What do you think?
Rate this book
Miscarriages of Justice: Famous London Cases
To face a trial for murder must be a terrifying prospect, all the more so when you know that you are innocent of the charge. How much more horrific must it be then, when you know that should you be found guilty, the sentence must be that you will lose your life at the end of a rope?
All of the cases reviewed in this book involved one or more individuals who were put on trial for taking the life of a fellow human being. The stories involve the eventual execution by hanging of nine men and one woman. To date, two of those men have been reprieved; too late for them and their families of course but, nevertheless, the state had admitted that it was wrong. What of the others?
What of Louisa Masset, the first person to be hanged in the twentieth century? Did she really murder the son she apparently loved so much? What of Frederick Seddon who went to the gallows still protesting that he was innocent of the murder of his lodger? And what of Harry Armstrong, hanged for murdering his fiancée on New Year's Day 1939?
The cases in this book all took place in London. Read the stories for yourself and remember that the law states that if there is a reasonable doubt, then it is the jury's duty to acquit. Was there not a reasonable doubt in some of the cases detailed here? Put yourself onto those juries and decide whether you would have still been prepared to stand in court and announce that dreaded 'Guilty!'
All of the cases reviewed in this book involved one or more individuals who were put on trial for taking the life of a fellow human being. The stories involve the eventual execution by hanging of nine men and one woman. To date, two of those men have been reprieved; too late for them and their families of course but, nevertheless, the state had admitted that it was wrong. What of the others?
What of Louisa Masset, the first person to be hanged in the twentieth century? Did she really murder the son she apparently loved so much? What of Frederick Seddon who went to the gallows still protesting that he was innocent of the murder of his lodger? And what of Harry Armstrong, hanged for murdering his fiancée on New Year's Day 1939?
The cases in this book all took place in London. Read the stories for yourself and remember that the law states that if there is a reasonable doubt, then it is the jury's duty to acquit. Was there not a reasonable doubt in some of the cases detailed here? Put yourself onto those juries and decide whether you would have still been prepared to stand in court and announce that dreaded 'Guilty!'
- GenresTrue CrimeHistory
160 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2009
About the author
John J. Eddleston
104 books2 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
John J. Eddleston is an authority on British criminal history and a prolific writer on the subject.
His many books include Murderous Sussex, Murderous Manchester, Blind Justice, Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia, The Encyclopedia of Executions, A Century of Welsh Murders and Executions, Manx Killers, Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Southampton and Miscarriages of Justice: Famous London Cases.
John J. Eddleston is an authority on British criminal history and a prolific writer on the subject.
His many books include Murderous Sussex, Murderous Manchester, Blind Justice, Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia, The Encyclopedia of Executions, A Century of Welsh Murders and Executions, Manx Killers, Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Southampton and Miscarriages of Justice: Famous London Cases.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 15, 2023
A hodgepodge of people who were hanged when they really didn't do it (e.g. Timothy Evans, Derek Bentley), guys who did it but author reckons they were insane ( Harry Armstrong) and guys who did it but author reckons he could have got them off on a technicality (Arthur Devereux).
March 6, 2016
We place faith in our criminal justice system to convict and punish those who are guilty of crimes, however the system does not always get it right. Miscarriages of Justice: Famous London Cases tells of nine murder cases which took place in London between 1900 and 1972 where the outcome of execution was highly questionable.
This was a really enjoyable read on some harrowing cases, but it was tinged with sadness realising that many of these people were in fact innocent and had committed no crime at all. Although the death penalty in Britain has now been abolished, in the early 20th century when convicted of murder you were sent straight to the gallows to hang.
With cases such as Louise Masset, convicted of murdering her son in 1900 and being the first person to be hanged in the 20th century to Timothy John Evans hanged in 1950 for a murder most likely carried out by his neighbour John Christie, criminal history author John J Eddleston expertly tells their stories and invites you to make up your own mind on their guilt or innocence. A well crafted book, presenting fascinating case studies from Britain's history which will appeal to historians and true crime fans alike.
You can read my full review of Miscarriages of Justice on Crime Traveller: http://www.crimetraveller.org/2016/03...
This was a really enjoyable read on some harrowing cases, but it was tinged with sadness realising that many of these people were in fact innocent and had committed no crime at all. Although the death penalty in Britain has now been abolished, in the early 20th century when convicted of murder you were sent straight to the gallows to hang.
With cases such as Louise Masset, convicted of murdering her son in 1900 and being the first person to be hanged in the 20th century to Timothy John Evans hanged in 1950 for a murder most likely carried out by his neighbour John Christie, criminal history author John J Eddleston expertly tells their stories and invites you to make up your own mind on their guilt or innocence. A well crafted book, presenting fascinating case studies from Britain's history which will appeal to historians and true crime fans alike.
You can read my full review of Miscarriages of Justice on Crime Traveller: http://www.crimetraveller.org/2016/03...
March 9, 2012
If you have read Eddleston's other books on capital crimes in 20th-century Britain -- in particular his
Encyclopaedia of Executions
, you're not missing much here. Mainly I read the book to see why Eddleston thought Louisa Masset, whom I wrote about on the blog Executed Today, was the victim of a miscarriage of justice. The evidence seemed pretty convincing to me.
In this book Eddleston just briefly summarizes each of the nine cases, using the same material as in his other books, then adds a few paragraphs of his own opinion that there was reasonable doubt, or the defendant wasn't mentally competent to be executed, etc. It's a good read if you want to hear a bit about some of the more ambiguous cases in recent history, but there's really nothing here that wasn't in the other books he wrote before.
In this book Eddleston just briefly summarizes each of the nine cases, using the same material as in his other books, then adds a few paragraphs of his own opinion that there was reasonable doubt, or the defendant wasn't mentally competent to be executed, etc. It's a good read if you want to hear a bit about some of the more ambiguous cases in recent history, but there's really nothing here that wasn't in the other books he wrote before.
September 4, 2018
A great compilation of accounts that were gripping from start to finish. A must-read for anyone interested in true crime, particularly the unsolved/incorrectly-accused branch of crime that unfortunately happens much more often than we think
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews