How long was life?

[Auntie Boo]

I have the papers for the conviction of a man for my Aunts murder in 1936, he was sentanced to death but this was commuted to life in prisonment in 1937.
Any idea how long that would have been and if he would have died in prison or eventually have been released?

It says he was in Pentonville and / or Maidstone jails any way I could find out if and when he died or would have been released?

If he died in prison would it be on the normal death indexs?

He was 30 when sentanced and I have looked on the death regs for 1982 -2005 and he does not come up.

[Geoffers]

He may have been relased on licence at some point. However, if he was sent to Broadmoor, he may have ended his days there.

Try searching (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/search.asp)TNA's catalogue

In the word or phrase field, enter the man's surname AND licence
(make sure that AND is in capitals)
In the year range, restrict it to 1936-2000
In the department or series code, enter PCOM

Deaths in prison should be registered in the GRO index.

[Geoffers]

Further to my last, TNA records some deaths in prison of those death sentence was commuted to life.

Using the catalogue, enter:

Word or Phrase - the man's surname AND commuted
Restrict date range to - 1936-2000
Department or Series code - PCOM

[Auntie Boo]

Thanks I will check those out.
I have no reason to think he was every in Broadmore but you never know!
My Nan was always worried he would come out and come after the family so I am interested to know if he ever did get out and what she must have gone through.
It is awful reading the witness statements etc and realising what they had to live through.
It was never a secret that it happened we all were always told so we just grew up with it but finding this information now my grandparents are gone just makes it so much more real even though it happened 20 years before I was born! She was the eldest of the family and only 19 when she was killed.

[Auntie Boo]

I have now done the search as you suggested, many thanks I get very confused by the NA site, not knowing what I am really looking for!

The licence search did not come up with any results but the commuted one did.

When I go to more information about access I get

Lord Chancellr's instrument LCI 81 - series containing both closure and accelerated opening instruments

LCI signed Date 1987 Dec 14

which makes no sense to me does that me I can access it or not?

[Geoffers]

You have to remember that this is a catalogue as such it just provides an index to records held. It does not give you the full record. The catalogue gets easier to use, the more you use it.

Some records will be closed to the public. It is likely that records relating to those released on licence will be closed. You can request a review under the Freedom of Information Act, in which case it may be possible to access more detail - accessing more information will be subject to a fee.

If you are confused as to how to search and what you may find, send me a private message with some details of who you are looking for and I will search to see if any more files exist on TNA's catalogue, for you.

[Auntie Boo]

Just wanted to say a big public thank you to Geoffers who has helped me a lot via private message, looks like in this case death commuted to life was 7 years in prison and let out on licence.

[joette]

I thought they were tough on crime in those days??
Were there any extenuating circumstances eg was he mentally ill,drunk,provoked?
Seven years for murder even today there would be an outcry.

I wonder what happened to the swine.

[Auntie Boo]

I thought they were tough on crime in those days??
Were there any extenuating circumstances eg was he mentally ill,drunk,provoked?
Seven years for murder even today there would be an outcry.

I wonder what happened to the swine.

Can't answer that I am afraid, it was on licence so I understand that ment if he re offended in any way he would be sent straight back.

No mental health problems as far as I can see and in my opinion no extenuating circumstances but I don't know the whole story I only know what I believe to be what happened!

I was rather shocked when I saw it considering the original sentance was death!

[joette]

Yes i understood about the License part.
Thought perhaps he was very young but thirty is not youthful in legal terms.
I would be looking at the newspaper reports to find out about the circumstances of the case.
Or he knew somebody in high places or maybe this was more common than we are led to believe?

[Auntie Boo]

I am waiting on an esitmate from N A for copying some more records to see why, possibly the fact that it was wartime may have had an bearing on it I am not sure.

It was the press cuttings that made me look more deeply into it as I knew about the case and the fact he was sent to prison but not that the origibnal sentace was a capital one.


I know it is a long time ago and nothing can change, there are probably things I don't know about, it but I would just like be able to have a complete story on the case rather than not quite knowing all the details.