Prime Crime: Solved Murders - Dagmar Petrzywalski Pt. 2

Episode Date: November 10, 2021

In late 1946, police zeroed in on the primary suspect in Dagmar Petrzywalski's murder. He said his name was Sidney Sinclair — but officers soon realized he was living under a secret identity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this murder case, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes dramatizations and discussions of murder, assault, sexual assault, and a suicide attempt. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. On October 31st, 1946, 45-year-old Sidney Sinclair arrived at his cottage in Little Abington, England. He'd had a long day and a half of deliveries. He'd been gone all night. The next day, his wife noticed that he was acting strange. His hand shook.

He barely said a word. When Daisy asked too many questions, he lost his temper. Then she read a story in the paper. A dead woman had been found on the road just off the A-20. She'd been discovered there on October 31st. The same day that Sinclair drove that route and came home late, the same day he started acting odd. After a few days, a detective showed up at their house on a Saturday evening.

He'd asked Sinclair some routine questions about his whereabouts the morning of October 31st, and if he'd seen a female hitchhiker during his drive. Sinclair explained his route in detail and claimed he hadn't seen a woman. Daisy felt relieved. But after the detective's visit, Sinclair's anxiety got so bad that he suddenly quit job. Worry aided, Daisy, but she tried to put it out of her mind. Until November 22nd, when police officers pounded on their door. The authorities stormed their house, grabbed Sidney Sinclair, and carted him off to the station. Welcome to Solved Murder's True Crime Mysteries,

a Spotify original from Parcast. I'm your host Carter Roy. And I'm your host, Wendy McKenzie. Every Wednesday, we step into the world of true crimes, most fascinating murder cases, and tell the tale of how real-life detectives close the case. You can find episodes of Solve Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free exclusively on Spotify. This is our final episode on the 1946 murder of Dagmar Petya Valski. Last week, we covered the discovery of Dagmar's body and the ensuing investigation. This week will cover the case built against law enforcement's top suspect and the scandalous secrets that drove him to murder.

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Born again. Now streaming only on Disney Plus. On October 31st, 1946, a commercial lorry driver spotted a woman's body dumped behind the bushes off the A-20 roadway. The discovery sent a shock through rural Kent County. Local officers called in Scotland Yard, and famed detective Robert Fabian jumped on the case.

Just three months prior, Detective Fabian had failed to solve the murder of 11-year-old Sheila Martin. It was a rare dead end for the detective with 20 years of experience. He hoped this new case could be a do-over for him, a second chance. Soon, Detective Fabian found out that the body belonged to 48-year-old Dagmar Petjavalsky, a reclusive local who spent her days supporting the British austerity effort. She saved money by growing her own food and hitching rides from passing truck drivers. That habit allowed Detective Fabian to zero in on a possible culprit. On November 22nd, 1946, police brought 45-year-old Sydney Sinclair to Cambridge County Station for questioning.

It wasn't Sinclair's first interrogation. Detective Fabian and his team had previously interviewed every lorry driver who was on the road the morning of Dagmar's murder. A detective named Childerly had taken a statement from Sinclair at his home on the evening of November 9th. But more evidence had amassed since then. Sinclair hadn't just been on the A-20 the day the body was discovered. He was also the only lorry driver who'd passed by the areas where Dagmar's belongings had been. been found. Everything about Sinclair, from his shifty attitude to his sudden decision to quit his job, made him seem suspicious to Detective Fabian. He and his partner, Sergeant Rawlings, needed to question

the man again. Well, Sidney, I'm sure we'll get this cleared up soon. I'd like to go over your statement with you, if that's all right. Sure, I don't know if I could be of any help, but I'm happy to try. By the way, Sidney Sinclair is an interesting name. How long have you had it? Never mind. Don't worry about it. Now, statement of Sidney Sinclair, 25 little Abington, Lorry Driver, aged 45. Just a moment. You would prefer I tell the truth, correct? Certainly. Right. My parents name me Harold. Harold Hager. I changed my name to Sid Sinclair some years ago. I suppose you should fix that. This moment shifted the scope of the investigation. It seemed

