A conman who killed a number of innocent people before dissolving their bodies in acid was executed after being found guilty by a jury. John George Haigh, of Stamford, had been found guilty of the murder of 69-year-old Olive Durand-Deacon after 15 minutes on July 18, 1949 at Lewes Assizes in Surrey following a two-day-long trial. The…
A conman who killed a number of innocent people before dissolving their bodies in acid was executed after being found guilty by a jury.
John George Haigh, of Stamford, had been found guilty of the murder of 69-year-old Olive Durand-Deacon after 15 minutes on July 18, 1949 at Lewes Assizes in Surrey following a two-day-long trial.
The court heard that Haigh had taken the elderly woman to Crawley before shooting her in the back of the head and then submerging her body in acid – so it would dissolve without a trace.
The attack, which was the last of many for Haigh, took place on February 18, 1949, when Mrs Durand-Deacon went on a trip with Haigh after he told her he was looking to invest in an idea for ‘nail papers’ she had.
Mrs Durand-Deacon’s denture had been found in a pile of dissolved remains in a basement in Surrey.
The court heard that Haigh was known by police across the country for his fraudulent behaviour and had been in prison numerous times for obtaining money by false pretences and stealing.
However, until his full confession in 1949, they were unaware of the fact that Haigh had killed many of the rich business people he had come into contact with, and then forged their signatures to gain their fortune.
He also claimed he drank the blood of each victim before submerging their body in acid – as he believed he could not be found guilty of murder if no body could be found.
It was found that on September 9, 1944, Haigh battered businessman Donald McSwan with the leg of a pin-table before putting his body in acid in a basement on Gloucester Road.
In his confession, Haigh told officers how he had to cut the body up with a cleaver and used a large mincer to ensure the body was fully dissolved in the acid.
When Mr McSwan’s parents became suspicious of their son’s whereabouts, Haigh then killed them before impersonating Donald McSwan and selling their business.
In February 1948, Haigh struck again, killing wealthy doctor and businessman Archie Henderson by shooting him the back of the head.
He then found Henderson’s wife Rosaline to tell her her husband had been taken ill. He then murdered her.
After being found guilty of Mrs Durand-Deacon’s murder, Haigh was executed on August 10, 1949 at Wandsworth Prison, London.
The events of this story were researched and documented by Douglas Wynn in Murder & Crime Lincoln.
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A local man was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving after two pedestrians were injured in a collision with a car and three parked vehicles in Skegness.
Lincolnshire Police officers attended the scene after the collision between a blue Citroen Berlingo, the parked vehicles, and a man and a woman, who are both in their 60s, on Winthorpe Avenue shortly before 7pm on Friday, April 16.
The two pedestrians suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital. However, their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
A 63-year-old local man, who was driving the Berlingo, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving. He has since been released under investigation.
Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage and anyone with information should contact them on 101 or via email at [email protected] quoting incident number 389 of April 16.
Few people attended the second Kill the Bill protest in Lincoln on Saturday, as Extinction Rebellion activists stood alone on the High Street to campaign against a proposed policing bill that could make many protests illegal.
Activists from Extinction Rebellion Lincolnshire gathered at Speakers’ Corner to oppose plans for the latest Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which could curtail protesting rights if passed through parliament.
Extinction Rebellion were the main representatives at the protest. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Under the proposed bill, police officers will be given greater powers to put a stop to any protests, as well as determining start and finish times for them, and controlling noise levels.
A few stopped to talk with the protestors, but most just went about their day walking down Lincoln High Street in the first weekend that non-essential shops and beer gardens reopened.
The Lincolnite spoke to one of the rebels at the protest, to find out the reasons behind the march.
They said: “This draconian bill cannot go ahead, it needs to be taken apart and re-evaluted completely.
“People have been walking past us shaking their heads, but they don’t realise that it’s their freedom we are fighting for.”
The Lincolnite photographer Steve Smailes captured some pictures from the protest.
Signs were put up by the works at Speakers’ Corner on Lincoln High Street. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
A 19-year-old man is in hospital with serious injuries after a crash on the A52 on Friday evening.
The single-vehicle crash, involving a white Suzuki Splash, happened in the westbound lane of the A52 between Barrowby and Sedgebrook at around 7.20pm on Friday, April 16.
The driver of the car is now in hospital after suffering serious injuries, and police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Officers believe the driver had travelled from Grantham on the A52 at Barrowby before the crash.
Anyone who has dashcam footage or saw the vehicle before the incident is being asked to call 101, quoting incident 420 of April 16.
Alternatively, you can email [email protected], using the same reference in the subject box.
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