Crumbles murders

The Crumbles Murders are two separate and unrelated crimes[1] which occurred on a shingle beach located between Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay—locally referred to as "the Crumbles"[2]—in the 1920s. The first of these two murders is the 1920 bludgeoning murder of 17-year-old Irene Munro, committed by two men: Jack Field and William Gray. The second murder to occur upon the Crumbles is the 1924 murder of 38-year-old Emily Kaye, who was murdered by her lover, Patrick Mahon.

The three perpetrators of the two "Crumbles Murders" were all tried at Lewes assizes before Mr Justice Avory.[3] All three were executed by hanging at Wandsworth Prison. The executioner of all three men was Thomas Pierrepoint.[4]

Murder of Irene Munro

Irene Munro, murdered by Jack Field and William Gray on 19 August 1920

Background

Irene Violet Munro was a 17-year-old typist, employed by a firm of chartered accountants based in Oxford Street, London. In August 1920, Munro informed her mother of her intentions to vacation alone in the seaside resort of Eastbourne rather than visit family relatives in Portobello, as the family had traditionally done for many years.[5] Her mother, Flora, agreed to these plans, and assisted in the arrangements for her only daughter to spend two weeks at Seaside, Eastbourne, before returning to the family home in South Kensington.[6]

On 16 August, Munro travelled to the South Coast.[7] She soon found lodgings at 393 Seaside and is known to have written a letter to her mother that evening, informing her of her safe arrival in Eastbourne and of her intentions to purchase gifts for family members.[8]

By prearrangement, Munro paid her landlady, a Mrs Ada Wynniatt, the weekly cost for her room (30 shillings) in advance, and Mrs Wynniatt later stated she quickly "warmed" to the young Londoner who still had a slight Scottish accent.[9]

Vacation

Shortly after her arrival, Munro is known to have penned a second letter to her mother as she relaxed upon an Eastbourne beach, again informing her of her safe arrival and detailing her having visited local landmarks such as Beachy Head the previous day (17 August).[10] She closed this letter by writing: "Goodbye for the present. Please give my love to Granny, Auntie, Jessie, and everyone. Your affectionate, Rene. XXXX."[11]

Although Mrs Wynniatt stated Munro had been "fairly cheerful" during the initial days of her vacation, she later testified that, by 18 August, the girl had become somewhat melancholy, stating to her: "My mother wanted me to go to Scotland with her. I should have gone. I wish I had gone now."[12]

Encounter with Field and Gray

Three days after her arrival in Eastbourne, on 19 August, Munro encountered two local men: Jack Alfred Field (aged 19) and William Thomas Gray (aged 29). The two struck the pretence of a friendship with her, offering to show Munro some local landmarks before the trio had a drink in a local pub. Munro then returned to her hotel for lunch, having agreed to meet the two men at a bus stop located opposite the Archery Taven, close to the village of Pevensey that afternoon. Before leaving her hotel shortly before 3:00 p.m., Munro informed her landlady of her intentions to travel to Hampden Park.[13][n 1]

The Archery Tavern, seen here in August 1920. Munro and her murderers were seen at this location on the afternoon of her murder

According to subsequent eyewitness accounts, Munro was already waiting at the bus stop when both men alighted from the platform of a bus to meet her. One of the last individuals to see Munro alive observed her talking amicably with the two as they walked in the direction of the Crumbles. According to this eyewitness, the younger of the two men was walking arm in arm with Munro at approximately 4:00 p.m.[14]

Murder

Once the three had reached a secluded section of the Crumbles, approximately 300 yards from the closest inhabited property and within sight of Pevensey Castle, Munro exclaimed she was tired, before reaching into her silk handbag for a handkerchief, which she used to dab her face. As she did so, the two men looked at each other, and Gray nodded to his companion. Field then raised the walking stick in his possession and poised the weapon at shoulder height as Gray attempted to snatch Munro's handbag. Although startled, the girl maintained her grip on her handbag, shouting, "Hey, what do you think—?" In response, Field struck Munro across her mouth with the metal ferrule of his walking stick, dislodging two of her teeth, loosening two others[15] and causing her to fall backwards and scream in pain as Gray shouted, "Shut up!" Field then exclaimed to his companion, "For God's sake, do something!"[16]