the officer's main suspect had a secret identity. Detective Fabian played it cool, but inside, he was smiling. Sinclair had been using a pseudonym. The detective felt confident he was hiding a lot more than his real name. Fabian continued through the rest of Sinclair's statement about the delivery pickup at the cider works and seeing no one along the road. Then he casually mentioned that Dagmar's yellow crocheted bag had been found in the Clare Park Lake. If someone threw that bag in a stream near the cider works, Fabian explained it could have easily ended up there. Sinclair dropped his head into his hands almost collapsing. It looked like he'd been hit. Sinclair told Detective Fabian this was something that happened to him. Every so often, he'd get an

overwhelming headache and feel dizzy, sometimes to the point of blacking out. He'd even seen a doctor about it recently. Detective Fabian was well aware of Sinclair's recent visit to the doctor. He'd been seeking a diagnosis of anxiety neurosis so that he could quit his job. Sinclair claimed a mysterious accident at work had him on edge, but Fabian wondered if this so-called accident was actually the murder. The detective sent his partner, Sergeant Rawlings, to check police records under the name Harold Hager. Sidney Sinclair had no criminal history, but maybe Mr. Hagger did. Now alone together, Detective Fabian took on a friendlier tone with his suspect.

He offered tea and cigarettes, even a meal. But Sinclair couldn't stomach anything. Can I get you some dinner, Sinclair? The police canteen has rabbit tonight. No, thank you, Detective. Perhaps I'll try some tea. There, maybe that'll settle your head. We have some cake, too, if you like. Oh, that might be good. Detective, I'm afraid there might be something else I need to tell you. Oh, what's that?

I'm... Well, it turns out, I had happened upon the lady's attache. I tossed the thing. But I... I swear, I never actually saw her. Just a case. Her attache case? Well, I do wish this had come up before, but I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of it. Here's your cake. Again, Detective Fabian's poker face was put to the test.

The lorry driver had stumbled into another trap. Dagmar Petrovalski's brown attache case, the one she'd had with her at the time of the murder, had never been publicized by law enforcement. If the public didn't know the murdered woman had the case with her, then Sinclair had just deeply implicated himself. The fact that he'd confessed to finding not just a random attache, but Dagmar specifically meant he knew far more than he was letting on.

Detective Fabian could practically see the noose tightening around Sinclair's neck. So Fabian convinced Sinclair to issue a second official statement, amending his original story to include the brown attaché. Sinclair did this and said he'd spotted the case lying in the grass off the road and hoped to find valuables inside. According to him, when he opened the attache, he found a yellow string bag, sandwiches, a vest, and a pair of women's gloves. Sinclair claimed that as he made his way back home,

he tossed his findings out of his lorry. Detective Fabian dutifully took down his story, but things weren't adding up. Sinclair made a very modest living as a lorry driver. The items he said he found were valuable to someone like him. Also, in his first statement to the police, Sinclair claimed he hadn't seen a blue woman's shoe on the side of the road. Numerous other lorry drivers remembered the shoe, and one even stopped to retrieve it, finding Dagmar's body beside. it. Sinclair had been the only one to miss the footwear, but also the only one to find an attache. A blue shoe stood out far more starkly against the browns and greens of the road than an

attache case. It made no sense for the lorry driver to miss one, but not the other. Sinclair had now established himself as a liar. He'd made a false statement. He had a false name. Fabian could smell guilt on this man. He just needed to prove it. Luckily, that proof was already on its way. Sergeant Rawlings returned with interesting news. What is it, Rawlings? I have him against the ropes.

I need to keep prodding. Our man at Scotland Yard got back to me. They ran the check for Harold Hager. He has 16 convictions, some of them violent. The charges against Sinclair, under his old name, included assault against a woman, theft, selling stolen goods and military desertion, Harold Hager, Sinclair's secret identity, was deeply entrenched in a criminal lifestyle.

