In years gone by, there were plenty of cops who were as tough as the thugs they faced. An influx of tough men into the Police, was courtesy of the end of World War 2 where men who had fought bloody combat, looked for employment. One of my uncles, nearly in his mid-eighties, remembers some joining the Ellesmere Port force, commenting that they were really tough. As a teenager, he was big and strong and could fight but it appears he came unstuck a couple of times with them. Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Robert Mark, remembered as a uniform constable in Manchester that constables would have stand up fights with local toughs, one on one, and the locals would crowd around to cheer them on.
A particular incident occurred in Liverpool back in the 30`s/40`s, where a young tough challenged a young uniform beat constable to a "straightener", as he was arrested. The officer would not back down to such a challenge, and they went somewhere quiet, where the constable removed his jacket, telling him "I'm not in uniform now" and then proceeded to hammer him senseless. The unfortunate thug had to be carried away, unconscious, by his friends. Threats like this and violent attacks were commonplace on officers.
A rather extreme example of cops dishing out to tearaways, a brand of their own medicine, was carried out in New York City by a beat cop. This cop was one of the toughest men in the force, and he did not like the local punks causing crime and trouble on HIS beat. Every time some crime or complaint was registered on his beat, he would line up all the punks, walk down the line giving each one a punch or thump with his truncheon, repeatedly saying, "You don`t do this on my beat!" Nobody dared to do or say anything as he would have killed somebody without the slightest hesitation. Eventually, he had the most crime free beat in New York, which brought him to the attention of the Mob. He was hired as a personal bodyguard by a ranking Mob member. This happened back in the early to mid thirties. There is not much chance of that happening today.
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
The Palatine Massacre
This notorious murder spree stands alongside the St. Valentines Day Massacre, as it was in the area of the infamous slaughter, Chicago, and had the same number of victims; Seven. That is where the comparisons end, as this was not an underworld feud but a slaughter carried out by two young men for "kicks". This happened on January 8th 1993 at Browns` Chicken Restaurant in Palatine, Illinois. The two gunmen had gone in, ordered food, sat down to eat, and as it was near closing time, they then struck. The wife of the manager was forced to open the safe then she had her throat slit, the others were forced into a big walk-in refrigerator, where the gunmen took turns in shooting the hostages, closing the door, reloading, then opening again shooting.
An early suspect was a very disgruntled former employee, dismissed a couple of weeks before, but eventually, he was eliminated and the case ran cold. It was March 2002 when Police received a call from a woman named Anne Lockett, a former girlfriend of James Degorsky, saying that he and a friend, Juan Luna, were responsible. She said she kept quiet for nine years due to murder threats from Degorsky. They investigated the backgrounds of the two, and found they had led entirely lawful and peaceful lives since the massacre, which was highly unusual for such an horrific crime. They did have evidence that could now be checked, through advances in DNA technology. It was a discarded meal. Getting from the two DNA samples, the preserved meal was tested and produced a match to one of the accused. They were arrested and charged. The reason for the massacre? Luna wanted to know how it felt to "Ice somebody" and Degorsky agreed to help him.
Both were sentenced to life imprisonment because a couple of jurors on both trials, bottled it when it came to deciding on the Death Penalty, citing they were young. They had no trouble slaughtering seven people just for the hell of it. Families of the victims say they got away with it because they have a life, the victims don`t. The victims are as follows;
Richard Ehlenfeldt 50
Lynn Ehlenfeldt 49
Guadalupe Maldonaldo 46
Michael Castro 16
Rico Solis 17
Thomas Mennes 32
Marcus Nellsen 30
They should never be forgotten.
