Christmas is supposed to be a time of rejoicing, but for many, it can be a time of sadness and loneliness. There are also those who will not let this special time of the year get in the way of their pursuits. It was also to be the last christmas for 17 year old Sherrall Cartwright. A jilted boyfriend saw to that Her crime? Ending their relationship. This tragic occurrence took place in 1965 in the small Welsh town of Bargoed. Sherrall offered to babysit for her sister and her husband. She was not fussed at what time they returned, as she was looking forward to watching the night`s television. It was approaching midnight when she fed the baby and put her to rest in her cot. She then went down to make herself a hot drink. To her horror, she found herself face to face with Raymond Oliver, 21, the boyfriend she had finished with. He was then said to have slapped her around hard around the face. She started screaming at him to get out of the house. His response was to grab a pair of scissors and stab her in the chest. She staggered into the lounge, where she heard him rummaging through a drawer in the kitchen. He then came into the lounge and tarted stabbing her with a knife. He then strangled her.
Her sister and brother-in-law came home to a scene of horror. They immediately summoned an ambulance and the local doctor. The doctor arrived quickly, and examining her injuries, injected morphine into her and kept giving mouth to mouth until the ambulance arrived. Sherrall died on route to the hospital. The local Detective Inspector, Glyndwr Evans, went to the home of Oliver immediately, who stayed silent but later gave a statement of his movements and denying any knowledge of the murder. His clothes were taken for examination and his alibi checked. DI Evans knew there was an important omission from his statement. Sherralls`brother-in-law, David had spoken to Oliver earlier in the evening and during the conversation, had mentioned that Sherrall was babysitting for them.
Later, Oliver made a second statement that told a different story. He admitted going to the house to see Sherrall. He said the rear door was open and pon seeing him, Sherrall screamed, so he slapped her to shut her up but she did not. Losing his temper, he grabbed the scissors and stabbed her. He then put the scissors under the tap, put them in a rawer and left, returning home. He made no mention of getting a knife and carrying on the attack. He stood trial at the Assizes in Cardiff in February 1966. He pleaded guilty in a hearing that lasted less than ten minutes. Sentenced to life, he served just eight years. Eight years for the brutal murder of a teenage girl.
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