Every new insight into Sinclair painted the picture of a man capable of killing Dagmar Petjavalsky. All Detective Fabian needed now was a confession. Coming up, Detective Fabian returns to the scene of the crime. This is Story Booth Daily. Tune into this new podcast for your daily fix of real life stories from real people around the world. We've received thousands of stories that we want to share with you, from talking about being ghosted, or realizing that being popular isn't all that great sometimes. No topic is off the table.

This is a podcast that's not only for you, but by you. Story booth Daily premieres November 8th, so be sure to check us out Monday through Friday. Story Booth Daily is a wheelhouse and Spotify original from Parcast. Now, back to the story. On Friday, November 22nd, 1946, Detective Robert Fabian closed in on 45-year-old Sidney Sinclair. The commercial lorry driver had a secret criminal history and was a person of interest in the murder of 48-year-old Dagmar Petchavalsky.

Detective Fabian had just learned that Sidney Sinclair was a pseudonym, and the man before him was actually named Harold Hager, As officers at Scotland Yard dug deeper into Sinclair's past, Detective Fabian hatched a plan to get the lorry driver to incriminate himself. So Detective Fabian asked Sinclair if he would take a ride along the A-20, the route Sinclair took the morning of the murder. Fabian framed it as a simple trip to establish a timeline that day. Sinclair obliged, likely hoping he could turn suspicion away from himself.

Slow down a bit. I discovered the case somewhere nearby. Right over there, by the curb? That's it. Just saw it laying there. And where did you chuck it? Well, it was on the way back after I dropped the bricks at the cider works. But I tossed the gloves and the string bag in the stream there. And you'd put all this down in a new statement? Of course. Anything to help the case, detective.

Pull over here. It's where I stopped to chuck the sandwiches. They've likely been eaten by vermin at this point, but we may as well check. As Sinclair pointed out each location, Fabian made mental notes. Where Sinclair supposedly found the attache case was probably where he picked up, Dagmar. Where he said he tossed the sandwiches was likely where he dumped her body. With each new detail, Sinclair figured he was... he looked more innocent, but Fabian filed every piece of information away as evidence of his guilt. The men returned to the police station so Sinclair could make a third official statement.

This would be an amendment to his first two, meaning he'd officially lied to authorities at least twice. These discrepancies were enough for Fabian to officially detain Sidney Sinclair. The detective advised him that anything he said could be used. used against him, but Sinclair still claimed innocence. Nevertheless, Fabian remained convinced this was his culprit. He floated his theory to Sinclair, hoping to provoke the lorry driver into a confession. We'll need to keep you here while we clear a few things up. Well, I understand, detective. You're just doing your job.

Well, this cell will be yours for the night. I'll be sending detectives around to your home in Little Abington as well. Oh, why's that? No need to worry. We'll just gather some of your clothes, your personal items, check for fingerprints and hairs. I'm sure you understand. Of course, detective. And we'll speak with your wife.

Daisy, what's she got to do with this? We just need to make sure your story matches up. About your story, Mr. Sinclair, I think there may still be a few things that have gone unsaid. But I already... I think that perhaps you did see Dagmar Petschabalski that morning. I think you gave her a ride. Who knows what happened between the two of you? But perhaps she didn't survive the encounter.

Maybe then you panicked and dumped her body on your way to work. But perhaps not. It's simply a theory. Again, if you think of anything else, I urge you to let me know. Then you go. With Sinclair officially behind bars, Detective Fabian could turn back to the meat of the case, and most importantly, figure out exactly who Sidney Sinclair,

or Harold Hager, was. His partner, Detective Rawlings, returned with the information dug up by Scotland Yard. Sydney Sinclair, born Harold Hager, was the fifth of fourteen children. His father made a meager living as a garbage collector. There wasn't time to make sure little Harold's needs were met or even to treat him kindly. Family meals were a rough affair. Whoever could grab the most would eat the most. Sinclair learned from a young age that if he needed something, you would have to take it.

