Cameo Murders
Encyclopedia
The Cameo Murders is a book
by Barry Shortall, first published in the United Kingdom
by the Bluecoat Press in 1999. The book details the brutal and baffling murders of the manager and assistant manager at the Cameo Cinema in Liverpool
in March 1949. The Liverpool City Police launched a massive manhunt and over 9,500 houses were visited and 75,000 people were interviewed. Over 1,800 fingerprint
s were taken and handwriting
samples were obtained from 1,841 women. The subsequent conviction of George Kelly and Charles Connolly made legal history. The first trial was the longest trial in England and George Kelly became one of the few men to be tried twice for a capital offence. The conviction and execution of Kelly is one of the milestones which led to the eventual ending of Capital Punishment
in Britain
. The gross miscarriage of justice which resulted in the hanging
of George Kelly forms part of the gripping account of the Cameo Murders book by Barry Shortall. However,in George Skelly's book, The Cameo Conspiracy - The Real Story Of The Cameo Cinema Murders (Avid 1998 & Upstage 2001 editions)it is stated that in 1950 far from Kelly's Execution prompting abolition, it was in fact met with widespread public approval. And the author quotes the Daily Express editorial of 29th March 1950, which stated, "Kelly richly deserved to die. The world is better for his removal". Rather was it the hangings of Timothy Evans (1950), Derek Bentley (1953) and Ruth Ellis (1955) which precipitated abolition. Skelly's book, together with the efforts of his friend, retired businessman Luigi Santangeli who caused the case to be referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. (See Court of Appeal judgement October 2003) was responsible for the quashing of the convictions of both Kelly and his co-accused, Charles Connolly in 2003.
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
by Barry Shortall, first published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by the Bluecoat Press in 1999. The book details the brutal and baffling murders of the manager and assistant manager at the Cameo Cinema in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in March 1949. The Liverpool City Police launched a massive manhunt and over 9,500 houses were visited and 75,000 people were interviewed. Over 1,800 fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
s were taken and handwriting
Handwriting
Handwriting is a person's particular & individual style of writing with pen or pencil, which contrasts with "Hand" which is an impersonal and formalised writing style in several historical varieties...
samples were obtained from 1,841 women. The subsequent conviction of George Kelly and Charles Connolly made legal history. The first trial was the longest trial in England and George Kelly became one of the few men to be tried twice for a capital offence. The conviction and execution of Kelly is one of the milestones which led to the eventual ending of Capital Punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The gross miscarriage of justice which resulted in the hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
of George Kelly forms part of the gripping account of the Cameo Murders book by Barry Shortall. However,in George Skelly's book, The Cameo Conspiracy - The Real Story Of The Cameo Cinema Murders (Avid 1998 & Upstage 2001 editions)it is stated that in 1950 far from Kelly's Execution prompting abolition, it was in fact met with widespread public approval. And the author quotes the Daily Express editorial of 29th March 1950, which stated, "Kelly richly deserved to die. The world is better for his removal". Rather was it the hangings of Timothy Evans (1950), Derek Bentley (1953) and Ruth Ellis (1955) which precipitated abolition. Skelly's book, together with the efforts of his friend, retired businessman Luigi Santangeli who caused the case to be referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. (See Court of Appeal judgement October 2003) was responsible for the quashing of the convictions of both Kelly and his co-accused, Charles Connolly in 2003.