John Dickman

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John Dickman (d. 10 August 1910) was an Englishman hanged for murder.

He was convicted of the murder of John Nisbet, which took place on a train travelling between Newcastle-on-Tyne and Alnmouth. Nisbet was carrying a bag containing the wages for a colliery. He was shot and his bag stolen.

There was some doubt over the conviction, as it appeared to some people to rest on inconclusive identification evidence. The writer C H Norman was among those who were convinced of John Dickman's innocence.

The case is little remembered today, although it did figure in the 1976 BBC television series Second Verdict.

It has been suggested that Dickman was also guilty of two previous murders, of Caroline Mary Luard at Ightham, Kent in 1908 and Hermann Cohen in Sunderland in 1909.

For a complete account of all three murders see Edwardian Murder: Ightham & the Morpeth Train Robbery by Diane Janes pub. 2007 ISBN 978-0-7509-4780-0