Throughout the twenty three years of Christopher Jackson’s life he had been robbing and stealing. He had even joined the army at one time, but was soon discharged after breaking into a warehouse. He was described as a labourer, but this feckless Rotherham lad would rather steal than undertake honest work. Consequently in June 1936 when he found himself without any money and owing three months rent, Jackson decided to go to borrow some money off his uncle Thomas who was a retired bookie. His aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs Linney lived at Betton Street, Sunderland. Accordingly on 29 June Jackson travelled up to Sunderland, where he quickly found lodgings on Front Street, Chester-le-Street with a family named Bainbridge.
Travelling to Sunderland the next day around 6pm, he soon arrived at the house of his aunt and uncle. His aunt Harriet May greeted him most warmly, although she told him that his uncle was at the racetrack. Needless to say the conversation soon turned to his uncles bookmaking business. Harriet told him that even though her husband was retired, that business continued to be good and she admitted that they were still regularly taking in bets every day ranging from £5 – £20. Jackson asked her if she had any problems paying the money into the bank and that when Harriet made her big mistake.
She told him that they had little truck with banks and kept all the money at the house until it got to a sufficient amount when her husband Thomas was forced to bank it. Harriet may not have noticed, but Jackson’s eyes widened when she told him this. It looked very much like his evil plan was working. His aunt Harriet made herself a cup of tea and offered Jackson a bottle of beer, but that was when all politeness ended. When her nephew asked her if she could lend him some money, she told him categorically ‘no!’ Matters soon got very heated and his aunt told him flatly that he ‘was a feckless waster and wasn’t worth any help.’
That soon developed into name calling and before he knew what had happened, Jackson hit her with the back of his hand. The poor woman fell to the floor and as she sat up again, he hit her again, this time with the empty beer bottle that still stood on the table. Then taking the poker she had been using to poke the fire, he hit her again several times with it. As she lay on the floor, this most murderous nephew then began to look around, stealing what money he could find, before leaving the house and returning back to his lodgings. What he did not know at the time was that Harriet’s neighbour, a woman called Mrs Hall had noticed the strange man calling at her neighbours door around 6pm. She later described him to police as being ‘tall with a raincoat over his arm.’
A couple of hours later, another neighbour called Mrs Dunn noticed that Harriet’s back door was open and that was a most unusual sight. She knew her neighbour was normally very careful with the security of the house, due to the money which the couple got from betting. Mrs Dunn told her husband she was going to check on her friend and make sure that she was OK. Very carefully she approached the back door and pushed it wide open. There to her horror she saw Harriet lying on the hearth with her head covered in blood. It was clear that she was dead. The local police were called in and soon Christopher Jackson was traced and arrested, charged with the murder of his aunt Harriet.
On Thursday 2 July the prisoner was brought before the Sunderland Police Court where he pleaded not guilty. It had been reported that hundreds of people had queued for hours before the court was opened, hoping to get seats in the public gallery. However they were frustrated as the prisoner was only in court for five minutes before he was remanded for a week, in order for the police to continue their enquiries. Further remands were given, so it was not until Thursday 16 July before the case was finally heard. The prosecutor was Mr E G Robey, who outlined the case for the court. Police Constable Slater described the scene as he entered the murdered woman’s house.
He told the bench that lying beside the woman’s body was the bloodstained poker and some broken glass from a shattered beer bottle. Dr Cookson, who had also been called to the house, described the deceased woman’s injuries before confirming that either weapon could have caused the extensive injuries which had killed Mrs Linney. The next witness was the landlady of the lodging house, Mrs Bainbridge who stated that when Jackson arrived back at the house after visiting his aunt, his raincoat was buttoned up to the neck. He told her that he intended to have a bath and getting some clothes together and putting them into a suitcase, he headed for an outhouse in the back yard which held a tap and a tin bath.
When Jackson came back inside, the witness reported that he seemed to be in a very cheerful mood and actually paid her back some money which he had borrowed earlier in the week. Then, taking the suitcase upstairs, he returned back to sit by the fire and switch on the wireless. There Jackson listened to a comedy programme, laughing out loud at some of the jokes. Later that night however, Superintendent Cook and Detective Constable Bird from the Sunderland Police arrived and arrested him on a charge of murder. The next day Jackson was interviewed by the two officers before they went back to the lodging house and recovered his suitcase, which had been shoved under the bed.
Inside the suitcase was the heavily bloodstained clothing and a knotted handkerchief containing just £9.13s.4d. Also in the turn-ups of his trousers they found pieces of broken glass which matched the shattered beer bottle found in the murdered woman’s kitchen. Christopher Jackson was cautioned before being charged with the murder of his aunt, Mrs Harriet May Linney to which he replied ‘that is right.’ After hearing all the evidence, the magistrates found the prisoner guilty and he was sent to take his trial at the next Durham Assizes. Consequently, Christopher Jackson was brought before Mr Justice Goddard at the Assizes on Wednesday 4 November 1836.
The prosecution stated clearly that his motive in the killing of his elderly aunt had been robbery. His defence Mr H Hallet KC, stated instead that it was not a case of murder, but of self defence. He claimed that he had attacked the old woman in retaliation, only after she had abused him and called him vile names. The defence described how, when he had stood up to leave and picked up his raincoat, his aunt shoved him and he pushed her back. He stated that she was still holding the poker, so she hit him on the back with it. That was when he shoved her against a table, before picking up the empty bottle and hitting her over the head with it.
Throughout the trial, which lasted five hours, Jackson remained calm and spoke clearly when giving his version of events. However his calm manner soon disappeared when the judge spoke to him. The prisoner blanched as Mr Justice Goddard sentenced him to death. He told the prisoner ‘you have been convicted of as shocking a murder as has been my lot to try. I can hold out no hope to you that the sentence of death will not be carried out.’ On hearing these words it was reported that Jackson swayed and would have fallen if not held up by one of the two warders with him in the dock. The following day he was visited in his cell by the Durham prison governor. Captain Roberts.
He informed him that the High Sheriff of Durham had fixed the date of his execution as being Wednesday 16 December 1936. During the days leading up to his execution it was reported that Jackson remained calm, spending his time solving jig-saw puzzles. The prisoner had been informed the day before that the Home Secretary had declined to interfere with his sentence and therefore there would be no reprieve. A few days prior to his execution, Jackson was visited by the daughter of his former landlord, Elsie Bainbridge. He arrogantly told her that he would die with a smile on his face. On the morning of the execution, Jackson was awoken by the prison chaplain, Canon Mayne and the two held prayers in his cell.
At 8am the governor arrived, followed by the Under Sheriff, Mr A Luxmoor. Then accompanied by the prison surgeon, Dr Derry they formed a procession as they walked between two rows of warders to the site of the gallows. There, hangman Albert Pierrepoint and his assistant were both waiting. The execution took little time as within just eight minutes, a notice was posted outside the prison gates announced the prisoner’s death. A small crowd of about 20 people, most of them women, had gathered outside of the prison gates. They soon dispersed after reading the notice. Meanwhile an inquest was held inside the prison and Dr Derry informed the coroner that Rotherham born Christopher Jackson’s death had been instantaneous.