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Kill Total: |
2 |
Kill place: |
London |
|
Kill date: |
January 1843 |
Victim(s): |
Edward Drummond |
|
Date of Birth: |
|
Marital Status: |
|
|
AKA: |
|
Occupation: |
Medical Student |
A very important case,
that set the standards for criminal law.
McNaughton, a part time
actor and medical student spent the early 1930's touring
England as a political agitator. On 20th January
1843 he saw a man , only from the back, approaching
Downing Street,. he fired a shot, into what turned out to
be prime minister Robert Peel's private secretary, Edward
Drummond.
Drummond managed to make
it to his family home, but despite treatment, died of his
wound 5 days later.
At the trial McNaughton
was found not guilty due to insanity. He originally was
sent to Bethnal Royal hospital, where he lived for 20
years, before being transferred to Broadmoor, where he
stayed until he died in 1865.
Further study of the
crime years later showed that his library tickets showed
that he had read many books on political agitation, as
well as books on crime and mental health,. particularly
interesting were several books on insanity.
McNaughton had
£750 in his bank account, a large amount at the time. It
has been suggested that his political involvement meant
that he may of met someone who wanted Tory prime minister
peel assassinated, and McNaughton had read up on insanity
so as to avoid the death penalty.
