Casefile True Crime - Case 182: Freda Burnell & Florence Little

Episode Date: July 31, 2021

On February 5 1921, eight-year-old Freda Burnell went missing in the small coal-mining town of Abertillery, Wales. The unusual disappearance reached a tragic conclusion when her bound and beaten body was found dumped inside a sack in an alleyway... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Jessica Forsayeth Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-182-freda-burnell-florence-little

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. This episode involves a crime against children. It may not be suitable for all listeners. February 5, 1921 was far from a typical Saturday afternoon in the valley town of Abbottoliri, Wales.

Locals had rallied together to undertake a desperate search. Crescent residences along the main street were checked, as were the narrow alleyways between them. Men and their sons ventured off into the surrounding hills, while others trekked the lengths of the railway tracks and the nearby Ebor River. Their efforts were in vain. But they didn't give up. As the dull skies gave way to night, people were still searching.

They were joined by the town crier, who paraded up and down the main street, shouting the name of the eight-year-old girl who had vanished from town that morning. Freed up, Bernel. Freed up, Bernel. Hours earlier, Freed up, Bernel had been skipping down Somerset Street into Abbottoliri's bustling town centre. The side of little Freed up, in her black buttoned boots, red cap and brown coat, all by herself, didn't raise any eyebrows.

The coal mining town she called home was small, and the locals trusted each other. Freed up was running an errand for her father, who was in need of some feed and poultry grit for the chickens they owned. He had promised his daughter a penny as a reward for buying the supplies on his behalf. At around 9am, the bell at the top of the front door of Mortimer's store jingled as Freed up entered. The shop specialised in livestock supplies, and while they had the chicken feed Freed up requested, there weren't any sacks of grit, only loose grit.

Freed up said she would go home to ask her father if that would suffice, and if so, she would come back. But she never returned. By late afternoon, Abbottoliri's locals were assisting police and the Bernel family in trying to locate Freed up. Somehow, during her journey home from Mortimer's store, she had vanished without a trace. The following morning, a local coal worker finished his shift in the mines and began the walk back to his home.

As he approached Abbottoliri's town centre, he headed down a narrow side alley, where he stumbled across a Hessian sack discarded in the mud. It clearly held something. The coal worker examined the sack closely. Inside was the body of 8-year-old Freed up Bernel. Her remains had been dumped just 90 metres from her house. Freed up had sustained a violent blow to the head, but it was the cord still wrapped around her neck that had caused her death.

A piece of cloth was stuffed inside her mouth, and her wrists and ankles were tied behind her back with rope. Her attacker had also attempted to rape her. The shocking murder rattled the typically carefree townsfolk. Freed's funeral was held on the street outside her home to facilitate the large crowds of mourners that wished to attend. They circled around her small coffin, their sense of loss tinged with fear as they wondered who among them would carry out such a violent and disturbing crime.

In a desperate bid to identify Freed's killer, locals carried out a seance. In the 1920s, it was widely believed that such acts allowed communication with spirits who might be able to provide crucial information. According to one participant, the seance succeeded, with the spirits offering a description of Freed's murderer. This description just so happened to match that of a man seen loitering near the alley shortly before her body was found there. He was an outsider and not known to the townspeople.

From 30 to 40 years of age, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, with dark hair and a heavy mustache. He was wearing dark breeches, a lounge coat and carrying a stick. The information obtained via the seance was taken seriously at the time, but local authorities sought further evidence. This type of crime was unheard of in arbitrary and was beyond their expertise, so they requested assistance from London's experienced and well-equipped Scotland Yard Police Force. Two detectives soon arrived in town to carry out an investigation.

It was determined that Freedah was murdered between 9.30am and 1pm on the day she went missing. Her body was found in close proximity to a shed used by Mortimer's store, which contained stock too large to fit on the shop floor. Multiple witnesses said that shortly after Freedah left Mortimer's, they heard screams coming from the direction of the storage shed, but assumed it was just children playing. A resident who lived near the building heard what she described as a muffled, funny-sounding argument between 9.20 and 9.30am.