In response to both Munro's screams and Field's panicked exclamation, Gray grabbed a section of ironstone brick weighing 32 lbs located close to where she had fallen.[17] She was then extensively bludgeoned about the face and head with this section of brick by Gray, causing her to die of shock, and although most likely deeply unconscious, Munro may have lived for up to thirty minutes before succumbing to her injuries.[18] Gray then concealed the girl's handbag beneath his coat[19] before removing a 9ct. gold ring from one of her fingers.[20][n 2] Both men then hastily buried her body on the beach in a makeshift grave measuring four feet in depth,[21] first covering her body with her coat and placing her hat over her face. One of her feet remained exposed above ground.[22][n 3]

Within hours of the murder, both men are known to have visited the Albermarle Hotel, where they insisted on the two barmaids sharing a drink of their choice with them, also purchasing drinks for several local women with the money from Munro's purse.[24] Later that afternoon, the two men visited the Eastbourne Hippodrome, where Field paid two local men sums of money he had borrowed from them several weeks earlier.[25]

The following afternoon, Irene Munro's body was discovered by a 13-year-old boy running across the beach who almost tripped upon her exposed foot.[26] Her body was buried upon a bank alongside a light railway used for the transport of gravel.[27] Police were summoned, with officers from both Hailsham and Eastbourne arriving at the scene. A large bloodstained stone was found two yards from her body, and two rusty shovels were also recovered at the crime scene.[28] Her body was removed to the mortuary at Eastbourne Town Hall.[29] Munro's body was informally identified by her landlady the following day, and officially identified by her aunt on 22 August.[30]

The following morning, Jack Field read of the discovery of Munro's body in a local newspaper. At 10:30 a.m., both Field and Gray are known to have visited a military camp near Eastbourne, hoping to re-enlist in the army.[31]

Investigation

The area of the Crumbles where Munro's body was discovered was promptly cordoned off, and an experienced investigator from Scotland Yard named George Mercer was dispatched to Eastbourne to supervise the investigation on 21 August.[32]

An autopsy revealed Munro had been deceased for approximately twenty-four hours before her body was discovered. She had been attacked with such savagery that both her upper and lower jaw had been fractured, and several teeth had been dislodged or loosened. In addition, Munro had been extensively bludgeoned about the head, with a fracture wound to her left cheek extending to her left temple. The first severe blow to the left side of Munro's head had rendered her unconscious, with her death resulting from injury to the brain.[33] Her right temple had also suffered a laceration wound. Initial suspicions the murder had been sexually motivated were disproven when the coroner discovered the girl had not been subjected to a sexual assault.[34]

Having discovered the decedent's identity and learned via Mrs Wynniatt of her intentions to visit Hampden Park, investigators visited numerous local cinemas, lodgings, and private hotels in their enquiries. Questioning the barmaids of the Albermarle Hotel revealed two local men named Billy and Jack had been regular patrons at the hotel's saloon bar in the weeks prior to the murder, and although neither seemed to spend much, on the evening of 19 August, both men had been "flush" with money. According to the barmaids, both men had been "broke" when they had visited the premises on the date of Munro's murder, although when they had returned to the bar that evening, both had been "fairly throwing [money] about". "Billy" had been wearing a herringbone suit; "Jack" had worn a dark suit and a cloth cap. Both men had stayed at the bar on the afternoon of 19 August until approximately 2:30 p.m., with Billy becoming flirtatious with one of the barmaids, a Miss Dorothy Ducker.[35]

William Gray. Gray and Jack Field were executed by hanging at Wandsworth Prison for Munro's murder on 4 February 1921

Shortly before the two left the premises, Ducker had refused to serve the two men a free drink. In response, the two promised to return to the bar later that evening, with Billy stating to Ms Ducker: "Very well, if you wait until the evening, we shall have more money by then."[36]

Police enquiries soon established Munro had been seen by numerous individuals talking with two men in the early afternoon of 19 August. Five of these witnesses were labourers who had been working on the Crumbles on the afternoon of the murder and who had seen Munro walking along the light railway line in the direction from Eastbourne. According to these witnesses, the girl had glanced in their direction and smiled as she passed them before reaching to stroke a stray kitten before the trio continued walking in the direction of Pevensey.[37] Each unhesitantly identified Munro as being the girl they had seen with the two men. One of these men had been notably older than the other, who had been closer to the girl's age. Although the clothing the younger of the men had worn could not be precisely described beyond the fact it was most likely a blue suit, the older man had worn a new suit with a distinctive herringbone pattern. The individual walking walking arm in arm with Munro had been carrying a stick with a metal ferrule shaped like a dog's head at one end.[38]

