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Name: |
Peter Queen |
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AKA: |
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D.O.B. |
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Kill
Total: |
1 |
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Kill
date: |
November 1931 |
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Kill
Place: |
Glasgow |
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Status: |
Married |
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Occupation: |
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Victim: |
Chrissie Gall |
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D.O.B. |
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Court: |
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Case No: |
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Judge: |
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Prosecution: |
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Defence: |
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External References
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FACTFILE
Peter Queen had married whilst
still quite young and this had turned into a disaster with
the couple separating after his wife had become an
alcoholic.
Queen's father hired a nursemaid, Chrissie Gall, to look
after the children and it wasn't long before Peter and
Chrissie became attracted to each other. Unfortunately like
her predecessor, Chrissie had an affinity for the bottle.
Peter Queen and Chrissie moved in together with some
friends, James Burns and his wife, but got their own place
in the summer of 1931. Chrissie was not happy about the fact
that they were living in sin and this made her drink
heavily.
20th November 1931, Mrs Johnson, who was a friend,
called on Chrissie and found her drunk. Mrs Johnson
returned later with her husband. The couple left around
11pm.
In the early hours of the next morning, Peter Queen rushed
into a local police station and told them 'I think you will
find my wife dead.'
When the police went to the house they found Chrissie lying
dead in bed, she had been strangled with a clothes line.
There were no signs of a struggle but Queen was charged with
her murder. The defence obtained the services of Sir Bernard
Spilsbury and Sir Sydney Smith who both decided that ,
because of the lack of signs of a struggle, the woman had
committed suicide.
One theory which could explain the lack of a struggle would
be that Chrissie was still drunk when Peter strangled her
and never actually regained consciousness.
At Queen's trial, at Glasgow in January 1932, their
testimony failed to persuade the jury of Queens' innocence
and Queen was found guilty, but with a recommendation to
mercy. Queen was sentenced to death but the sentence was
commuted to life imprisonment. He was later released and
died in 1958.
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