An early suspect was a very disgruntled former employee, dismissed a couple of weeks before, but eventually, he was eliminated and the case ran cold. It was March 2002 when Police received a call from a woman named Anne Lockett, a former girlfriend of James Degorsky, saying that he and a friend, Juan Luna, were responsible. She said she kept quiet for nine years due to murder threats from Degorsky. They investigated the backgrounds of the two, and found they had led entirely lawful and peaceful lives since the massacre, which was highly unusual for such an horrific crime. They did have evidence that could now be checked, through advances in DNA technology. It was a discarded meal. Getting from the two DNA samples, the preserved meal was tested and produced a match to one of the accused. They were arrested and charged. The reason for the massacre? Luna wanted to know how it felt to "Ice somebody" and Degorsky agreed to help him.
Both were sentenced to life imprisonment because a couple of jurors on both trials, bottled it when it came to deciding on the Death Penalty, citing they were young. They had no trouble slaughtering seven people just for the hell of it. Families of the victims say they got away with it because they have a life, the victims don`t. The victims are as follows;
Richard Ehlenfeldt 50
Lynn Ehlenfeldt 49
Guadalupe Maldonaldo 46
Michael Castro 16
Rico Solis 17
Thomas Mennes 32
Marcus Nellsen 30
They should never be forgotten.
Xaviera Hollander - "The Happy Hooker"
Hands up all those read some of her books during the seventies. I did. And they were among landmark books about sexual frankness, though with authors now following the "Fifty Shades of Grey" line of writing, they might be considered old hat. One point about "...Shades" is that the basic premise of the plot, sexual perversion, bondage, etc is the plot to the "Story of O" by Pauline Reage`.
Xaviera Hollander was born on June 15th 1943 to parents of mixed heritage in Soerabaja in the Dutch East Indies, now known as Indonesia, and spent her first three years in a Japanese internment camp. After the war, her family moved to Holland, and in her early twenties, she moved from Amsterdam to Johannesburg, where her stepsister lived. Here she met and became engaged to an American, John Weber. But the romance ended, so she moved to New York where she worked as a secretary for the Dutch Consulate in Manhattan. She quit this job in 1968 and worked as a high class call girl, getting more than $1000 a night for her services to wealthy clients. She soon became so successful she started her own brothel known as the "Vertical Whorehouse". She enjoyed great financial success but in 1971, the NYPD shut her down and she was deported.
She wrote her memoirs, assisted by author Robin Moore, but the book itself was written by a woman named Yvonne Dunleavy. It was Moore who came up with the title "The Happy Hooker". She claimed that she never asked for cash but her clients gave her plenty of money and numerous gifts. Right. She lived in Montreal for some years during the seventies, marrying an antique dealer. She was also the advice columnist for adult magazine "Penthouse" for 35 years. She also wrote a number of both fictional and non-fictional books. In 1997, she announced that she had become gay and had a long relationship with a Dutch woman poet named Dia. She married again in 2007 to Dutchman Philip De Haan. She probably blazed a path for the likes of Heidi Fleiss to follow.
Xaviera Hollander was born on June 15th 1943 to parents of mixed heritage in Soerabaja in the Dutch East Indies, now known as Indonesia, and spent her first three years in a Japanese internment camp. After the war, her family moved to Holland, and in her early twenties, she moved from Amsterdam to Johannesburg, where her stepsister lived. Here she met and became engaged to an American, John Weber. But the romance ended, so she moved to New York where she worked as a secretary for the Dutch Consulate in Manhattan. She quit this job in 1968 and worked as a high class call girl, getting more than $1000 a night for her services to wealthy clients. She soon became so successful she started her own brothel known as the "Vertical Whorehouse". She enjoyed great financial success but in 1971, the NYPD shut her down and she was deported.
She wrote her memoirs, assisted by author Robin Moore, but the book itself was written by a woman named Yvonne Dunleavy. It was Moore who came up with the title "The Happy Hooker". She claimed that she never asked for cash but her clients gave her plenty of money and numerous gifts. Right. She lived in Montreal for some years during the seventies, marrying an antique dealer. She was also the advice columnist for adult magazine "Penthouse" for 35 years. She also wrote a number of both fictional and non-fictional books. In 1997, she announced that she had become gay and had a long relationship with a Dutch woman poet named Dia. She married again in 2007 to Dutchman Philip De Haan. She probably blazed a path for the likes of Heidi Fleiss to follow.