She thought it was her son in the backyard hurting one of their chickens, but when she headed outside to check, she found her son playing in a nearby lane. On the floor of the Mortimer's shed were loose pieces of corn chaff, matching shards recovered from Freedah's skin and the sack she was found in. A small handkerchief that Freedah was carrying the day she was attacked was also discovered in the shed, as was an axe. It was hidden under a sack, and while the blade itself was clean, the handle was covered in wet blood.

The shed was 275m from Mortimer's store, which was owned and operated by its namesake, a local man named Herbert Mortimer. Herbert had a strong alibi for the day of Freedah's murder, with multiple witnesses confirming his whereabouts at the time she was attacked. As for his storage shed, Herbert revealed that it was kept locked at all times, and that there were only two keys that granted access. Herbert carried one. The other was held by one of his employees, 15-year-old Harold Jones.

Harold was at the front counter when Freedah visited Mortimer's on February 5. She arrived shortly after 9am, and only spent around two minutes in the store. Harold didn't notice which direction she headed in upon exiting the shop. Herbert Mortimer vouched for his young staff member, telling detectives that Harold Jones was at the store nearly all morning. Herbert's wife supported this assertion. She had been in their apartment above the shop, and could hear Harold banging his foot against the wood paneling of the counter, something he did constantly as he walked.

According to Herbert, Harold only left once for a short period at 10am, almost an hour after Freedah Bernal had stopped by. He'd been tasked with retrieving some stock from the shed, but the teenager didn't go alone. Herbert's 10-year-old son Francis joined him. The pair made the short walk together, collected a sack of potatoes from the shed, and delivered them to a nearby address before returning to the store. Later that day, when word spread that Freedah Bernal was missing, Harold slid his hand into

his pocket, only to realise that he didn't have the key to the shed on him. Then dawned that he must have left it in the shed's door after running the errand with Francis Mortimer hours earlier. Harold kept news of the misplaced key to himself, avoiding the fuss that would arise if his employer knew of his mistake. Later on, while helping look for Freedah, Harold went back to the shed with Francis Mortimer and another local team, and was able to retrieve the key. He didn't notice anything suspicious around the building at the time.

Harold's story of leaving the key in the shed door opened the investigation up to many potential suspects. Anyone could have taken Freedah into the secluded building upon realising it was accessible. Yet, despite having a strong alibi, Harold Jones was eyed by Scotland Yard as a prime suspect in the case. The 15-year-old knew Freedah Bernal personally, as she was friends with his little sister, Flossie. Consequently, a level of trust existed between Harold and Freedah, which meant he could have

easily convinced her to go to the shed. The alleyway where she was later found had been searched the night she vanished, but the sack containing her remains was not spotted at that time. Investigators suspected Harold had returned to the shed in the early hours and removed Freedah's body under the cover of darkness, before dumping it in the alley where it was discovered the following day. But none of this made sense to Abitaliri's residence. Jones' employers vouched for his whereabouts at the time Freedah was attacked.

Furthermore, Harold's parents insisted that their son had been home all night. As a means of obtaining additional income, the Jones family hosted a border who, due to a lack of space, actually slept in Harold's bed alongside him. The border maintained that Harold had remained in their shared bed all night. Despite the town coming to his support, Harold Jones was arrested on suspicion of Freedah Bernal's murder and held at the Abitaliri police station to await an inquest into the eight-year-old's death. He adamantly denied any knowledge of the crime.

The grief that had washed over Abitaliri following the murder was quickly replaced by outrage over the arrest of Harold, who was an exemplary young lad. Like many others in the community, he came from a coal mining family. The working-class Joneses made do with what they had and were immensely proud of their eldest son, Harold, who was intelligent and well-read. He was very much loved by his parents, Philip and Eleanor, and neither he nor anyone in his family had any previous run-ins with the law. Harold was an inquisitive youth and had done very well at school, with his former principal

describing him as a model student. He loved to play the organ and practiced regularly at home. Harold left school at age 14, which was common at the time. He avoided taking up work in the physically demanding and dangerous coal mines by securing a job as a shop boy for mortemers. To mark his new employment, Harold had a photo taken of himself standing outside the store. It showed the slight teen immaculately dressed in a suit, complete with pocket watch and cap.