This chaotic upbringing caused a lot of anxiety for Sinclair. He barely managed to maintain an education, defied any perceived authority figures, and fell in with the wrong crowd. In grade school, he often skipped class to steal cigarettes or get into fistfights with their boys. In 1917, at the age of 16, Sinclair was sick of formal education. He dropped out and lied about his age to join the military. Sinclair wanted to be a part of the action in World War I, but he found himself unable to adhere to the military's strict rules. He often went missing or disrespected superiors. Eventually, Sinclair's father found him at the barracks, exposed his real age,

and dragged him back home. Two months later, Sinclair's behavior escalated. He stole a pair of shoes and then assaulted the police officer who attempted to arrest him. It was his first violent run-in with law enforcement, but it wouldn't be his last. This was also the moment Sinclair started using fake names. First, he borrowed his fathers,

and a slew of other pseudonyms followed. He likely believed these false identities allowed him to continue stealing and fighting. But even with this tactic, Sinclair found himself behind bars more often than not, and by 1925 his stretches in jail were lengthening. First, it was six months, then 18. He knew that harder time would be in his future

if he kept getting picked up. Then on May 22, 1925, Sinclair was arrested for stealing an overcoat and escaped the authorities. When they found him two weeks later in another town, an officer slapped handcuffs on his wrists and marched him onto a train car. He would escort him on the journey so that Sinclair could be tried for his crimes. Sinclair faked stomach pains and claimed he needed to use the restroom. As soon as he was alone, he smashed the small bathroom window and jumped from the moving train.

Sinclair planned to make a run for it, but he sustained. severe injuries from his jump. He had a concussion, many broken bones, and was in a state of shock. The police took him to a hospital, expecting he might die, but after 20 days, he somehow pulled through. From that moment forward, Sinclair was plagued with what he called episodes. These were dizzy spells, often accompanied by tremors, memory loss, and blackouts. But this accident wasn't a turning point for Sinclair.

In fact, he doubled down on his criminal activities. And when Britain's Age of Austerity rolled around, he found himself uniquely suited to London's burgeoning criminal underworld. The age of austerity required Brits to pinch pennies and stretch pounds, and also installed strict rationing of goods such as gas, red meat, and cigarettes. While many citizens, like Dagmar Petchivolsky, took austerity very serious, others had a different approach. Sinclair participated in the black market that thrived after World War II.

He made a habit of stealing extra gas and cigarettes and fencing them at various truck stops along his route as a lorry driver. He became well known at these stops, participating in underground card games, and frequently did business with local sex workers. As Detective Fabian studied Sinclair's history, the suspects stood behind bars. The detective ordered a guard to keep watch at Sinclair's cell.

When the observing officer, Detective Constable Cyril Bailey, checked on him that morning, he found Sinclair quite dishevelled. The man looked shaken and said he needed to get something off his chest. Up and out, Sinclair. How'd you sleep? I didn't, detective. My head's in a state. Can I have a cigarette, please? please.

Here you go. When will Inspector Fabian get here? 9.30. That's usually when he comes in. I don't think I've slept in two weeks. Bring the inspector here and I'll come clean. I picked up Dagmar Petrovalsky. Coming up, Sinclair comes face to face with his past in court.

And now back to the story. After spending the night of November 22nd, 1946, in prison, 45-year-old Sidney Sinclair was finally ready to tell the truth. He wanted to change his story about his involvement in the murder of 48-year-old Dagmar Petjavalsky for a fourth time. Detective Robert Fabian, who'd learned Sinclair had an extensive criminal history under the name Harold Hager, raced to the holding cell. Sinclair confessed to picking up Dagmar Petchavalsky on the morning of October 31st.

According to him, he saw her hitchhiking and offered her a ride. Detective Fabian assumed Sinclair mistook her for a sex worker and planned to solicit her services. But Sinclair corrected him. He claimed Dagmar had been the one to offer sexual favors. After I picked her up, she asked me to pull over. I needed to make my delivery, but I did what the lady asked. Why did she ask you to pull over? She said she wanted some extra pocket money for her trip to London.

