George Francis Shawwith George Dunn
| AKA | |
| DOB | 1927 |
| Occupation | Farm Labourer |
| Kill Total | 1 |
| Kill Place | Lanark |
| Kill Date | August 1952 |
| M.O. | Beating |
| Victim | Michael Connolly |
Michael Connelly, also Conly, was described as a hermit by locals, known affectionately as 'Old Mick'.
Michael was a retired reclusive gent he live in a rundown hut in Huntlygate Farm Lanark. He was allowed to live there with the permission of the farm owner, Thomas Alexander/
Michael would draw out his state pension every Friday. He collected it on Friday 15th August 1952, but not on the following Friday, 22nd.
Sunday 24th August 1952 Mr. Alexander went to check on Michael and found that he had been battered to death. A post mortem carried out by Professor Allinson showed multiple head injuries as the causer of death.. The pathologist put the time of death as sometime in the afternoon of Sunday the 17th of August.
The 80-year-old victim had withdrawn two weeks of money from his pension, but, he was penniless when his body was found, and his pension book was also missing
Police investigations soon came up with the names of Shaw and friend George Dunn.
Shaw had been buying rounds of drinks in the Clyde Valley Hotel on the 17th of August, according to the bar tender and had plenty of pound notes in his hand. Dunn also seemed to have plenty of cash. Local woman Kathleen Wallace came forward to say she had seen the pair near the hut on the afternoon of Sunday the 17th.
Both men were arrested and blood stains were found on their clothing, the blood group matching that of Michael’s.
2nd December 1952, George Francis Shaw, 25, and George Dunn, 22, appeared in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow, charged with the murder of Michael Connmolly.
9th December 1952, The verdict of the jury of seven women and seven men was by a majority after a seven-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow, they tookj just 20 minutes to reach a verdict.
Shaw was found guilty of murder while his accomplice Dunn was ordered to be detained in Carstairs State Hospital. He was found guilty of culpable homicide.
During the trial, Psychiatrist Dr James Curran gave evidence which stated that Dunn was a 'feeble-minded person with a mental age of eight'.
December 9, 1952 Shaw appealed the court’s verdict which was dismissed by the Scottish Criminal Appeal Court in Edinburgh.
Monday 26th January 1953, Shaw was executed at Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow, hanged by Albert Pierrepoint.
Michael was a retired reclusive gent he live in a rundown hut in Huntlygate Farm Lanark. He was allowed to live there with the permission of the farm owner, Thomas Alexander/
Michael would draw out his state pension every Friday. He collected it on Friday 15th August 1952, but not on the following Friday, 22nd.
Sunday 24th August 1952 Mr. Alexander went to check on Michael and found that he had been battered to death. A post mortem carried out by Professor Allinson showed multiple head injuries as the causer of death.. The pathologist put the time of death as sometime in the afternoon of Sunday the 17th of August.
The 80-year-old victim had withdrawn two weeks of money from his pension, but, he was penniless when his body was found, and his pension book was also missing
Police investigations soon came up with the names of Shaw and friend George Dunn.
Shaw had been buying rounds of drinks in the Clyde Valley Hotel on the 17th of August, according to the bar tender and had plenty of pound notes in his hand. Dunn also seemed to have plenty of cash. Local woman Kathleen Wallace came forward to say she had seen the pair near the hut on the afternoon of Sunday the 17th.
Both men were arrested and blood stains were found on their clothing, the blood group matching that of Michael’s.
2nd December 1952, George Francis Shaw, 25, and George Dunn, 22, appeared in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow, charged with the murder of Michael Connmolly.
9th December 1952, The verdict of the jury of seven women and seven men was by a majority after a seven-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow, they tookj just 20 minutes to reach a verdict.
Shaw was found guilty of murder while his accomplice Dunn was ordered to be detained in Carstairs State Hospital. He was found guilty of culpable homicide.
During the trial, Psychiatrist Dr James Curran gave evidence which stated that Dunn was a 'feeble-minded person with a mental age of eight'.
December 9, 1952 Shaw appealed the court’s verdict which was dismissed by the Scottish Criminal Appeal Court in Edinburgh.
Monday 26th January 1953, Shaw was executed at Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow, hanged by Albert Pierrepoint.