Not one to have his photo taken often, Harold stood awkwardly before the camera, which captured his blank expression. Herbert Mortimer said Harold was an obedient and trustworthy employee, which was why he gave him a key to his storage shed. Harold took great pride in his appearance, wearing a suit and clean white apron to work every day, and his friendly nature ensured he was well liked by customers. Outside of work, the popular Harold was never short of friends and had started dating a girl just prior to his arrest.

Still, the investigators from Scotland Yard were certain they had Frida's killer in custody. Local police supported their decision, much to the fury of the public. They knew an outsider was to blame. A coroner's inquest into the death of Frida Bernal formally began a month after she was found. Harold's purpose was to determine whether Frida's death was caused by willful murder, and if so, whether Harold Jones would face a criminal trial. Due to a lack of scientific testing at the time, the evidence against Harold was largely

circumstantial. Harold had spent the past month in a prison cell at Aberteleiri police station. From taking the witness box, he looked nervous and had difficulty answering questions, often giving contradictory evidence. The prosecution took his anxious demeanour as a sign of guilt, and for four hours they continued to barrage him with questions. Multiple people testified in Harold's defence, including his employer, his parents, and the border who shared his bed, all in turn providing crucial alibis.

Supporting his innocence were the reported sightings of a stick-wielding stranger with a mustache spotted on the corner of the alley where Frida was later found. This was the same man allegedly described by spirits during a seance that townsfolk held after the discovery of Frida's body. The same spirits had also apparently provided the killer's name, which was written on a piece of paper, folded, and given to the coroner for his eyes only. The jury at the centre of the inquest were left uncertain by the varying accounts and returned an open finding.

The coroner refused to accept this result, and the jury were made to reconsider. They returned with an amended verdict, concluding that Frida's cause of death was, willful murder by some person or persons unknown. Bale for Harold Jones was refused, and he was remanded in custody until April 5th, when he would be brought before a magistrate to determine whether he would go to trial. When asked if he had any response to the charges against him, Harold replied, I know it looks black against me, but I never done it. On April 5th, he was ordered to stand trial for Frida's murder.

Harold pleaded, not guilty. In the lead up to the trial, Herbert Mortimer sought to investigate some of the circumstantial evidence that had implicated his young employee. This included Frida's handkerchief, which was found on the floor of the storage shed, cited as evidence that she was killed there. According to the Manchester Guardian, Herbert discovered that if he leaned through one of the windows, he could drop a handkerchief that landed very near to where Frida's had been found.

Although this failed to address the bloodied axe, the corn chaff, or multiple reports of a commotion from the shed after Frida left the store, Herbert still believed Harold to be innocent. Herbert also recalled that when he first bought the shed, its previous owner had told him that she was missing a key and he would need to have another spare made. This meant a third, unaccounted four key was still out there, which would grant its holder access to the shed. On June 21, 1921, the trial against Harold Jones for the murder of Frida Bernel commenced.

Harold received glowing character references from his family, his former school headmaster, and his boss, Herbert Mortimer. Herbert stood by the alibi he had provided for Harold from the outset, maintaining that the teen was in his store at the time Frida was attacked. When Harold took the stand, he appeared calm and performed much better than at the inquest, answering questions without hesitation or contradiction. His cross-examination was rigorous and lengthy, but Harold remained composed throughout. The prosecution labelled Harold as heartless and someone with tremendous ability to control

his emotions. The trial only lasted one day, after which the jury of seven men and five women retired for five hours. They returned with a unanimous decision. For the willful murder of Frida Bernel, 15-year-old Harold Jones was found not guilty. The town of Abitaliri rejoiced. Harold walked free from the courtroom and into the arms of his tearful parents. To celebrate, Harold and his family went for high tea at a local motel, a luxury reserved

for only the most special of occasions. Locals accompanied him to share in the celebration. Some reports say that they presented him with a gold watch, with everyone who knew him to be innocent chipping in. Harold thanked his supporters. Despite his ordeal, which he described as horrendous, he said that he didn't hold a grudge against the town's people. He then jumped into an open-top vehicle decorated with fresh flowers and was driven through

the streets of Abitaliri. Supporters lined the footpaths waving flags as Harold received a hero's welcome. They blamed the Scotland Yard detectives for implicating the teenager through circumstantial evidence, despite so many people providing evidence that he could not have committed the crime. As Harold made his way home, his neighbour, George Little, clapped him on the back and said, Well done lad, we knew you didn't do it.