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
The Execution of Robert Hoolhouse
This is another one of those examples that never happens in the UK; the execution of a man most probably innocent. This was 21 year old Robert William Hoolhouse, executed for the rape and murder of 67 year old Margaret Jane Dobson, and how important evidence was never investigated by the Police and the defence Barrister not calling two extremely crucial witnesses.
It was Tuesday, January 18th 1938, when at 4.30pm Mrs Dobson left the family farm, High Grange Farm at Wolviston, near Stockton in the north east of England, saying she would be returning at 6pm. It was well past six o'clock when She had not returned so Mr Dobson started a search, aided by his farm hands. It was at 9.45am the following day that he made a gruesome discovery in a field; the body of his wife. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed. The Police were summoned. Quickly, they heard of scratches on the face of Robert Hoolhouse. He was arrested and questioned, but some inconsistencies in his answers led to him being charged. Soon, the Police believed they had a motive. Hoolhouse and his father had worked for the Dobsons, which also gave them a cottage to live in, but were fired and so lost their home. This occurred FIVE years beforehand. If it had been ten to fifteen years beforehand, they would have had the plot to an early eighties slasher film!
Hoolhouse also had spots of blood on his clothes but claimed that the scratches and blood came from an accident riding his bicycle. He said that he had been at home at 6 Pickering Street, Haverton Hill until 12.30pm then cycled into Wolviston to visit William Husband, staying until 3pm, then cycling home. He then stated he was at home from 4pm to 6pm. He then went back to Wolviston, by bus,to the Husbands` home, arriving there around 7pm, meeting there, a girl he was friendly with, Dolly Lax, whom had been there earlier when he visited. They then caught a bus to Billingham, visiting a cinema. There were no scratches on his face. Dolly and William said that Hoolhouse arrived later than he said on his first visit. He believed he had got his times wrong, but to the Police believed this gave him the opportunity to kill Mrs Dobson. The time of death was given as after 5pm. He was charged and appeared in court on March 28th. The trial lasted three days and he was convicted and sentenced to death.
He was executed at Durham Prison on 26th May 1938 by Tom Pierrepoint. So why is his execution dubious? First off, on the day of the murder and after it happened, Hoolhouse had NO scratches on his face, as stated by witnesses. Mrs Dobson was found still wearing gloves, so Police tried experiments trying to replicate the scratches, unsuccessfully. Even a woman with long nails could not produce a scratch with the gloves on. Footprints around the body were never preserved with plaster. Footprints of Mr Dobson were identified but not others. None matched the footwear of Hoolhouse. There was no semen stains on Hoolhouses` clothing but enough on the clothing of the victim. His defence lawyer did not call crucial witnesses such as Margaret Barker who had also travelled on the bus with Hoolhouse. She saw no scratches. His next door neighbour, Doris Teale, saw him outside his house after 5pm, at the time he was supposed to have been murdering Margaret Dobson. But the most damaging evidence not properly investigated was the sighting by Percy Swales, of a tall thin man, aged around thirty, wearing a brown smock, breeches and leggings,in the field where Mrs Dobson had been murdered, around 5pm., and this did not resemble at all, the clothing worn by Hoolhouse that day. Indeed, an appeal for information on this individual was put out by the local newspaper, but Police were convinced they had the right man, despite the vast contradictory evidence.
Some years later, the father of Hoolhouse made a deathbed confession that he had been responsible, but he was not seen around the murder scene at the time, did not wear the clothes worn by the mystery man, and it was believed it was an attempt to posthumously clear his son, knowing he would not be brought to justice. Another example of "It cannot not happen in this country!"
