General Chat

Man hanged 53 years ago was innocent By Owen Bowcott A conviction for the murder of a cinema manager, that sent a young Liverpool labourer to the gallows 53 years ago, was yesterday overturned by the court of appeal. George Kelly was executed at Walton jail on Merseyside in March 1950, following what was then the longest criminal trial in English legal history. His plea for clemency had been rejected by the home secretary of the day, James Chuter Ede. Announcing their decision yesterday, three appeal judges, Lord Justice Rix, Mr Justice Douglas Brown and Mr Justice Davis, concluded the original verdict was 'unsafe'. The case was the oldest referred to the criminal cases review commission, the statutory body that investigates alleged miscarriages of justice. The crown did not attempt to uphold the conviction. During the appeal, the judges heard that a statement given by a prosecution witness, claiming a man called Donald Johnson had confessed to committing the crime, had not been disclosed at the original trial. The crime for which Kelly was hanged shocked postwar Britain. Leonard Thomas, 44, manager of the Cameo Cinema in Wavertree, Liverpool, and his assistant, John Catterall, 30, were killed during a bungled burglary in March 1949. While the audience watched a thriller, a man in a brown coat, trilby hat and mask burst into the manager's first-floor office as the night's takings were being counted. Thomas was shot in the chest; Catterall, who arrived moments later, was hit in the hand, chest and back. The gunman panicked and fled, leaving the cash untouched. Pressure on the police for arrests mounted and as many as 65,000 people were questioned. An anonymous letter eventually led detectives to Kelly, a petty criminal nicknamed the 'little Caesar of Lime Street', and Charles Connolly, then 26, who allegedly acted as lookout. In the first trial, which lasted 13 days, the jury failed to reach a verdict. The two men were then tried separately. Connolly pleaded guilty in February 1950 to robbery and conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He died in 1997, protesting his innocence. The court of appeal overturned both convictions, even though the crown opposed the application on behalf of Connolly. 'However much the Cameo murders remain a mystery, we regard the circumstances of Kelly and Connolly's trials as a miscarriage of justice which must be deeply regretted,' Lord Justice Rix said yesterday. During the hearing Orlando Pownall QC, for the crown, said Donald Johnson had told a man called Robert Graham, a serving prisoner, that he had been responsible for the shootings. Graham made a second statement to police several months later incriminating Kelly and Connolly and was later granted immediate release. But Graham's September 1949 statement implicating Johnson was not discovered until 1991 when a member of the public with an interest in the case was given access to Merseyside police files. The prosecution accepted that the document was genuine and in the absence of evidence to the contrary conceded that Graham must have spoken to Chief Inspector Herbert Balmer, one of the officers involved in the inquiry. Mr Pownall told the judges: 'It is not proposed by the crown to dwell on any conspiracy theories... If there had been a conspiracy it seems unlikely anyone involved would have left that original document in a box to be found years later.' Ch Insp Balmer, he said, like most of those involved in the case, had long since died. Kelly's daughter, Kathleen Hughes, left the courtroom in tears, refusing to comment. She had previously stated: 'I have waited a long, long time for this day. I hope now I can give him a decent Christian burial, which I have previously been thwarted from doing.' Robin Makin, the Kelly family's lawyer, said it was a 'deplorable' situation. 'George Kelly's brothers made efforts on his behalf from the time of the conviction in 1950 and there was nothing that could be done. There is tremendous concern about the way in which matters were handled at that time.' Connolly's brother, Eddie, said afterwards: 'A lot of doubters at the time will have been proven wrong today. We've known all along that they were innocent.'

There are lots of reasons why I don't want to see the death penalty back, I have given them on other threads and people have given the same reasons on this thread but my main thought in the cases Catherine mentioned.................. death is way too kind a punishment.. Rosex

I have read this thread with interest but it still has not changed my opinion . The death penalty is useless . If one person out of 1000 is wrongly executed it fails .There are lots of quotes from the bible, all can be interpretted one way or another , but if we go that way, one of the ten comandments states 'Thou shalt not kill'. Surely that applies to everyone ? I hope they never ,ever bring back the death penalty ... kim

i think we also need to remember there was no dna in those days ,the things we have now,and ways of proof far outway what we had then.

Jan has a very good point. It is easy to take a sanitised armchair view and gloss over what really happened. In the case of Hindley and Brady, the latter was an animal beyond belief. He had already exhausted his perverted appetite with Hindley herself, as she admitted years later, and had to seek satisfaction with either young boys or girls, which he then killed immediately afterwards, if not before or during his disgusting acts. Hanging was probably too easy for them, so perhaps the two got justice by serving life.

and dont forget how long have we been paying for um.they should have been hung straight away.job done.all these years those parents have had to live with what they did. bradeys been on hunger strike for lord knows how many years.i begggars belief honest.give him a few pots a tablets.

I am 100% against the death penalty,we have no right to take life even the lowest. thats for a much higher power than we to decide. prisons should be made tougher,and life should mean life,with no parole.

If there is no death penalty, why should we work to keep the scum? Caz x

The death penalty will never be reintroduced,thank goodness! As I said before,life should mean life! Yes,we do have to pay for their time in prison,but Rather that than an innocent man or woman be hung!

What about when they have admitted to the crime? Do they deserve ps3s, dvds, many other priveleges and their solicitors at their beck and call at every opportunity? all at our expense? Caz x

I agree caz,they should have no privilages what so ever!! A cell ,a toilet ,a wash basin and a shower every evening!!

Would be nice to have a deterrent. Painless injection or life to mean life. Painless injection is more merciful than they have shown their victims. Tired of 'manslaughter' charges which are obviously murder. We need something in this country violent crime has escalated over the years. We never did get the reforendum we were promised.

But OH works there Roxanne and they are spoilt,it sickens me, he has to work with some very nasty people and it makes my stomach turn. People who do such awful things, Caz x

Roxanne, death penalty will never come back. Everything goes full circle and I hope it does come back. These things that kill and abuse children or anyone loose their human rights as soon as they commit their evil crimes. They have taken away the victims human rights so why should they feel they can whinge about theirs?

Well! if it does come back it will be a very sorry day for society. we should be making progress not stepping back in time. Yes,things need to change,but this is not the answer.

I agree Roxanne and Rosemary, To respect catherines thread, the people who commited the heinous crimes against the little girl have admitted guilt, do they deserve mercy? i feel not, Caz xxx

I have read all your views up to now and I do in some respect agree with Rox that the death penalty is going back in time, to years long ago- But what deterrent have any of these people got?? knowing if they get caught they will prob not serve life (not ur definition of it) and can be out with good behaivour, they can get years and years reduced from their sentence. I'm sure if people knew they would be facing the death penalty surely they would think twice? I would I suppose like to see these child killers suffer more than anyone, and I also agree life should mean life no time off for good behavoir a toliet wash basin, and nothing else no tv, dvd's computers we are giving them home comforts, what punishment is that.??? what future have their victims got to look forward too?? NONE it's a sad society we live in where the punishment does definately not fit the crime. goodnight catherine xx

wow hard subject if it could be proven 100 % then yes but it cant so i'm sort of sat on the wall so too speak... think i would think differently if GOD FORBID!!!!! anything happened to our girls... Heard the story on the news just cant get my head around it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! why and how can any one hurt some one so young and it really upset me feel guilty if i tell mine off so to do wat these people( animals) did to that little girl doesnt bare thinking about... just writein this givs me goose pimples..x

In Light of the poor father who has just been killed, And after reading his poor daughters letter i stand by what i said early Hang the people responsible, Lilxx

hi all for a child to have a broken back and fingernails missing that is no accident or medical condition HANG EM jet:)