On Friday July 8, 1921, 11-year-old Florence Little completed her homework, ate her dinner and did her nightly chores. At 9pm, she asked her father George if she could go outside and play for a while. With his permission, Florence met her good friend Flossie Jones outside on Darren Street, Abitaliri. As the two young girls lived just a few doors from one another, they played together often. That night, they skipped along playing hopscotch, unaware that someone was watching them. Afterwards, the pair headed to Flossie's home, but Flossie soon left to visit an aunt

in a neighbouring street. She bid farewell to her friend before heading out the door. Florence didn't return to her own home, instead staying at the Jones' house. She wasn't alone. Although present was Flossie's older brother, 15-year-old Harold Jones. It had been 17 days since he was acquitted for the murder of Frida Bernal to the jubilation of his town. According to differing reports, Harold either invited Florence to stay for a glass of lemonade

or asked her to assist him in running an errand. Since Harold's trial, Florence had been cautious around him, but she ultimately accepted his offer. The rest of the Joneses were out at the time, leaving Florence alone with Harold. He shut and locked the front door. Around an hour later, Florence's mother, Elsie, arrived at the Jones' residence. She knocked on the door, and after about two minutes, Harold answered. He was shirtless and smiling.

He told Elsie that he had just been taking a bath. She asked if he had seen Florence as she hadn't returned from playing with Flossie. Harold said that she had been at the house, but left earlier via a back door with the intention of going home. Elsie looked for her daughter throughout the surrounding streets, but failed to find her. Nervous and scared, she phoned the local police, who commenced their own search at 11.15pm. Word quickly spread, and just as they had done with Frida Bernal five months earlier,

locals gathered to look for another little girl. Coal miners who were due to start work at 5am left their warm beds to search in the freezing cold. Among the many locals looking for Florence was Harold Jones, who returned home at 3.30am. Harold climbed out of bed the following morning and ate breakfast, all the while seeming his normal self. A short while later, police officers arrived to question him in relation to Florence Little's disappearance.

He calmly smoked a cigarette, while telling them that Florence had arrived at his doorstep the night before, but then ran off. After the interview, Harold strolled outside to visit some friends a few streets away. Given that he had just been involved in a murder trial involving a very similar incident, the police weren't convinced that Harold had nothing to do with Florence's disappearance. Officers spoke with Harold's father, Philip Jones, and advised him that they wanted to search his house. He replied,

Very well, come along. A rudimentary search of the Jones' home uncovered nothing that raised suspicion. However, it looked as though the kitchen walls had been recently cleaned, with white marks streaked across them. An examination of Harold's clothes revealed seven ladies' handkerchiefs stuffed into some trouser pockets. These discoveries prompted a more thorough inspection of the home. A check under the kitchen sink revealed a bloodied pocket knife.

Harold's father later claimed that the blood on the knife was his, as he had cut his finger slaughtering a chicken a week earlier. But this didn't explain a saucepan filled with bloody water that was found alongside the knife, or a blood-stained plank of wood discovered behind the kitchen coal burner. The rooms upstairs were re-examined. Scanning the ceiling in one of the bedrooms, a constable noticed what appeared to be blood smeared across a hatch that led to an attic. Realizing that Harold would have needed to stand on something to gain access to the attic

space, the constable searched his bedroom and found a small table with a cloth lying across it. He lifted the cloth, revealing a tabletop streaked with blood stains. Hoisting his upper body into the cramped attic hatch, the constable shone a torch into the darkness. Lying spread out on top of the beams was the partially clothed body of Florence Little lying in a pool of blood. The constable carefully removed the deceased 11-year-old from the attic, handing her tiny

body to another officer below. Harold's father Philip watched on in disbelief. Then, he went to find his son. Harold Jones was chatting to a friend approximately 320 metres from his home when he saw his father approaching. As reported in the Manchester Guardian, Philip said to Harold, Sonny, come here. They have found that body in our house.