It was Tuesday, January 18th 1938, when at 4.30pm Mrs Dobson left the family farm, High Grange Farm at Wolviston, near Stockton in the north east of England, saying she would be returning at 6pm. It was well past six o'clock when She had not returned so Mr Dobson started a search, aided by his farm hands. It was at 9.45am the following day that he made a gruesome discovery in a field; the body of his wife. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed. The Police were summoned. Quickly, they heard of scratches on the face of Robert Hoolhouse. He was arrested and questioned, but some inconsistencies in his answers led to him being charged. Soon, the Police believed they had a motive. Hoolhouse and his father had worked for the Dobsons, which also gave them a cottage to live in, but were fired and so lost their home. This occurred FIVE years beforehand. If it had been ten to fifteen years beforehand, they would have had the plot to an early eighties slasher film!
Hoolhouse also had spots of blood on his clothes but claimed that the scratches and blood came from an accident riding his bicycle. He said that he had been at home at 6 Pickering Street, Haverton Hill until 12.30pm then cycled into Wolviston to visit William Husband, staying until 3pm, then cycling home. He then stated he was at home from 4pm to 6pm. He then went back to Wolviston, by bus,to the Husbands` home, arriving there around 7pm, meeting there, a girl he was friendly with, Dolly Lax, whom had been there earlier when he visited. They then caught a bus to Billingham, visiting a cinema. There were no scratches on his face. Dolly and William said that Hoolhouse arrived later than he said on his first visit. He believed he had got his times wrong, but to the Police believed this gave him the opportunity to kill Mrs Dobson. The time of death was given as after 5pm. He was charged and appeared in court on March 28th. The trial lasted three days and he was convicted and sentenced to death.
He was executed at Durham Prison on 26th May 1938 by Tom Pierrepoint. So why is his execution dubious? First off, on the day of the murder and after it happened, Hoolhouse had NO scratches on his face, as stated by witnesses. Mrs Dobson was found still wearing gloves, so Police tried experiments trying to replicate the scratches, unsuccessfully. Even a woman with long nails could not produce a scratch with the gloves on. Footprints around the body were never preserved with plaster. Footprints of Mr Dobson were identified but not others. None matched the footwear of Hoolhouse. There was no semen stains on Hoolhouses` clothing but enough on the clothing of the victim. His defence lawyer did not call crucial witnesses such as Margaret Barker who had also travelled on the bus with Hoolhouse. She saw no scratches. His next door neighbour, Doris Teale, saw him outside his house after 5pm, at the time he was supposed to have been murdering Margaret Dobson. But the most damaging evidence not properly investigated was the sighting by Percy Swales, of a tall thin man, aged around thirty, wearing a brown smock, breeches and leggings,in the field where Mrs Dobson had been murdered, around 5pm., and this did not resemble at all, the clothing worn by Hoolhouse that day. Indeed, an appeal for information on this individual was put out by the local newspaper, but Police were convinced they had the right man, despite the vast contradictory evidence.
Some years later, the father of Hoolhouse made a deathbed confession that he had been responsible, but he was not seen around the murder scene at the time, did not wear the clothes worn by the mystery man, and it was believed it was an attempt to posthumously clear his son, knowing he would not be brought to justice. Another example of "It cannot not happen in this country!"
Sunday, 6 October 2013
The Murder of Peter England
This shockingly brutal and callous murder took place in Stockport, near Manchester on New Year`s Eve 2001, by a young couple who thought they were Bonnie & Clyde. The killers were Deborah Taylor & Lee Whiteley, who had been together for just six weeks when they were arrested at the marriage capital of Great Britain, Gretna Green, just inside the Scottish border.
But what was the reason for this savage murder? It seems that there was not one, and it stemmed from the fact that both Taylor & Whiteley were pissheads who attacked and egged each other on, thinking they were like the outlaws from 30`s America or like the characters in the (in my view) overrated and overblown film "Natural Born Killers". Peter England had been a journalist, starting off as a young man with the long defunct "Daily Sketch" then with other Northern newspapers. But Peter England developed a serious drink problem and eventually he lived in a small flat, he went each day to the library to read, as he had always been an avid reader. He would do some shopping, buy some alcohol and stop off at a pub for a drink. As he liked to chat to people, it is though that it was here that he run into Taylor & Whiteley.
