* Warning: This episode contains descriptions of abortion, murder and execution by hanging * 

Welcome to Series 1, Episode 1 of Writing Wrongs, a podcast from the Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics where hosts Professor Tim Grant and Dr Nicci Macleod take a case-by-case look at the field of forensic linguistics in action.

This case covers Timothy Evans who, 75 years ago (9 March 1950), was hanged after confessing to the murder of his wife, Beryl and baby daughter, Geraldine.

However, 18 years after Evans’ death, linguist Jan Svartvik authored a publication calling the validity of Evans’ confession into question, and in doing so, coined the term ‘forensic linguistics’. 

If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources: 

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  

https://www.helpguide.org/find-help  

Resources

IMDB for BBC mini series Rillington Place https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5568438/?ref_=tt_mlt_i_2  

IMDB for film: 10 Rillington Place https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066730/  

Internet archive of Ludovic Kennedy’s book 10 Rillington Place https://archive.org/details/tenrillingtonpla0000kenn [available on sale from secondhand booksellers] 

Home page of Kate Summerscale author of The Peepshow The Murders at 10 Rillington Place https://www.katesummerscale.com 

The original text of the Jan Svartvik book The Evans Statements A case for Forensic Linguistics https://www.thetext.co.uk/Evans%20Statements%20Part%202.pdf 

Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera 

Producer: Sam Cook 

Visual design: George Grant 

Additional Voices: Sam Cook