Harold replied, I have never done it dad. Philip said in response, you or we will have the blame. Do come out and face it. Philip Jones then performed the citizen's arrest of his own son, escorting him home without resistance. As they walked down the street, Harold called over his shoulder to his friend. Goodbye, another holiday. When Harold walked through the front door, his mother told him, Be brave my son, they

have found the body in the house. Florence died of blood loss caused by a slash to her throat, with almost all the blood in her body having drained away. An analysis of her stomach contents determined that Florence died between 9.30 and 10pm the previous night, coinciding with the exact time period that she was inside the Jones home, but before her mother stopped by looking for her. When Florence's mother, Elsie, heard of her daughter's murder, she collapsed and was bedridden for weeks.

Reports asserted that she remained in a state of unconsciousness for days on end. Crowds of curious onlookers gathered outside her home, wanting to know the status of the police investigation. A similar group also lingered outside the Jones residence. Schoolchildren even sold water to rubber-neckers. Harold Jones was formally placed under arrest by the local police. A doctor physically examined him and noticed slight abrasions to his left and right forearms and a scratch on his right wrist.

Harold maintained he had received the injuries from falling from a bicycle a few days earlier and said this was also the cause of blood stains found on a pair of his trousers. But the doctor was of the opinion that the wounds were fresh and nowhere near severe enough to cause the heavy stains found on Harold's pants. He put the abrasions down to Harold squeezing through the adicatch to hide Florence's body and his trousers were bloodied from carrying her body. In town, an angry mob of 500 locals descended on the Abitaliri police station, demanding Harold's immediate release.

Their support for him was unwavering, despite the teen's implication in the murder of yet another young girl. Some were so convinced that he was being stitched up again that they threatened to kill the officers involved in his arrest. The station's superintendent was tasked with trying to calm the mob and told them, I have found the body of the child in the attic of Harold Jones, fairly murdered, and I have arrested Harold Jones. I think this is all I can tell you, and it would help us if you disperse and go to your

homes. Following the ordeal, the superintendent, likely overcome with stress, spent the rest of the weekend in bed on doctor's orders. A coroner's inquest began on July 11, three days after Florence was killed, to determine whether Harold Jones should once again stand trial for murder. Harold professed his innocence, just as he had done with the Frida Bernel case. Halfway through the inquest, he spotted his mother on the balcony and yelled out to her, Hello mum.

She replied, Hello son, and was promptly removed from the courtroom to prevent further interruptions. As reported in the Manchester Guardian, Harold's sister Flossie had to be dragged in by her father to give evidence. She cried constantly, hardly able to speak of her close friend's murder. Harold did not even glance at her, instead staring straight ahead with an emotionless expression. The inquest was adjourned until July 23, at which time the coroner summed up his findings. He told the jury it was customary to look for some motive in such crimes, but this was

a case in which there appeared to be no motive. He reminded them that although they might consider Harold Jones a madman, they had no jurisdiction to inquire into the mind of a person. All they need to do was determine whether he was guilty or not. The inquest jury deliberated for 30 minutes before finding Harold Jones guilty of the willful murder of Florence Little, meaning that he would face a criminal trial for her murder. He displayed no emotion upon hearing the verdict, and when asked if he had anything to say, he

jumped to his feet and loudly exclaimed, not guilty. Harold was sent back to prison to await trial. While awaiting trial for Florence Little's murder, Harold put pen to paper and wrote, I, Harold Jones, confess, I did willfully and deliberately murder Florence Little on July 8, causing her to die without preparation to meet her God, the reason for doing so being the desire to kill. His written confession went on to detail how he strangled her before cutting her throat and placing her head over the kitchen sink to drain her of blood.

He then described how he hoisted her body into the attic using some rope and afterwards cleaned himself and the kitchen. As I was having a bath, Mrs Little came to the door, just as I was washing my head and my body. I denied Florence was in the house and went back and finished my bath. On November 1, 1921, Harold Jones appeared in court and pleaded guilty to the murder of Florence Little. His written confession was read aloud, before the director of public prosecutions made an

announcement. The statement was to be read to the court, in order to put to rest any worry remaining amongst the families of Abitaliri. This one began, I, Harold Jones, willfully and deliberately murdered Frida Bernel in Mr Mortimer's warehouse on the 5th of February. Harold later explained that Frida had not left Mortimer's store to check with her father about buying the chicken grit. Rather, Harold had told her to accompany him to Mortimer's shed, where he had the supplies

she required. To avoid them being seen together, he told her to walk on her head and that he would catch up with her. After he strangled and sexually assaulted Frida, Harold left her body in a sack in the shed. He then returned to Mortimer's to continue his shift. At around 10am, Harold was tasked to run an errand to the shed to gather some potatoes and deliver them to a nearby address.