Taylor, only 17 at the time, had fallen out with her friends due to her drinking and bouts of explosive anger, and Whiteley had been imprisoned for assault, but they met at work; she served him food as he worked for a demolition company doing a job. The attraction was said to be instantaneous, and they were together everywhere, drinking. They decided to rob an off-licence (liquor store) but she ran off when the owner grappled with Whiteley, who had swung a meat cleaver at his head. Whiteley was arrested but astonishingly, despite what Whiteley had tried to do, the Police gave him bail. The results were deadly for Peter England. The couple were thrown out of a friends flat after they stabbed each other, and so they ended up later in Peter Englands` flat. They left to go to a hotel next door to celebrate the new year, where the only thing that looked out of place was the fact that they both wore their coats all the time they were there.
Days later, the landlord tried to rouse Mr England after not seeing him for a number of days, used a pass key, where he found Mr Englands` blood soaked body, and the flat filled with gas. He immediately phoned for the emergency services and the Police. A post mortem revealed Mr England had suffered 34 stab wounds, but it was thought that they had been inflicted over time, displaying totally sadistic behaviour. Mr England had apparently had clothes moved or taken off because some of the entry wounds in his clothes did not correspond with the body wounds. Neighbours thought that Mr England had been alive and well into the new year, hearing movement in his flat Taylor & Whiteley had gone back and spent days in his flat whilst his body lay there. They then decided to blow up the apartment complex, by turning on the gas taps on the cooker and leaving something burning, but it did not happen.
Now it emerged that they went to the party in blood soaked clothes and kept their coats on, enjoying the knowledge that they were hiding the evidence of a horrific crime. They crisscrossed Britain, using the rail network but Police, led by Chief Superintendent Jack Dees, kept up the intense hunt, and finding out about a trip to Gretna Green to get married, they were arrested by Scottish Police. The fantasy that these two "outlaws" going on the run and declaring their undying love for each other by getting wed, fell apart. During questioning, they blamed each other. The Jury and the Judge were not fooled. They were sent down for a minimum of 15 years, which is nowhere near long enough in my view, but they are out of the way for a long time. Peter England had done nothing to deserve his horrific death. Another example of somebody showing some kindness and scumbags responding with horrific violence.
But what was the reason for this savage murder? It seems that there was not one, and it stemmed from the fact that both Taylor & Whiteley were pissheads who attacked and egged each other on, thinking they were like the outlaws from 30`s America or like the characters in the (in my view) overrated and overblown film "Natural Born Killers". Peter England had been a journalist, starting off as a young man with the long defunct "Daily Sketch" then with other Northern newspapers. But Peter England developed a serious drink problem and eventually he lived in a small flat, he went each day to the library to read, as he had always been an avid reader. He would do some shopping, buy some alcohol and stop off at a pub for a drink. As he liked to chat to people, it is though that it was here that he run into Taylor & Whiteley.
Taylor, only 17 at the time, had fallen out with her friends due to her drinking and bouts of explosive anger, and Whiteley had been imprisoned for assault, but they met at work; she served him food as he worked for a demolition company doing a job. The attraction was said to be instantaneous, and they were together everywhere, drinking. They decided to rob an off-licence (liquor store) but she ran off when the owner grappled with Whiteley, who had swung a meat cleaver at his head. Whiteley was arrested but astonishingly, despite what Whiteley had tried to do, the Police gave him bail. The results were deadly for Peter England. The couple were thrown out of a friends flat after they stabbed each other, and so they ended up later in Peter Englands` flat. They left to go to a hotel next door to celebrate the new year, where the only thing that looked out of place was the fact that they both wore their coats all the time they were there.
