity refers to the soundness, rationality and healthiness of the human mind, as opposed to insanity. A person is sane if they are rational...
as an issue to be determined by the jury. After the prosecution case (led by the Solicitor-General
Solicitor General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...
, Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller
Reginald Manningham-Buller, 1st Viscount Dilhorne
Reginald Edward Manningham-Buller, 1st Viscount Dilhorne PC, QC , known as Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller, Bt, from 1954 to 1962 and as The Lord Dilhorne from 1962 to 1964, was an English lawyer and Conservative politician...
) had opened and called the first witnesses to establish the facts about the murder of Linda Bowyer, they applied to call additional evidence about the two murders in Bath. This application was resisted by Straffen's defence as prejudicial, but the Judge ruled the evidence admissible.
On the second day, the judge was late into court and explained that "owing to the alleged conduct of one of your members" he was compelled to discharge them and start again with a new jury. It turned out that one of the first set of jurors had gone to a political club in Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
in the evening and told those present that he was on the jury for the Straffen case, that Straffen was not guilty, and that one of the prosecution witnesses had murdered Linda Bowyer. The Judge required the errant juror, William Gladwin, to remain in court throughout the trial, before calling him to apologise for his "wicked discharge of your duties as a citizen".
The first day's proceedings were repeated before the second jury, followed, as permitted, by evidence of what had happened in Bath. Straffen's defence called several of those who had seen Straffen in earlier years and gave evidence of his mental condition. The prosecution then called prison medical officers and psychiatrists to give evidence in rebuttal. Dr. Thomas Munro, who was a specialist in mental deficiency and had seen Straffen, testified that Straffen had said that to murder was wrong because it was breaking the law and because "it is one of the commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
". When Munro asked Straffen to name the other commandments, Straffen could remember only four.
Death sentence
After a retirement of just under an hour, the jury returned with a verdict of guilty, which implicitly declared Straffen sane. Mr. Justice Cassels sentenced Straffen to deathCapital punishment in the United Kingdom
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom was used from the creation of the state in 1707 until the practice was abolished in the 20th century. The last executions in the United Kingdom, by hanging, took place in 1964, prior to capital punishment being abolished for murder...
. Straffen appealed, on the grounds that the evidence about the Bath murders was wrongly admitted, and that his statements on the morning after the murder of Linda Bowyer were wrongly admitted because they had been made before he was cautioned. Both grounds of the appeal were dismissed, and Straffen was refused leave to appeal to the House of Lords
Judicial functions of the House of Lords
The House of Lords, in addition to having a legislative function, historically also had a judicial function. It functioned as a court of first instance for the trials of peers, for impeachment cases, and as a court of last resort within the United Kingdom. In the latter case the House's...
. 4 September was fixed as the date for execution of judgment of death. However, on 29 August, it was announced that the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
David Maxwell Fyfe
David Maxwell Fyfe, 1st Earl of Kilmuir
David Patrick Maxwell Fyfe, 1st Earl of Kilmuir GCVO, PC, KC, , known as Sir David Maxwell Fyfe from 1942 to 1954 and as The Viscount Kilmuir from 1954 to 1962, was a British Conservative politician, lawyer and judge who combined an industrious and precocious legal career with political ambitions...
had recommended to Queen Elizabeth II that Straffen be reprieved.
Prison
After the reprieve Straffen was moved to Wandsworth PrisonWandsworth (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wandsworth is a Category B men's prison at Wandsworth in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south west London, England. It is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service and is the largest prison in London and one of the largest in western Europe, with similar capacity to Liverpool...
. In November 1952 the Home Office denied a rumour that he was about to be moved to Rampton
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...
mental institution. In 1956 Straffen was moved to Horfield Prison in Bristol, after officers discovered an escape attempt by Wandsworth prisoners who intended to take Straffen with them as a diversion. The news caused extreme concern in Bristol and a petition demanding his removal was organised by a local councillor and signed by 12,000 people within weeks.
In August 1958, Straffen was moved to Cardiff Prison
Cardiff (HM Prison)
HM Prison Cardiff is a Category B men's prison, located in the Adamsdown area of Cardiff, Wales. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
when the regime at Horfield Prison was changed to a more liberal one. However, he was reported to have been transferred back in June 1960.
