After a birthday celebration in Birkenhead in 1925, the Tam family’s life of respectability and success suddenly unravelled in a violent tragedy. This episode explores the life of Lock Ah Tam, his role as a respected figure in Liverpool’s Chinese community, and the fateful events that led to one of the most shocking family murders of the era, set against the backdrop of Liverpool’s Chinatown and surrounded by the eerie coincidences that haunted the case long afterwards.

📘 Learn more about my latest book
Wartime London’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Wartime-Londons-Bonnie-and-Clyde-The-Crime-Spree-of-Betty-Jones-and-Karl-Hulten-Hardback/p/57334

Subscribe to my free newsletter:
https://prashganendran.com

📺 Subscribe for video versions
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (audio only ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you for listening.
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going and is very much appreciated.

Music:
"Long Note Three", "Long Note Two" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sources:
Ancestry.co.uk
National Library of Wales
Liverpool Echo – Wednesday 02 December 1925
Lancashire Evening Post – Wednesday 02 December 1925
Evening Express – Thursday 03 December 1925
Northampton Chronicle and Echo – Friday 22 January 1926
Liverpool Evening Express – Wednesday 27 January 1926
Liverpool Echo – Friday 05 February 1926
Westminster Gazette – Saturday 06 February 1926
Leeds Mercury – Saturday 06 February 1926
Daily Express – Monday 08 February 1926 Shields Daily Gazette - Wednesday 13 August 1924 Daily Express – Monday 08 February 1926 (duplicate entry)
Widnes & Runcorn Chronicle – Saturday 27 March 1926
Sunday Sun – Sunday 28 March 1926 Illustrated Police News - Thursday 10 December 1925 Witness History – “The Scandal of Liverpool’s Missing Chinese Sailors”, 2020
LiverpoolEcho.co.uk – January 2022 Liverpool Daily Post - Thursday 11 February 1926 Daily Express - Wednesday 24 March 1926 Pontypridd and Llantrisant Observer Sat, Nov 25 The Curious Disappearance of Mr Foo (Podcast), 2023
Murder Casebook 86 Friends of Flaybrick Memorial Gardens https://flaybrick.org/catherine-cecelia-and-doris-tam-1926/ Seal, L. & Neale, A., (2019) “Race, Racialisation and ‘Colonial Common Sense’ in Capital Cases of Men of Colour in England and Wales, 1919–1957”, Open Library of Humanities 5(1), 64. doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/olh.471

On the streets of Folkestone, Kent, amid World War II, 18-year-old Caroline Trayler disappeared after being seen drinking at the local pub one Sunday evening in June 1943. When Police Constable Lewis entered a bombed-out grocer’s shop several days later in the hunt for the missing woman, he discovered a tragic scene which confirmed that the missing person’s case had now become a murder enquiry.


📘 Learn more about my latest book
Wartime London’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten
https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

📺 Subscribe for video versions
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (audio only ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you for listening.
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going and is very much appreciated.


Music:
"Long Note Three", "Long Note Two" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sources:
Ancestry https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Professor Keith Simpson: An Autobiography, 1978, Harrap Ltd
A Lance for Liberty, J.D. Casswell, George Harrap & Co Ltd
British Newspaper Archive, https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
Daily News 22 June 1943
Folkestone Herald, 24 July 1943
Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald - Saturday 25 September 1943
Hull Daily Mail - Tuesday 02 November 1943
Daily Mirror - Tuesday 02 November 1943
Liverpool Echo - Saturday 06 November 1943
Sunday Sun (Newcastle) - Sunday 07 November 1943
Daily Herald - Saturday 24 February 1945
Gloucester Citizen - Saturday 24 February 1945
Stockport Advertiser and Guardian - Friday 23 March 1945
Kensington News and West London Times - Friday 23 August 1946
Wells Journal - Friday 04 October 1946
https://madebyredrose.co.uk/abuser/dennis-leckey?category=19
https://www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/investigation/cambridge-house-knowl-view-rochdale/part-f-other-institutions/dennis-leckey.html

In this special author discussion episode, Prash and Melissa Ganendran share their experiences of writing their latest book, which examines the 1944 crime spree of Elizabeth Jones and Karl Hulten, culminating in the murder of private car hire driver George Edward Heath. The case became known as the 'Cleft Chin Murder', while some newspapers at the time described the pair as London's 'Bonnie and Clyde'.

In the episode, we talk about how we discovered and researched the case, the lives and fateful meeting of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten, and some of the new information we uncovered.

