Murder of Thomas Bates
| Date | 18:30, 3 June 1962 (+01:00) |
|---|---|
| Deaths | Thomas Arthur Bates |
| Suspect(s) | Oswald Augustus Grey |
| Charges | Murder |
| Verdict | Guilty |
The murder of Thomas Bates occurred during an armed robbery in Birmingham, England, on 3 June 1962. Oswald Grey was convicted of the crime, and became the last person hanged at the city's Winson Green Prison.
The crime
| Thomas Arthur Bates | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1915 or 1916 |
| Died |
3 June 1962 Birmingham, England |
| Cause of death | Gunshot |
| Residence | Lee Bank Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England |
| Occupation | Newsagent |
Thomas Arthur Bates, aged 46,[1] ran a newsagents shop in Lee Bank Road Birmingham's Edgbaston district.[2] At 6:30 pm on Sunday, 3 June 1962, a 20-year-old Jamaican baker called Oswald Augustus Grey, of Canon Hill Road in that city, carried out a robbery at the shop, during which event he shot Bates in the upper chest.[2] Grey then made his escape by a number 8 (Inner Circle) bus.[2]
Bates' mother, who had been in the living area at the back of the shop, heard the shot and found him collapsed on the floor.[1] He was reportedly dead before he reached the city's General Hospital,[2] but it was not until he reached there that it was realised that he had been shot.[1] The bullet had passed through his heart, lungs and liver.[1]
Conviction
| Oswald Augustus Grey | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1941 or 1942 |
| Died |
20 November 1962 Winson Green Prison, Birmingham, England |
| Resting place | Winson Green Prison |
| Residence | Canon Hill Road, Birmingham, England |
| Occupation | Baker |
| Criminal charge | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Criminal status | Executed by hanging |
| Motive | Robbery |
| Conviction(s) | Guilty |
The police investigation was led by Detective Chief Superintendent Gerald Baumber.[1] Grey was questioned within four days, and was brought before magistrates on 7 June, charged with stealing a pistol and ammunition from a 60-year-old Handsworth man, Hamilton Bacchus.[1]
The next day, he was charged with murder,[2] following an identification parade at which he was positively identified by a woman, Cecilia Gibbs, who said that, once the men in the parade tilted their hats as had the suspect, "He was standing in front of me again as on that Saturday."[1]
At his trial at Birmingham Assizes, Grey maintained his innocence, claiming to have sold the gun at a party, for £16.[1] Four women testified that he was not the person they had seen at the murder scene.[1] It was also claimed that the police had coerced him into making a confession by force; a claim they denied.[1]
Grey was convicted on 13 October 1962, after the jury deliberated for just 50 minutes, and was immediately sentenced to death.[2]
He was executed by hanging on the gallows at Winson Green Prison on Tuesday, 20 November 1962 by Harry Allen and his assistant.[2] He was the last person executed there, and in the city.[3][4] In attendance were prison governor John Richards and prison doctor Dr. P.M. Costa, plus eight uniformed officers and plain-clothed detectives.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Murder secured killer a place in crime history; FROM THE ARCHIVES.(Features)". Birmingham Mail. 2010-04-29. Retrieved 2012-07-23.via HighBeam Research (subscription required)
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "newsagent murdered fifty years ago this month". The Brew 'Us Bugle (Ladywood History Group) (36). Summer 2012.
- ↑ "Scene of the crime - Lee Bank Road". Search.digital-ladywood.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
- ↑ "Institute of Local Government Studies (INLOGOV) - University of Birmingham" (PDF). Inlogov.bham.ac.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-28.