Murder UK is a site dedicated to documenting and investigating murder in the UK. We aim to be precise with facts and avoid speculation. If however you find discrepancies please  Contact us

 

Google  


 

Home

About

Links

A - Z index

Contact

 

 

ARCHIBALD HALL & MICHAEL KITTO

 


Name:

Archibald Thomson Hall

AKA:

Roy Fontaine

Monster Butler

D.O.B.

1924

Kill Total:

5

Kill date:

 

Kill Place:

 

Status:

 

Occupation:

 

Victim:

David Wright

Walter Scott-Elliot

Donald Hall

Mary Coggle

D.O.B.  

 


 

Court:

Old Bailey &

Edinburgh High Court

Judge:

Prosecution:

Defence:

 


 

 

 

FACTFILE

 

Born in Glasgow in 1924 Archibald Hall, spent many years in and out of prison as a thief, house burglar and petty forger.

While in prison on a ten year sentence for theft, he decided to change his style. He studied speech, clearing his Scottish accent, he also researched etiquette and antiques. A butler who became very good at his job, a fan of actress Joan Fontaine, he changed his name to Roy Fontaine, and returned to his native Scotland.

1975, He got a job as a butler in  Dumfriesshire, he planned to steal from the wealthy estate but found he liked his job as well as liking his employer.

1977, David Wright, was an ex friend from prison. The two had met in Hull prison when Fontaine was serving time for theft. Wright was impressed by Fontaine, but also saw potential in Fontaine's past. He started to gather information and when they met up after prison, Wright threatened to expose jewel thief Fontaine to his wealthy female employer Lady Hudson. The two argued and Fontaine shot Wright in the back of the head with a rifle., her buried him next to a river.

 

Hall moved back to London, the plausible butler got a position with wealthy ex-MP  Walter Scott-Elliot and his wife who were wealthy antique collectors.

He planned to rob the wealthy couple and retire.

 

By this time he had two accomplices to his thieving ways, Michael Kitto and Mary Coggle. One

evening while Hall and Kitto were planning the robbery Mrs Scott-Elliot walked in on them, Kitto grabbed a pillow and suffocated the old lady.

 

In a panic the two men, now helped by local prostitute Mary Coggle, drugged Walter Scott-Elliot, and put the two bodies in a car and drove to Scotland. They buried Mrs Scott-Elliot in Perthshire, then drove to Inverness where they strangled the drugged old man, beat him with a shovel and buried him in woods near  Tomich, Invernesshire.

 

25th December 1977, Coggle enjoyed wearing Mrs. Scott-Elliot's clothes, this annoyed Hall and Kitto who felt she was drawing too much attention to them, they hit her with a crowbar, and left her body in a barn in Middlebie, Dumfriesshire. A farmer discovered her body in the barn on Christmas morning.

 

The pair left Scotland and headed for a holiday home in Cumbria, once they the discovered Hall's half brother, who had recently been released from prison, he was a paedophile, Hall hated him, they tied him up and drowned him in a bath.

They put the body in the boot of the car and headed for Scotland for a burial. The weather was vey bad and they had to stop at a hotel overnight. They were acting suspiciously, the hotel manager called the police, who searched the car, discovering the body of Donald Hall. Kitto was arrested, but Archibald Hall escaped, but was caught later that day at a roadblock.

When Hall was captured, he tried to commit suicide twice using secret stashes of barbiturate tablets that he had hidden up his rectum.

 

After stealing from the Scott-Elliot house, they had sold gold and jewellery around the country, it did not take police long to search the Scott-Elliot house and link the murders back to Hall and Kitto, They had by now found the body of Mary Coggle, who also had worked for the Scott-Elliot's.

 

Once in custody Hall confessed and confirmed where all the bodies were buried.

Hall and Kitto were charged with five murders.

 

May 1978, Hearings at The Old Bailey in London, and The Edinburgh high court found Hall and accomplice Kitto guilty, both were sentenced to life imprisonment, Hall having made a full confession to 5 murders.

 

Hall is on the list of prisoners to serve a 'Whole Life Tariff', see list here >>

 

1999, Hall published his autobiography " A Perfect Gentleman"

 

16th September 2002, Hall died of a stroke  while serving time at Kingston prison in Portsmouth, he was 78 years old.

 

TOP

 

Archibald Hall

 

Recommended Book

 

Categories

 

Cannibals

 

                                                                                                      

Copyright Murder UK 1993 -2011