Crumbles murders

Crumbles murders
One of the perpetrators of the first of the Crumbles murders, William Gray, arrives at Lewes assizes, December 1920
LocationEast Sussex, England
Coordinates50°47′59″N 0°20′22″E / 50.79983°N 0.33955°E / 50.79983; 0.33955
Date17 August 1920 (Munro)
15 April 1924 (Kaye)
PerpetratorJack Field and William Gray (Munro)
Patrick Mahon (Kaye)
MotiveRobbery (Munro)
Elimination (Kaye)
SentenceField and Gray
Death (17 December 1920)
Mahon
Death (19 July 1924)

The Crumbles Murders are two separate and unrelated crimes[1] which occurred on a shingle beach located between Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay, England—locally referred to as "the Crumbles"[2]—in the 1920s. The first of these two murders is the 1920 bludgeoning murder of 17-year-old Irene Munro, committed by two men: Jack Field and William Gray. The second murder to occur upon the Crumbles is the 1924 murder of 38-year-old Emily Kaye, who was murdered by her lover, Patrick Mahon.

The three perpetrators of the two "Crumbles Murders" were all tried at Lewes assizes before Mr Justice Avory.[3] All three were executed by hanging at Wandsworth Prison. The executioner of all three men was Thomas Pierrepoint.[4][5]

  1. ^ Murder and the Making of English CSI ISBN 978-1-421-42041-7 pp. 233-234
  2. ^ The Crumbles Story: A Tale of Eastbourne's Colourful Heritage ISBN 978-0-955-34750-4
  3. ^ The Butchers ISBN 978-1-852-27297-5 p. 54
  4. ^ Pierrepoint: A Family of Executioners ISBN 978-1-844-54611-4 pp. 110-116
  5. ^ A Date with the Hangman: A History of Capital Punishment in Britain ISBN 978-1-526-74744-0 Ch. 7