For further information about Wartime London’s Bonnie and Clyde: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten, please visit: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Wartime-Londons-Bonnie-and-Clyde-The-Crime-Spree-of-Betty-Jones-and-Karl-Hulten-Hardback/p/57334

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/B7S_4DKxLa8

You can also find more about the book and our work on my website: https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

Thank you

In Lincolnshire in 1934, 44-year-old Arthur Major died suddenly. He had previously been healthy, and his wife seemed unusually eager to arrange his funeral. The ensuing investigation revealed a troubled marriage, and the circumstantial evidence against Ethel Major began to mount, in this vintage true crime case that captured the attention of both the local community and the national press, with Ethel later being dubbed the “corned beef killer.”

Subscribe to my free newsletter:
https://prashganendran.com

💡 Support my work
Patreon (ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you for listening.
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going and is very much appreciated.


Sources:
Ancestry.co.uk; National Archives; Society for Lincolnshire History & Archaeology; Hull History Centre. Newspaper coverage:
Lincolnshire Echo, 29 May 1934; Daily Mirror, 30 May 1934; Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian, 2 June 1934; Nottingham Journal, 1 August 1934; Daily Mirror, 3 August 1934; Nottingham Journal, 3 August 1934; Louth Standard, 4 August 1934; Boston Guardian, 4 August 1934; Lincolnshire Echo, 31 October 1934; Daily Express, 2 November 1934; Western Mail, 2 November 1934; Leicester Evening Mail, 19 December 1934, p.10; Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser, 26 December 1934; Taunton Courier, Bristol and Exeter Journal.

A routine patrol in northern France uncovered an abandoned car in May 1978, sparking a terrifying manhunt. Over months, shootings, bombings, and stolen vehicles terrorised the Oise region, while anonymous letters taunted law enforcement. When the pieces fell into place, it revealed a shocking truth: the Oise Killer had been hiding in plain sight all along.

Subscribe to my free newsletter:
https://prashganendran.com

YouTube:
📺 youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you for listening.
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going and is very much appreciated.


Sources:
Intégrale l'Affaire Alain Lamare - Au bout de l'enquête, 2023
Alain Lamare - Les affaires criminelles qui ont marqué la Picardie

In 1886, shootings in London were rare - even more so in broad daylight. In this episode, we explore the murder and robbery committed in a quiet Kentish Town road by George Finch, a would-be performer whose stage ambitions had faltered. Finch would avoid execution and go on to live a long life after his release from Broadmoor.


📘 Learn more about my upcoming book
Wartime London’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten
https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder

📺 Subscribe for video versions
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🎧 Listen to my other podcast Curious Britain
Explore the mysteries, folklore, and forgotten stories of Britain. Listen now: https://linktr.ee/curiousbritainpodcast

 🙏 Thank You!
Your support means the world to me and helps keep Prash’s Murder Map alive. I truly appreciate it!


Sources:
Popular Science Monthly (1875)
The People — Sunday 13 June 1886
Banbury Beacon — Saturday 19 June 1886
Exeter and Plymouth Gazette — Thursday 05 August 1886
St James's Gazette — Wednesday 04 August 1886
Jersey Express and Channel Islands Advertiser — Tuesday 10 August 1886
Kenilworth Advertiser — Saturday 25 November 1905
Old Bailey Online
Ancestry.co.uk

In 1895, 22-year-old Robert Hudson took his wife Kitty and their infant son on holiday to Helmsley, North Yorkshire. When they departed hurriedly under suspicious circumstances, the landlady at their boarding house was surprised. Soon, Kitty Hudson’s relatives grew concerned as to her whereabouts and the Yorkshire Police set out to track a killer who used multiple aliases and sent false letters to throw them off his trail. This episode revisits a little-known Victorian double murder case from North Yorkshire.

📄 Full written case file, sources & newsletter: https://prashganendran.com/penny_dreadfuls/murder-on-roppa-moor-helmsley-1895/ 💡

Support the show on Patreon for ad-free audio episodes:
https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap

 ❤️ YouTube viewers only – Send a Super Thanks
If you’re watching this episode on YouTube, you can support the channel directly…

💰 One-off contributions
☕ Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
💵 PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going, and it’s genuinely appreciated.