Days later, the landlord tried to rouse Mr England after not seeing him for a number of days, used a pass key, where he found Mr Englands` blood soaked body, and the flat filled with gas. He immediately phoned for the emergency services and the Police. A post mortem revealed Mr England had suffered 34 stab wounds, but it was thought that they had been inflicted over time, displaying totally sadistic behaviour. Mr England had apparently had clothes moved or taken off because some of the entry wounds in his clothes did not correspond with the body wounds. Neighbours thought that Mr England had been alive and well into the new year, hearing movement in his flat Taylor & Whiteley had gone back and spent days in his flat whilst his body lay there. They then decided to blow up the apartment complex, by turning on the gas taps on the cooker and leaving something burning, but it did not happen.
Now it emerged that they went to the party in blood soaked clothes and kept their coats on, enjoying the knowledge that they were hiding the evidence of a horrific crime. They crisscrossed Britain, using the rail network but Police, led by Chief Superintendent Jack Dees, kept up the intense hunt, and finding out about a trip to Gretna Green to get married, they were arrested by Scottish Police. The fantasy that these two "outlaws" going on the run and declaring their undying love for each other by getting wed, fell apart. During questioning, they blamed each other. The Jury and the Judge were not fooled. They were sent down for a minimum of 15 years, which is nowhere near long enough in my view, but they are out of the way for a long time. Peter England had done nothing to deserve his horrific death. Another example of somebody showing some kindness and scumbags responding with horrific violence.
Saturday, 5 October 2013
The Murder of Janis Dundas
This brutal murder was a little close for comfort for me, as it happened about a hundred yards away from where my elderly mother lived. This took place earlier this year when one sunday I travelled over to Ellesmere Port to visit members of my family. My mother told me what happened in a nearby street, Atherton Avenue. The killer was quickly caught, as he tried to drive away in the victims` car but crashed into a couple of cars parked on a street and then into a wall. The murder scene was gruesome.
Jack Huxley, aged 20, had been thrown out by his family because his whole life revolved around drugging himself up and being pissed, but his step grandmother, 62 year old Janis Dundas, opened her home to him but a day had not passed before this druggy scumbag brutally murdered an elderly lady who showed him kindness. Before the murder, he had used the computer belonging to Mrs Dundas, scouring the web for pornography of the sort that appealed to him; young men and older women. He sexually assaulted Mrs Dundas, then armed with four knives and a meat skewer, he launched into a frenzied attack on his victim, leaving her dead in a pool of blood. She received a total of 28 knife wounds.
Huxley, in the manner of scumbags, tried to claim self defence, saying that Mrs Dundas tried to sexually assault him and then physically assault him. He obviously had to resort to a frenzied knife blitz to save his honour. But when his trial at Liverpool Crown Court approached he changed his plea to guilty, and received a minimum of 21 years 8 months, which I think is light considering the outright savagery of the attack. He should have received a minimum of 30 - cue cries of outrage from the bleeding hearts and do-gooders - but a family has lost a much loved grandmother simply because of a scumbag only interested in drugs and porn; drugs,those things that should be legalised "to reduce crime" though the whingeing cunts never come up with answers as to where people with no money can get it in order to buy drugs, and obviously cause no problems to people and families. Well, wankers, this scumbags` own family had had enough of problems with this baghead. Try and tell both families that legalisation is the only answer.
Jack Huxley, aged 20, had been thrown out by his family because his whole life revolved around drugging himself up and being pissed, but his step grandmother, 62 year old Janis Dundas, opened her home to him but a day had not passed before this druggy scumbag brutally murdered an elderly lady who showed him kindness. Before the murder, he had used the computer belonging to Mrs Dundas, scouring the web for pornography of the sort that appealed to him; young men and older women. He sexually assaulted Mrs Dundas, then armed with four knives and a meat skewer, he launched into a frenzied attack on his victim, leaving her dead in a pool of blood. She received a total of 28 knife wounds.
