A Calender of Creeps and Crimes

  John George Haigh was born in 1909 to John Robert & Emily, members of the Plymouth Brethren, who took their religion very seriously. They lived in a village in West Yorkshire. Haigh's parents were very protective of their child and did not want him to mix too with the outside world in fear that he would become corrupt, a sinner. They built a tall fence around the garden of their home so nobody could look in or out and as a child he was told that if he ever sinned, a blemish would appear on his skin. He learned how to play piano and sang in the church choir, he listened to classical music. He done well in school, a bright boy, and even obtained a scholarship. It seems that the religious upbringing made Haigh's want to rebel and see what he was missing even greater. Haigh would later tell people of reoccurring religious nightmares he suffered with with as a child followed him into adulthood.  In 1923 Haigh was jailed for fraud. He had been working as a motor engineer but h...

February 25th 1994, police began excavating the home of Fred and Rosemary West at 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester. The majority of the couples crimes happened at the Cromwell Street address. How did a couple this devious go undetected for so long? Their crimes started in 1971 , although Fred's crimes are believed to have dated from before this, and it was not until 1992 that police were alerted to any serious goings on in the three story terrace house and it would be 1994 before they finally had the couple with charges that would stick.  Rose had a very tough upbringing, born into a poor family where her mother suffered greatly with depression. During her pregnancy with Rose she underwent electric shock therapy to try and cure her depression but the therapy was unsuccessful and many have stated that this could have had huge developmental consequences on the unborn Rosemary. As a result, her parents separated and following a trial period of living with her mother, she went to live ...

  On February 23rd 1885 in Exeter, the execution of John "Babbacombe" Lee was scheduled. He had been found guilty of murder earlier in the month. He worked as a servant for a wealthy lady called Emma Keyse and she had been found beaten, her throat slashed and her body set on fire in the home she shared with John Lee. The evidence against Lee was circumstantial. He had been in trouble before for petty theft and he had also threatened to destroy the house claiming he would "level the place to the ashes".  John Lee claimed that he had not been in the house at the time the fire was started but unfortunately, he had no credible alibi. The trial moved forward and all the evidence was put to a jury.  Lee had cuts on his arm and his clothes were covered in blood. There was a bloody knife found in a drawer in the locker beside his bed.  He had a criminal record.  He was the only person in or around the house at the time of the murder.  He had threatened to "level th...