Another witness, Frederick Wells, informed Chief Inspector Mercer on 23 August he had also seen Munro walking in the direction of the Crumbles in the company of these men, the younger of whom he had often seen in Eastbourne in the fortnight prior to the murder, adding this individual often carried a yellow stick with a dog's head upon the handle. Wells added he had last seen the trio climb beneath a fence some fifty yards from the railway line crossing the shingle. On 24 August, Wells accompanied police around Eastbourne, where he soon observed the two men talking to three young women. Wells indicated to police these were the two men he had seen in Munro's company five days earlier.[39]

Initial release

Police arrested both Field and Gray on suspicion of murder on the afternoon of 24 August. The two were driven to Eastbourne's Latimer Road Police Station, where Field is known to have remarked to an inspector: "We have been expecting this, as we both wear grey suits." Both men provided detailed statements regarding their movements on the early afternoon of 19 August, in which each claimed to have been in the company of the other at the Albermarle[40] before returning to Gray's home, where they had eaten a meal prepared by Gray's wife before spending the remainder of the day at the Hippodrome.[41] The five labourers who had seen Munro walking along the light railway line failed to identify either Field or Gray from an identity parade, and both were initially released from custody on 26 August.[42][n 4]

Further witness statements

Investigators had obtained ample eyewitness testimony from individuals disproving the statements made by both men, as several witnesses recollected having seen the two men leaving the Albermarle and boarding a bus travelling in the direction of the Archery Tavern. Police spoke with the bus conductor, George Blackmer, who informed investigators he knew both men well and confirmed the two had indeed alighted his bus outside the Archery Tavern, although contrary to their witness statements, the two had not simply walked along Pevensey Road, but that a teenage girl with dark hair, wearing and black hat and carrying a green coat over her arm, had walked from the bus shelter to greet them, saying, "Hullo, Jack!"[43] Shown a photograph of Munro, Blackmer positively identified her as the girl who had approached Field and Gray at the Archery Tavern.[44]

On 30 August, a sailor named William Putland informed his commanding officer he had observed Munro—whose face he recognised from newspaper articles—as being in the company of two men while he had been on leave in Eastbourne. Putnam's statement was duly forwarded to Eastbourne Police, and Chief Inspector Mercer interviewed this individual on 2 September. Two days later, Putnam accompanied police around Eastbourne. Observing two men drinking tea at a coffee-stall, Putnam positively identified the younger man as being the individual he had observed walking arm in arm with Munro, adding that although he was now wearing a trilby hat, he had been wearing a soft cap on 19 August. Shown a number of hats and caps at the police station, Putnam pointed to a make identical to the one described by eyewitnesses as being the one the younger of the two men seen with Munro had worn on the day of her murder.[45]

"You have had my statement, and you are no man not to believe it. I kept quiet before, but I shall not this time. I have told you the truth."

--Jack Field, speaking to Chief Inspector George Mercer upon being informed he was to be charged with the murder of Irene Munro. 4 September 1920[46]

Arrest

No individuals could be found to corroborate the accounts both men gave to police regarding their movements on 19 August, with investigators also discovering Field and Gray had attempted to persuade a local servant girl to claim she had been in their company at the time of the murder. Multiple eyewitness accounts placed the two men in the company of Munro, walking in the direction of the Crumbles where her body was discovered the following day. Furthermore, two of these witness also stated Field had been carrying a distinctive yellow walking stick with a ferrule shaped like a dog's head at one end. A search of Field's home recovered this item, and distinctive articles of clothing described by eyewitnesses as being worn by the men in Munro's company were recovered at the homes of both men.[47] In light of these developments, both men were rearrested and charged with Munro's murder on the evening of 4 September.