Huxley, in the manner of scumbags, tried to claim self defence, saying that Mrs Dundas tried to sexually assault him and then physically assault him. He obviously had to resort to a frenzied knife blitz to save his honour. But when his trial at Liverpool Crown Court approached he changed his plea to guilty, and received a minimum of 21 years 8 months, which I think is light considering the outright savagery of the attack. He should have received a minimum of 30 - cue cries of outrage from the bleeding hearts and do-gooders - but a family has lost a much loved grandmother simply because of a scumbag only interested in drugs and porn; drugs,those things that should be legalised "to reduce crime" though the whingeing cunts never come up with answers as to where people with no money can get it in order to buy drugs, and obviously cause no problems to people and families. Well, wankers, this scumbags` own family had had enough of problems with this baghead. Try and tell both families that legalisation is the only answer.
Friday, 4 October 2013
The Death of Tommy Smithson
Tommy Smithson was known throughout the London Underworld of the 1950`s as "Mr Loser", a man who always threw his weight around, then would take a more severe beating in return. He did have tremendous courage as nothing and nobody scared him, regardless of the odds he faced. He was born in Liverpool in 1920 but his family moved to London two years later, and as he got older, he served in the Merchant Navy for years before he was discharged in the early 50`s. He then saw potential in making money off some of the Maltese villains, using his strong arm tactics.
Smithson`s road to destruction began a Maltese pimp known as "Tulip" tried to have a former prostitute known as "Gypsy" that he once controlled, back working the streets for him. She responded by having a hardman, Fred "Slip" Sullivan throw Tulip out of the establishment they were in, but Sullivan did not know that Tulip was protected by hardman Tommy Smithson, who responded by giving Sullivan a severe beating. Some reports say Sullivan had his throat cut by Smithson. But reprisals were sought and Smithson was summoned to a meeting with a number of other villains that included Jack Spot and Billy Hill. Smithson had a gun but Spot persuaded Smithson to hand it over, to which Hill responded by severely slashing Smithson, and he was slashed all over his body, allegedly had a vehicle driven over him and then thrown over a wall. It was thought that Smithson might die from the slashing by Hill, which would have been a hanging offence. Smithson however, made a remarkable and quick recovery and was back on the streets with a heavily scarred face and a paralysed arm, which did not hinder his activities.
But it was another Maltese, Phillip Ellul, that brought the demise of Smithson. He was blasted to death with a shotgun, but Police could not find the killer. Smithson had a grand Underworld send off, which six Rolls Royces followed the hearse, and there one hundred floral tributes. Ellul was charged with two other men. They were acquitted but Ellul was condemned to death but was later reprieved. Smithson has become one of the forgotten names of the London Underworld of the 1950`s.
Smithson`s road to destruction began a Maltese pimp known as "Tulip" tried to have a former prostitute known as "Gypsy" that he once controlled, back working the streets for him. She responded by having a hardman, Fred "Slip" Sullivan throw Tulip out of the establishment they were in, but Sullivan did not know that Tulip was protected by hardman Tommy Smithson, who responded by giving Sullivan a severe beating. Some reports say Sullivan had his throat cut by Smithson. But reprisals were sought and Smithson was summoned to a meeting with a number of other villains that included Jack Spot and Billy Hill. Smithson had a gun but Spot persuaded Smithson to hand it over, to which Hill responded by severely slashing Smithson, and he was slashed all over his body, allegedly had a vehicle driven over him and then thrown over a wall. It was thought that Smithson might die from the slashing by Hill, which would have been a hanging offence. Smithson however, made a remarkable and quick recovery and was back on the streets with a heavily scarred face and a paralysed arm, which did not hinder his activities.
But it was another Maltese, Phillip Ellul, that brought the demise of Smithson. He was blasted to death with a shotgun, but Police could not find the killer. Smithson had a grand Underworld send off, which six Rolls Royces followed the hearse, and there one hundred floral tributes. Ellul was charged with two other men. They were acquitted but Ellul was condemned to death but was later reprieved. Smithson has become one of the forgotten names of the London Underworld of the 1950`s.
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