Criminal Investigation
| Author | T. Lockley |
| Published date | 01 July 1964 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X6403700703 |
| Date | 01 July 1964 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Critninal
T.
LOCKLEY,
O.H.E.
Investigation
Assistant Chief Constable
of
Staffordshire
SENTEN~ED
TO DEATH:
THE
SIMCOX
~ASE
On July 7, 1948, a man named Christopher Simcox was charged
with the murder of his wife by stabbing. He was found guilty and
sentenced to death.
His sentence was eventually commuted to life imprisonment. He
served 10 years of that "
life"
sentence and was then released.
He married again in September, 1962, and on October 31, 1963,
he again stood in the same dock at Stafford Assizes on charges of
housebreaking with intent
to
kill his new wife, and of being found in
a dwelling house for the purpose of killing her.
On the latter occasion the Court accepted his plea of guilty to an
offence of possessing an offensive weapon, and he was placed on
probation for three years. A condition of the probation order was
that he did not see his wife again.
Only
11
days after being placed on probation he again attempted
to murder his wife. On this occasion she was very seriously wounded
by shooting, but survived; her sister who was visiting her was shot
and killed; her brother was shot and seriously wounded, and another
brother was seriously wounded by being shot at and struck with a
rifle.
Simcox then shot himself twice in the upper abdomen. Both
bullets entered the body at one exact spot, but emerged from his
back one and a half inches apart.
This murderer recovered from his own injuries and for the third
time he stood (or at least sat) in the same dock in the Crown Court
at Stafford Assizes where the two previous human tragedies had
been played out.
On the last occasion he was found guilty of capital murder and
was again sentenced to death. He appealed against his sentence,
but his appeal was dismissed. However, his luck still holds; he
has been reprieved for the second time.
This is being written on March 17, the day on which Simcox
should have hanged and when, with the advent of spring, gardeners
throughout the country are comparing notes and asking each other
July 1964 314
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