He was accompanied by 10-year-old Francis Mortimer, who provided a statement that contradicted his father's and instead highlighted Harold as a suspect. Usually, Francis would wheel a trolley into the shed to help Harold load the goods, but on this occasion, Harold told Francis that the trolley was unnecessary and had him wait outside. Harold then opened the shed's door just a fraction before shimmying his way in. Francis assumed there was something on the other side preventing the door from being opened fully.

Harold emerged a short while later with a sack of potatoes and told Francis to deliver them to a nearby address, adding that he would soon follow. He eventually caught up with Francis and they delivered the stock before returning to the store. After that night, as the search for Frida was well underway, Harold returned to the shed with Francis and another local teen. Francis explained that it was about 10-20pm when the group headed down the dark, quiet laneway.

When they were halfway there, Harold turned to his two companions and said, You wait here while I go down to the shed. He then walked on alone. At one point, he turned back to the others and whispered loudly, You like keep quiet, before entering the shed. When Harold exited, he locked the door behind him and approached Francis and the other teen, again whispering for them to keep quiet. Harold said he came up with the lie that he had left the shed door unlocked, thereby making

it plausible that someone else could have killed Frida in there. He claimed to know about creating alibis and covering his tracks from reading countless detective novels. Then alone, Harold returned to the shed and removed the sack that held Frida, remarking that she was so light he could carry her body under one arm. He then dumped her in the alleyway, where she remained undiscovered until the next morning. It was believed that Harold killed Florence Little because he enjoyed the publicity and celebrity status he received after murdering Frida Bernal.

Harold could offer no explanation for the murder, other than stating he had been commanded to kill following a blinding crash that turned everything crimson. He said he could not disobey the commands of a demon in his head. The judge was satisfied that although Harold Jones was not normal, he was sane enough to understand that he had confessed to his crimes. He addressed Harold, passing the sentence that he be detained at his majesty's pleasure, meaning that he would be imprisoned for an indeterminate period. The judge asked that nobody make a spectacle outside court as it was clear that Harold

was vain and loved being in the public eye. During this, Harold Jones was escorted out without incident. Those who wondered why Harold Jones had pleaded guilty before his trial even began soon had an answer. At 15 years old, Harold was beneath the legal age to receive capital punishment as a sentence. If the trial extended beyond his 16th birthday on January 11, 1922, a guilty verdict would result in Harold facing the death penalty. By pleading guilty to both murders before he turned 16, Harold Jones saved himself from

the hangman's noose. They appeared to show no remorse for his actions and was labelled a calculating psychopath. The residents of Abitaliri struggled to come to terms with the realization that a popular local teenager, whose innocence they had believed in, was in fact a cult-blooded killer. In the aftermath of the confession, Herbert Mortimer admitted that the alibi he'd provided for Harold following Frida Bernel's murder was false. He had said that Harold was at his shop at the time of the attack, only later confessing that he had made this up because he was certain Harold was not a murderer.

Following this revelation, the Mortimer's became outcasts and were forced to close their shop and leave town. Harold's family remained in Abitaliri, his parents staying in their house until their deaths. Harold Jones was shuffled between various prisons throughout the United Kingdom. He became known as a model inmate who had a cheery personality and liked competing in prison sports. He was well liked by both fellow prisoners and guards and was known to gloat about fooling

Scotland Yard detectives with his cunning. Despite a psychiatrist recommending that Harold remain in prison forever, he was released on parole at age 35 after serving 20 years. According to the book A Desire to Kill, The Mystery of Harold Jones by Kevin Banks, police commissioner and prison reformer Alexander Patterson approved his release, saying, One day he will be the father of happy children. This sentiment was echoed by a prison chaplain who wrote of Harold in 1933. He is a very nice lad who was a foolish boy.