The official inquest into Munro's death resumed on 6 September. At this hearing, the jury returned verdicts of wilful murder against both defendants. Both were held on remand at Maidstone Gaol.[48]

Gray (left) and Field (right), pictured at their trial for Munro's murder, December 1920

Trial

The trial of Field and Gray for the murder of Irene Munro began at Lewes assizes on 13 December 1920. Both men were tried before Mr Justice Avory, and both pleaded not guilty to the charge.[49]

In his opening statement on behalf of the Crown, prosecutor Charles Gill outlined the lives of both defendants, describing the two as unemployed ex-servicemen and close companions with a history of petty theft and robbery before describing how Munro had travelled to Eastbourne for a fortnight's holiday on 16 August and her encounter with the defendants three days later. Referring to the afternoon of the murder, Gill referred to the statements both men had given to police on the date of their initial arrest and how these statements almost identically tallied as to their whereabouts within Pevensey at the time of the murder, although numerous independent eyewitnesses would testify they had seen the two men in the company of Munro walking in the direction of and upon the Crumbles, proving their statements were deliberately inaccurate. Gill further stated the evidence would prove the defendants had actively sought to concoct a false alibi.[50]

Witness testimony

On the second day of the trial, a Dr. Cadman testified as to his examination of Munro's body as it lay upon the Crumbles at 11:00 p.m. on 20 August. Cadman stated that rigor mortis was so well established he was unable to move the limbs, adding his opinion the girl had been deceased for between twelve and twenty-four hours. Upon cross-examination by Gray's defense counsel, Edward Marshall Hall, Cadman conceded his initial estimation implied the girl could not have been murdered prior to 11:00 p.m. on 19 August. In rebuttal, Charles Gill succeeding in Cadman conceding he had based his estimation upon the time of death solely upon the fact blood had flown from Munro's left nostril when her body was removed from the crime scene to the mortuary, and that he would have expected blood within the body of an individual deceased more than twenty-four hours to have completely coagulated.[51]

To further discredit the testimony of Dr. Cadman, a Dr. James Adams testified on behalf of the prosecution that, having conducted the official post-mortem of Munro's body on 21 August, he was in no doubt her death had occurred sometime between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on 19 August. When asked to give his opinion as to the fluid discharge from the girl's nose, Adams stated the discharge had been a serum resembling blood. A further medical expert to conduct a later post-mortem upon Munro's body named Reginald Elworthy also testified on the second day of the hearings. Elworthy's testimony precisely matched that of Adams, with this doctor adding that if Dr Cadman had measured the temperature inside the girl's body, he would have been more precise as to the time of death.[52]

The two Albermarle Hotel barmaids, Dorothy Ducker and Elsie Finley, testified before the court as to the movements of the defendants on the date of Munro's murder, adding that on the second time they had been in the hotel's saloon bar, both men had been spending extravagantly and smoking expensive cigarettes. The testimony of these witnesses was followed by numerous eyewitnesses who testified as to seeing two men in the company of Munro—either or both of whom each witness was able to positively identify. A servant girl named Hilda Maud Baxter then testified as to the efforts of both defendants—whom she had not known—to persuade her to construct a false alibi, adding there was no truth in the claims of both men to have been in her company at Pevensey on the afternoon of the murder. Baxter's testimony was corroborated by two other servant girls, who each testified Baxter had not left their employers' property on the afternoon of 19 August.[53]

Defendant's testimony

Neither Field nor Gray seemed particularly interested in the legal proceedings, and although Gray chose not to testify in his own defense, upon the advice of his defence counsel, J. D. Cassels, Field took the stand to testify in his own defence on 15 December. Responding to questioning from his defense counsel, Field recounted his movements between 18 and 20 August. He admitted to having little money on the dates in question, although he denied having ever met Irene Munro, or having been on the Crumbles that week; insisting that although he and Gray had indeed alighted a bus outside the Archery Tavern on the afternoon of 19 August, both had visited a nearby circus, arriving at this venue at approximately 2:45 p.m. Field insisted that all the money he had spent on these dates had been from the weekly unemployment benefit payment of 29s he had received on the morning of the murder.[54] Field admitted he and Gray had attempted to re-enlist in the army on 21 August, but claimed the reason had been that Gray's pension had recently been reduced, and that he also knew his unemployment benefit would not continue indefinitely.[55]