Isle of Wight
A new 28-cell high security wing at Parkhurst PrisonParkhurst (HM Prison)
HMP Isle of Wight - Parkhurst Barracks is a prison situated in Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight, operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.Parkhurst prison is one of the three prisons that make up HMP Isle of Wight, the other two being Camp Hill, and Albany...
was built and ready for opening early in 1966. The Home Office pointedly did not deny rumours that Straffen had been secretly transferred there on 31 January 1966. He was the first to arrive, and was followed by six of the Great Train robbers
Great Train Robbery (1963)
The Great Train Robbery is the name given to a £2.6 million train robbery committed on 8 August 1963 at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England. The bulk of the stolen money was not recovered...
.
Durham
In May 1968 Straffen was moved to Durham PrisonDurham (HM Prison)
HM Prison Durham is a local Category B men's prison, located in the Elvet area of Durham in County Durham, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
. Placed on the top security E wing, Straffen was joined by fellow child killer Ian Brady. Crime author Jonathan Goodman wrote that "the shambling lunatic [Straffen] .. is in prison only because no mental institution is secure enough to guarantee his confinement". Many years later, a prison officer recalled seeing Straffen "circling, banging the fence every couple of minutes", and that one fellow officer described Straffen as aloof and hostile: "Never talks unless he has to ask for something. Always on his own".
Straffen was still there in January 1984 when Kenneth Barlow was released after serving 26 years for murder, at which point he became the longest serving British prisoner.
Prison term
For most of the time that Straffen was in prison, the Home SecretaryHome Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
had to agree to the release of any life sentence prisoner; no occupant of the office was ever willing to let Straffen out. In 1994 Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
decided to set up a select list of about 20 prisoners serving life sentences who must never be released at all, and Straffen's name was said to be on it. The whole list was published by the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
in December 1997 and this report confirmed that Straffen would indeed spend the rest of his life in prison.
The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
profiled Straffen's prison life in March 2006, quoting an un-named inmate as saying "He's still lively. He works as a cleaner in the craft shop and makes tea for the officers. They treat him well, call him by his first name and often take time to chat with him." The inmate was also reported as saying that other inmates left Straffen alone but that he was instantly recognisable.
Hopes for freedom
With the 50th anniversary of Straffen's imprisonment approaching, in 2001 his solicitors called for his case to be reopened on the grounds that he had not been fit to stand trial. Investigative journalist Bob WoffindenBob Woffinden
Bob Woffinden is a British investigative journalist. Formerly a reporter with the New Musical Express, Woffinden has specialized since the 1980s in investigating miscarriages of justice. He has written about a number of high-profile cases in the UK, including James Hanratty, Philip English, Sion...
, who examined previously confidential records, uncovered that Straffen was reprieved after a majority of doctors who examined him found that he was 'insane'. Woffinden also doubted Straffen's guilt of the murder of Linda Bowyer, because Straffen had no fingernails with which to cause injuries seen on Linda Bowyer's body and because some local witnesses placed the time of the murder after his recapture. However, Straffen's application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission
Criminal Cases Review Commission
The Criminal Cases Review Commission is an non-departmental public body set up following the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice itself a continuation of the May Inquiry. It aims to investigate possible miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
was turned down in December 2002.
In May 2002 the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
decided a case brought by a life sentence prisoner which challenged the authority of the Home Secretary to refuse to release him after the Parole Board
Parole Board
A parole board is a panel of people who decide whether an offender should be released from prison on parole after serving at least a minimum portion of their sentence as prescribed by the sentencing judge. Parole boards are used in many jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the United...
recommended he be freed. The Court decided that politicians should not interfere in life sentences and therefore current practice was unlawful. It was immediately noted that this meant an opportunity for release for Straffen, who had been in Long Lartin Prison
Long Lartin (HM Prison)
HM Prison Long Lartin is a Category A men's prison, located in the village of South Littleton in Worcestershire, England. Long Lartin Prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
since 2000.
Death
Straffen died at Frankland PrisonFrankland (HM Prison)
HM Prison Frankland is a Category A men's prison located in the village of Brasside in County Durham, England. Frankland is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
on 19 November 2007. He was 77 years old and had been in prison for a British record of 55 years. This left Moors Murderer
Moors murders
The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around what is now Greater Manchester, England. The victims were five children aged between 10 and 17—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans—at least...
Ian Brady
Moors murders
The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around what is now Greater Manchester, England. The victims were five children aged between 10 and 17—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans—at least...
(who had been in prison since October 1965 and was then in a mental hospital) as the longest-serving prisoner in Britain.
External links
- Case details - Examines the possibility that Straffen was not guilty of the third murder