He puts his crime down to reading too many thrillers. I think he will be a much more useful person outside prison than inside. Following Harold's release, his immediate whereabouts were unclear. As he was granted parole at the height of World War II, some sources claim he was subscripted into the Royal Artillery as a gunfitter or served in the Merchant Navy. He adopted his mother's maiden name, going by Harry Stevens. In 1948, Harold married a 36 year old woman named Muriel. They lived together with Muriel's elderly father, a former police officer, in the London

neighbourhood of Fulham. It is not clear whether Muriel or her father knew of his criminal past. In 1950, Muriel gave birth to a baby girl, the couple's only child. Harold is reported as having held jobs as a sheet metal worker, caretaker and a night watchman. He died of bone cancer in 1971, aged 64. Shortly before his death, he asked Muriel to ensure his real name, Harold Jones, appeared on his death certificate.

Following his release in 1941, Harold Jones appeared to live a normal, law-abiding life. However, crime historians and members of law enforcement have recently speculated that Harold may have been responsible for a number of vicious, unsolved murders in London during the 1950s and 60s. These were termed the Hammersmith Nude Murders, and the perpetrator was dubbed Jack the Stripper. He was given this name because his crimes bore striking similarities to those of Jack the Ripper, who stalked and murdered sex workers throughout London nearly a century earlier.

Jack the Stripper had six confirmed victims, but it's likely that up to eight women fell victim to the unknown assailant. His targets were sex workers, whose bodies were all found in a state of undress. The most common cause of death was strangulation, with the victims' bodies showing no signs of a struggle prior to their murders. In most cases, the women's teeth or dentures were taken. Jack the Stripper would dump their bodies with seemingly reckless abandon, but left behind little evidence.

Despite an extensive and thorough investigation by Scotland Yard, the killer was never apprehended. When specs of paint were found on the bodies of three victims, investigators wondered whether the killer worked in the auto repair industry, but this lead went nowhere. At the time, Scotland Yard was unaware that Harold Jones, now going by the name Harry Stevens, was living very nearby. In fact, his home was within a four-street radius from where two of the victims resided. He also worked in the sheet metal industry and had access to an industrial area where some of the bodies were found.

The murders abruptly stopped in 1965 on Harold Jones' 59th birthday. Some have speculated that perhaps he was no longer able to kill due to suffering from the cancer that would eventually kill him. Attorney author Neil Milkins is certain that Harold Jones was Jack the Stripper, as is David Wilson, a professor of criminology at Birmingham City University. In 2019, the BBC aired a documentary titled Dark Sun, the Hunt for a Serial Killer, detailing Harold's possible connections to the Hammersmith nude murders. The producers also tracked down his daughter, who had no idea about her father's criminal

past. Harold was known to leave his family on occasion, choosing to board in a hostel for days at a time, though he only ever did this on weekdays. Coincidentally, all Jack the Stripper murders were committed on weekdays. In his book A Desire to Kill, The Mystery of Harold Jones, author Kevin Banks points to the women's handkerchiefs that 15-year-old Harold kept in his possession. Banks likens this collection to the teeth and dentures stolen from the Hammersmith victims. He also argues that the Hammersmith victims, who were all small and petite, had similar

builds to Frida Bernal and Florence Little. But, without any forensic evidence from the crimes, it's unlikely that the killer's identity will ever be known. Harold Jones continued to terrorise the people of Abitolleri even after his release from prison. When organ music was heard emanating from the front room of the Jones family home, rumours circulated that he was back in town. In 1950, he was spotted visiting the graves of Frida Bernal and Florence Little.

He was also known to pop into the local fish and chip shop on occasion. Abitolleri author Kevin Banks said that when he was little and misbehaved, his nan would tell him to watch out or, Harold Jones will get you. Despite the passage of a century, Frida and Florence's murders have not left the minds of Abitolleri residents. In 2018, local author Neil Milkins raised £4,000 to have the girls' headstones restored after years of neglect had caused them to fall into disrepair. Hundreds of people attended the unveiling of the repaired graves, including relatives

of Frida and Florence. Florence's niece told the South Wales Argus newspaper, It is truly wonderful what happened here today. The new grave means my aunt can finally be at peace. Another relative added, It is very emotional being here, but I think they will both be happy with their new graves. God bless them.