Gnade für Timothy Evans (1969)

19/08/1969

Overview

The case of Timothy Evans was the first major post-war miscarriage of justice to capture public attention. Of low intelligence, Evans was damned by his own, false confession that he had murdered his wife and daughter. The trial and rightful conviction of John Christie for one of these murders three years later, did not, however, bring about a pardon for Evans. Despite having four alibi witnesses, the 28-year-sailor, who was described by his own defence lawyer as a "semi-civilised savage", was convicted and executed within six months of the murder. Three years after Mr Evans was hanged, John Christie, a neighbour in the house at 10 Rillington Place, confessed to strangling eight female victims - including Beryl and her baby daughter. He too was executed. It was to be many years before the judiciary and the government were to finally allow the late Timothy Evans a pardon.