John Straffen - Murder Trial

Murder Trial

When Straffen's murder trial opened on 21 July, he pleaded not guilty, and the Defence opted to leave the question of his sanity as an issue to be determined by the jury. After the prosecution case (led by the Solicitor-General, Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller) had opened and called the first witnesses to establish the facts about the murder of Linda Bowyer, they applied to call additional evidence about the two murders in Bath. This application was resisted by Straffen's defence as prejudicial, but the Judge ruled the evidence admissible.

On the second day, the judge was late into court and explained that "owing to the alleged conduct of one of your members" he was compelled to discharge them and start again with a new jury. It turned out that one of the first set of jurors had gone to a political club in Southsea in the evening and told those present that he was on the jury for the Straffen case, that Straffen was not guilty, and that one of the prosecution witnesses had murdered Linda Bowyer. The Judge required the errant juror, William Gladwin, to remain in court throughout the trial, before calling him to apologise for his "wicked discharge of your duties as a citizen".

The first day's proceedings were repeated before the second jury, followed, as permitted, by evidence of what had happened in Bath. Straffen's defence called several of those who had seen Straffen in earlier years and gave evidence of his mental condition. The prosecution then called prison medical officers and psychiatrists to give evidence in rebuttal. Dr. Thomas Munro, who was a specialist in mental deficiency and had seen Straffen, testified that Straffen had said that to murder was wrong because it was breaking the law and because "it is one of the commandments". When Munro asked Straffen to name the other commandments, Straffen could remember only four.

After a retirement of just under an hour, the jury returned with a verdict of guilty, which implicitly declared Straffen sane. Mr. Justice Cassels sentenced Straffen to death. Straffen appealed, on the grounds that the evidence about the Bath murders was wrongly admitted, and that his statements on the morning after the murder of Linda Bowyer were wrongly admitted because they had been made before he was cautioned. Both grounds of the appeal were dismissed, and Straffen was refused leave to appeal to the House of Lords. 4 September was fixed as the date for execution of judgment of death. However, on 29 August, it was announced that the Home Secretary David Maxwell Fyfe had recommended to Queen Elizabeth II that Straffen be reprieved.