When questioned as to earlier witness testimony placing both men in the company of Munro on the afternoon of 19 August, walking to the location upon the Crumbles where her body was discovered the following day, Field insisted this testimony was inaccurate.[56] He also stated the reason he and Gray had attempted to persuade Hilda Baxter to provide them with an alibi[57] prior to their arrest had been because the two had "seen no one" whom they knew in Pevensey on the afternoon of 19 August and the two had therefore feared their alibi would not be believed.[58]

Following the conclusion of Field's testimony, a fellow prisoner who had become acquainted with Gray while on remand at Maidstone Gaol testified Gray had confessed to him he had "been with the girl almost to the hour [the murder] happened", adding he intended to persuade another inmate to claim he had seen Munro in the company of a sailor upon the Crumbles prior to her murder, as police could not prove he had committed the crime. According to this prisoner, Gray denied murdering the girl, although he knew she had been murdered "by dropping a stone on her head" as he had seen the actual brick with which she had been murdered. Another prisoner also testified as to Gray's efforts to persuade him to testify he and Field had been to a circus with him on 19 August. Two warders from Maidstone Gaol then testified they had observed more than one illicit conversation between Gray and one of the prisoners.[59]

Closing arguments

On 17 December, both counsels delivered their closing arguments to the jury. Charles Gill spoke first, outlining the numerous witnesses who testified as to having seen the two defendants with Munro shortly before the time several medical experts had testified she had been murdered and the defendants' subsequent efforts to concoct a false alibi as to their whereabouts at this time. Gill contended the proof Munro had been murdered between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. was "overwhelming", adding that had Munro been murdered in the evening, as the defence contended, she would undoubtedly have returned to her lodgings for her afternoon meal. Referring to the testimony from one of the prisoners who stated Gray had informed him Munro had been murdered with a large stone dropped upon her head, Gill stated: "The prosecution is right. [Gray] knows."[60]

Addressing the jury on behalf of Field, J. D. Cassels stated the prosecution's case on behalf of his client "rested entirely" upon circumstantial evidence, emphasising that the five labourers who had been working on the Crumbles close to where Munro had been murdered had failed to identify either defendant. Cassels outlined the inaccuracies some witnesses had provided to investigators when describing the clothing of either the decedent or the men seen in her company, before inferring the murder must have been committed at or after dusk as opposed to in broad daylight, close to a railway hut. Referring to the earlier testimony of Dr Cadman, Cassels stated that, if the jury accepted his testimony that Munro could not have been murdered prior to 11:00 p.m. on 19 August, it would be "an end to the case" for the prosecution.[61]

Edward Marshall Hall then spoke on behalf of Gray. Outlining Munro's character, Hall stressed that it would have been unlikely that a "ladylike, educated" young woman known to have been "fastidious as to her choice of company" would have sought the acquaintance of two unemployed, unambitious and heavy drinking individuals like the defendants. Hall then focused on the medical evidence, emphasising that Dr Cadman's opinion as to Munro's time of death deserved careful consideration, adding that Munro would undoubtedly have screamed when struck across the mouth, yet nobody had reported hearing her screams, or to hearing shingle shovelled over her body after her death. Referring to the prosecution contention that the motive for the murder was robbery and the testimony from Dorothy Ducker that his client had promised her he and Field would "have more money" by the late afternoon of 19 August, Hall contended Munro was not worth robbing, and no evidence existed of premeditation. Hall finished his closing argument by stating that if the jury could not accept the evidence put forward by the prosecution as conclusive, both Gray and Field were entitled to a verdict of not guilty.[62]

Conviction

The trial lasted five days. In a final address to the jury on 17 December, Judge Avory informed the panel both men were jointly charged with Munro's murder, with one defendant aiding and abetting the other, adding that it was "immaterial" which defendant actually murdered the girl. Judge Avory also instructed the jury not to allow their decision to be influenced by any material pertaining to the murder they had read, stating: "I warn you only to bring in a verdict of guilty if satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt as to [the defendants'] guilt." The jury then retired to consider their verdict.

