ESCAPE FROM BROADMOOR

Lowe (Gordon)

ISBN 10: 0752489887 / ISBN 13: 9780752489889

Edité par The History Press, 2013

A propos de cet article

Softcover. SIGNED. John Thomas Straffen - Britain's longest-serving prisoner - was the first patient to escape from Broadmoor Hospital and be prosecuted for a crime committed on the run. He killed within hours. Prior to this, at his home in Bath, he was dismissed as a loner, an imbecile, a 'child trapped in an adult's body'. On the afternoon of Sunday 15 July 1951, John Straffen strangled 8yr old Brenda Goddard as she picked flowers. Three weeks later, he committed a similar murder before inadvertently confessing to the police. Faced with a serial killer with a mental age of 10, whose motive apparently was nothing more than to annoy the police, the court sent Straffen to Broadmoor Institute, as it was known then, for the criminally insane. But on 29 April 1952, having spent only 6 months at the Institute, he escaped in a carefully planned bid for freedom that should have been impossible. During these 4 hours on the run, Straffen instead murdered 5yr old Linda Bowyer. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his beleaguered government intervened to prevent Straffen walking free again. But was Straffen insane? Using previously unpublished documents, including government classified papers, the author paints a vivid picture of a man who shocked the nation and confused the court with his crimes. John Straffen died in the medical wing of Frankland Prison, County Durham on November 19, 2007, by which time he'd spent 55yrs in prison. He never admitted to the murder of Linda Bowyer and had told his solicitor that he felt terrible about the first 2 murders, and wanted to be released from prison to live somewhere quiet. Illus. + Bibliog. and Index. 187pp. trade size New softcover. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. N° de réf. du vendeur 17398

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : ESCAPE FROM BROADMOOR

Éditeur : The History Press

Date d'édition : 2013

Reliure : Softcover / Paperback

Etat : New

Signé : signed by author

Edition : First edition.

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis :

John Thomas Straffen - England's longest-serving prisoner - was the first patient to escape from Broadmoor Hospital. He killed within hours. Prior to this, at his home in Bath, he was dismissed as an imbecile, a loner, a 'child trapped in an adult's body'. On the afternoon of Sunday July 15, 1951, John Straffen strangled 8-year-old Brenda Goddard as she picked flowers. Three weeks later he committed a similar murder before inadvertently confessing to the police. Faced with a serial killer with a mental age of 10, Straffen was admitted to Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital. But on April 29, 1951, having spent only six months at the institute, he escaped during a meticulously planned bid for freedom that should have been impossible. During his six hours on the run, he murdered 5-year-old Linda Bowyer in an attempt to 'annoy' the police. Winston Churchill, then Prime Minister, and his beleaguered government personally intervened to make sure that Straffen would never walk free. But was Straffen insane? Benefitting from previously unpublished documents, including classified government papers, author Gordon Lowe paints a vivid picture of a man whose crimes shocked a nation.

À propos de l?auteur:

Gordon Lowe taught law in London for ten years, including a year in America. Returning to the West Country, he set up his own law practice near Bath before retiring in September 2010. He is the author of The Matfield Murders and a volunteer at Broadmoor Hospital.