Sources:
Ancestry.co.uk
Manchester Courier – Tuesday 11 September 1894
Echo (London) – Monday 17 June 1895
Bingley Chronicle – Friday 21 June 1895
Loftus Advertiser – Friday 21 June 1895
Chard and Ilminster News – Saturday 22 June 1895
Bridlington Free Press – Saturday 22 June 1895
Wells Journal – Thursday 27 June 1895
Yorkshire Evening Post – Wednesday 19 June 1895
Huddersfield Daily Examiner – Monday 1 July 1895
Hull Daily Mail – Wednesday 3 July 1895
Stalybridge Reporter – Saturday 27 July 1895
Hull Daily Mail – Tuesday 13 August 1895
Bradford Daily Telegraph – Tuesday 13 August 1895
Weekly Dispatch (London) – Sunday 18 August 1895

Dr Crippen and the Hilldrop Crescent Murder revisits one of Britain’s most infamous true crime cases of 1910. When Cora Crippen, better known on the music-hall stage as Belle Elmore vanished, her husband Hawley Harvey Crippen offered shifting explanations that soon aroused suspicion. A police search of their Hilldrop Crescent home uncovered human remains, pointing to a shocking murder. Crippen and his mistress Ethel Le Neve attempted to flee Britain, but a transatlantic chase brought them into custody. The case became a sensation, cementing Dr Crippen as one of the most notorious figures in British criminal history.

📄 Full written case file & sources:
https://prashganendran.com/the-notorious-dr-crippen-and-the-hilldrop-crescent-murder/

Who Killed Kent Reeks?
Spotify
You Tube

📘 Learn more about my upcoming book
Wartime London’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten
https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

📺 Subscribe for video versions
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🎧 Listen to my other podcast Curious Britain
Explore the mysteries, folklore, and forgotten stories of Britain. Listen now: https://linktr.ee/curiousbritainpodcast

 🙏 Thank You!

Sources:
Coniam, Matthew. Mr Crippen, Cora and the Body in the Basement.Pen & Sword True Crime. Rubenhold, Hallie. Story of a Murder. Transworld. Kindle Edition.
British Newspaper Archive
Ancestry.co.uk

In February 1920, 15-year-old Kathleen Mary Drury left her home in Waterloo, Liverpool, and never returned. The following morning, her body was found near the Brooke Road allotments, her throat cut and no sign of the killer. Days later, the mutilated body of a railway signalman was discovered on the tracks at Sandhills Station but what linked the two deaths? This episode revisits an obscure and long-forgotten case from post-war Liverpool.

🔗 Prefer to read the case?
https://prashganendran.com/the-murder-of-mary-drury/

📘 Learn more about my upcoming book
Wartime London’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten
https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

📺 Subscribe for video versions
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🎧 Listen to my other podcast Curious Britain
Explore the mysteries, folklore, and forgotten stories of Britain. Listen now: https://linktr.ee/curiousbritainpodcast

🙏 Thank You!
Your support means the world to me and helps keep Prash’s Murder Map alive. I truly appreciate it!

Sources:
Daily Mirror - Thursday 05 February 1920
Liverpool Daily Post - Friday 06 February 1920
Liverpool Echo - Thursday 05 February 1920
Liverpool Evening Express - Wednesday 04 February 1920
Nottingham Journal - Thursday 05 February 1920, Saturday 21 February 1920
Portsmouth Evening News - Tuesday 10 February 1920

Music:
Eternal Moment Even If I Go "Long Note Three" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License "Long Note Two" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

In November 1925, police constable Herbert Burrows was found guilty of murdering publican Ernest Laight, his wife Doris, and their young son Robert at the Garibaldi Inn in Worcester. The discovery was made by the family’s charwoman, who raised the alarm after finding the doors unlocked and the till emptied. The case exposed the calculated betrayal of trust within a small community and led to Burrows becoming the last person from Worcester to be executed by hanging.

👉 For further information about my upcoming book, Wartime London’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for video versions of the podcast:
📺 youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support me on Patreon to get ad-free audio episodes
https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap

 💰 One-off contributions
☕ Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
💵 PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🎧 Listen to my new podcast Curious Britain

Explore the mysteries, folklore, and forgotten stories of Britain. Listen now: https://open.spotify.com/show/5DaHZikOhsXP13vl36Oyqu

🙏 Thank You!
Your support means the world to me and helps keep Prash’s Murder Map alive. I truly appreciate it!

Sources:
Ancestry.co.uk
Birmingham Daily Gazette - Wednesday 03 February 1926
Cheltenham Chronicle - Saturday 20 February 1926
Evening News 21 January 1987
Evening News (London) - Tuesday 26 June 1917
Evesham Standard & West Midland Observer - Saturday 05 December 1925
Hendon & Finchley Times - Friday 29 June 1917
Illustrated Police News - Thursday 25 February 1926
Dundee Courier - Friday 18 December 1925
Kingston Times - Saturday 30 January 1926
Reynolds's Newspaper - Sunday 06 December 1925, Sunday 21 February 1926
Sunday Express - Sunday 29 November1925
Daily News (London) - Monday 30 November 1925
Thomson's Weekly News - Saturday 05 December 1925
Westminster Gazette - Thursday 18 February 1926 

Music:
"Long Note Three" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
"Long Note Two" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
Even if I go
"Ominous" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/