The jury deliberated for just over one hour before finding both men guilty of Munro's murder,[63] although due to their belief no evidence of premeditation existed, the jury recommended mercy for both defendants.[64] Upon hearing the verdicts, the faces of both men blanched, with Field visibly grasping the dock-rail to steady himself.[65]

In formally passing the death sentence against both men, Mr Justice Avory stated: "Jack Alfred Field and William Thomas Gray, you have been found guilty of a foul and brutal murder, and the defence you have [both] concocted has been demonstrated to be untrue. My duty is now to pass upon you the sentence of the law. That sentence is that you be taken hence to a lawful prison, and thence to a place of execution, and that you be there hanged by the neck until you be dead, and that your bodies be afterwards buried within the precincts of the prison wherein you shall have been last confined before your execution, and I direct that this sentence shall be carried out at Wandsworth Prison. And may the Lord have mercy upon your souls."[66][67]

Motive

The motive for Munro's murder was robbery. Both men had been unemployed for extended periods of time following their respective discharge from the armed forces.[68][n 5] Neither held any inclination to actually work for a living, and shortly after the two had become acquainted in June 1920, both had developed a habit of committing opportunistic petty theft[70] and, in the fortnight prior to murdering Munro, of befriending and robbing tourists. Field had struck Munro across the face when she had refused to release her handbag—containing approximately £2 10s[71]—after Gray attempted to steal the bag from her possession after the two had lured the girl to a secluded location. Gray had been the individual to fatally bludgeon Munro, although Field had initiated the actual physical assault by striking Munro across the mouth with the ferrule of his walking stick.[n 6]

Appeals and execution

Both men filed appeals against their convictions. These appeals were heard on 17 and 18 January 1921.[73] Each blamed the other for Munro's murder at this hearing. According to Field, the two had first seen Munro walking along the sea-front on 17 August, and had become acquainted with her the following day. The two had been in Munro's company on the afternoon of the murder, although he had left the two alone on the Crumbles. He had walked toward Pevensey Bay, where he encountered Gray, who informed him the two had had a quarrel, and Munro had "gone home".[74] He had not known of Gray's intentions towards Munro, although Gray had subsequently confessed to him he had "stunned" Munro before burying her alive. Gray denied these accusations, alleging he had parted company with Field at the Albermarle Hotel at approximately 2:30 p.m., returning to his home. According to Gray, he did not see Field again until 6:40 p.m. Gray further alleged Field had later confessed to him that he had walked with Munro onto the Crumbles,[75] where he had said something which displeased the girl, causing her to slap him across the face.[76] He had then struck the girl, rendering her unconscious and, fearing Munro would report him to the police, had then struck her head with the ironstone brick, "putting her right out", before burying her body.[77]

The Lord Chief Justice rejected these appeals on 18 January,[78] describing the renewed accounts of events by both men as desperate, last-ditch fabrications concocted to escape the consequences of their crime by placing blame upon the other.[79] Both men were executed at Wandsworth Prison at 8:00 a.m.[80] on 4 February.[81] Two reporters were permitted to witness the executions, and approximately 200 members of the public awaited official notification outside the gaol. Neither man confessed to Munro's murder before his execution,[82] although both left a message of gratitude in their cells for the letters and expressions of sympathy they received from family and friends as they awaited their execution.[83]

Murder of Emily Kaye

Patrick Mahon, pictured with his daughter in 1923

Early life

Patrick Mahon was born in Edge Hill, Liverpool to middle-class Irish parents, in 1890. He was raised in the suburb of West Derby. As a child, Mahon proved to be an above average scholar and a talented footballer. He was also a regular attendee of the local Catholic church.[84]

Shortly after leaving school, Mahon secured employment as a bookkeeper. He later became a church worker and Sunday school teacher. Mahon married his fiancée, Jessie, whom he had first met at school, on 6 April 1910. The couple had two children.[85] The same year, Mahon was arrested for burglarising the home of a clergyman.[86]

Criminal background

In 1911, Mahon stole £123 from his employers, abandoning his wife and eloping to the Isle of Man with another woman. He was treated with leniency by authorities for this crime, receiving a formal caution. Mahon's wife also forgave him, and he returned to live with her, securing employment at a Wiltshire dairy firm. He lost this employment in 1912 after his employers discovered he had stolen £60. For this offence, Mahon was imprisoned for one year.[87] Upon his release, Mahon and his wife relocated to the town of Calne, where their two children were born. While living in Calne, Mahon developed a gambling habit.[88]

In 1916, Mahon is known to have committed the attempted murder of a servant girl in the Surrey town of Chertsey. In this instance, the girl discovered Mahon burglarising her employers' home, whereupon he attacked her with a hammer, striking her across the head a minimum of nine times. Before the girl lost consciousness, Mahon asked her where the keys to her employers' safe were kept.[89]

The victim of this assault regained consciousness to find herself being embraced by Mahon, who implored her to forgive him.[90]

Mahon was brought to trial before a Mr Justice Darling for this aggravated assault. Medical testimony at this trial revealed that Mahon had likely intended to kill this young woman, and had she not had such a generous head of hair, she would likely have died of her injuries.[91] Mahon appealed for leniency, stating his intentions to join the army.[92] However, he was sentenced to a term of five years' imprisonment, with Judge Darling stating as he imposed this term: "I have come to the conclusion that you are not only a burglar, not only a coward, but also thorough-paced hypocrite.[93][n 7]

Employment

Mahon was released from prison in April 1919.[96] He returned to his wife, who by this stage worked as a secretary at the Sunbury-on-Thames firm Consols Automatic Aerators Ltd. Jessie Mahon secured her husband employment as a salesman at this firm, and the family relocated from Calne to the London suburb of Richmond.[97]

Encounter with Emily Kaye

In 1922, Mahon was promoted to the position of sales manager, earning approximately £42 per month. Mahon's duties regularly required him to travel to the City of London, to the offices of Robertson, Hilll and Co. in Moorgate.[98] During an August 1923 visit to this firm, he encountered a 37-year-old unmarried woman named Emily Beilby Kaye,[99] who worked as a shorthand typist and private secretary to the father of author Ian Hay. Within weeks of their encounter, the two had begun an affair.[100][n 8]

Emily Beilby Kaye

Kaye was just was one of several women with whom Mahon conducted affairs throughout the course of his marriage, and Mahon—who introduced himself to Kaye as Derek Patterson[102]—likely embarked upon this affair upon discovering Kaye had savings estimated at £500 (the equivalent of approximately £30,400 as of 2020).[103]

Affair and pregnancy

Approximately three months after Mahon and Kaye embarked upon their affair, Kaye discovered, to her joy, that she was pregnant.[104] In March, Kaye became ill with influenza. To recuperate, she travelled the coastal resort town of Bournemouth, where she was soon joined by Mahon, who presented her with a diamond and sapphire cluster engagement ring he had earlier purchased from a Southampton jeweller's. That night, the two shared a room at the South Western Hotel, with Mahon signing the register as Mr and Mrs P. H. Mahon.[105]

Mahon's purchasing of an engagement ring seems to have convinced Kaye that Mahon's claims of his intentions to marry her were sincere.[106] Upon her return to work, Kaye informed friends and relatives she and Mahon would soon marry and emigrate to South Africa,[107] stating to the company secretary, "It's fixed, my dear — the [wedding] date!" On 5 April, Kaye wrote a letter to her sister in which she stated Mahon had travelled to Langney to inspect a bungalow with view to renting the property for several weeks as they finalised their plans to emigrate.[108] She is also known the have withdrawn £404 of her savings in February 1924—the vast majority of this money was either given to Mahon or spent or otherwise invested in her plans for the future she believed the two had together.[109]

Officer's House

According to Mahon, upon Kaye informing him of her pregnancy, he became afraid of his wife yet again discovering his infidelity. However, he claimed Kaye had known he was a married man prior to their affair and that, shortly after Kaye discovered she was pregnant, she had insisted on the two embarking upon what she termed a "love experiment" whereby she could convince him his resistance to abandoning his wife and daughter could be overcome if the two spent an extended period of time alone before they bigamously married.[110][n 9] Likely as a means of premeditation with regards to murdering Kaye, Mahon agreed to this proposal, and successfully convinced to her to travel to an Eastbourne bungalow known as Officer's House, located alongside the Crumbles, which he had rented under the assumed name of Waller.[112]

Kaye is known to have travelled to Eastbourne on 7 April. She stayed for five days at the Kenilworth Court Hotel before travelling to Officer's House on 12 April. Having informed his wife he was to travel "on business" for several days, Mahon also travelled to the bungalow on the weekend of 12-13 April, informing Kaye via telegram to meet him at Eastbourne railway station.[113] Prior to travelling to Eastbourne, Mahon is known to have purchased a ten-inch chef's knife and a tenon saw[114] from an ironmonger's located close to London Victoria station.[115]