She offered to play about with me if I gave her some quid. I said no, of course, but she must have been trying to distract me with all her talking. Distract you? For what reason? Next thing I knew, she had my wallet in her hand, trying to sneak it into her shirt. That was when I knew her game. I'm ashamed to say that, well, I hit her, but I swear I was only trying to get my wallet back. Sinclair, this is your fourth statement.

I'd like to remind you that you had better be truthful. After I hit her, she started screaming and went for the door. She had my wallet detective, so I grabbed the scar for whatever it was she had around her neck, and I must have pulled too hard. Next thing I knew, her body just went limp. She was dead. But it was an accident, I swear! Detective Fabian couldn't believe his luck.

There it was, a confession to killing. Yet he suspected Sinclair was lying about the circumstances leading up to the killing. It wasn't believable that quiet, reclusive Dagmar Pachevalsky had behaved the way he claimed. But this confession would seal Sinclair's fate in court. Sinclair also confessed to dumping Dagmar's body and scattering her belongings. He was guilty of the crime, and that meant he could face the death penalty. The next day, November 24, 1946, the news that Sidney Sinclair had been formally charged with the murder of Dagmar Pachevolski spread like wildfire.

Sinclair officially entered his plea as not guilty. He maintained that the killing was accidental, and hoped to convince the court to opt for a manslaughter charge. The trial was set for February 27th. Authorities transferred Sinclair to Canterbury Prison, where he would be held until court proceedings. Days later, Sinclair attempted suicide. He survived, but this action, paired with his history of blackouts,

convinced his court-appointed lawyer, Edward Morling, to pursue an insanity defense. Morling hinge Sydney's entire case on this. Surely this man who had sustained such a severe head injury, attempted suicide, and often had episodes, wasn't in his right mind. But insanity was a difficult legal definition to pursue. Following the McNaughton rules, Morling would have to prove that Sinclair was unaware of the severity of his actions or had a psychotic mental illness. considering how many times Sinclair had covered up his involvement in the crime, it seemed obvious he knew what he was doing was wrong.

But Morling prepared as best he could, and naturally Detective Fabian helped the prosecution do the same. He got to work rounding up witnesses, securing depositions, and collecting evidence the state could use against Sidney Sinclair. On the morning of February 27, 1947, the small courtroom in Maidstone Kent County overflowed with interested onlookers and witnesses. The prosecution, on behalf of the Crown, was led by Curtis Bennett. He only needed to use Sinclair's statements to paint the picture of a guilty man.

After all, Sinclair had openly confessed to killing Dagmar Petchavalski. Witness after witness took the stand. They each styled Sidney Sinclair as a lifelong criminal who'd escalated his transgressions from petty theft to murder. Given what was known about Sinclair, his various aliases, his lengthy criminal history, his habit of military desertion, the jury was primed against him. But amongst the more shocking revelations to come out about Sinclair's character

was that he was a bigamist. He was married to two different women, at the same time. His current wife, Daisy Sinclair, had suffered greatly since Sinclair's arrest. She was in such a state of distress that she was briefly hospitalized for depression. She was also pregnant. By the time of the trial, she remained by her husband's side, but their marriage was illegitimate. Daisy was shocked to learn her husband had a secret double life as a criminal under other name.

and she had no idea he was still married to another woman. Sinclair's first wife, Sophia Hager, hadn't seen him in years. He'd abandoned her after their marriage soured, and he'd broken too many laws to keep living under the name Harold Hager. Sophia Hager had little love left for Sydney and was happy to help put him behind bars. In Sydney's mind, the fact that he hadn't legally divorced Sophia didn't matter. He'd started a new life under a new name, and then he'd marry Daisy.

But from the perspective of the prosecution, Sidney Sinclair's bigamy reinforced the idea he was capable of harming others. If he could do this to women he supposedly loved, the jury could only imagine what he might do to a stranger. The prosecution continued poking holes in Sinclair's statements. One of the clearest sticking points was, Sinclair's insistence that Dagmar Pachevalsky had offered him sexual favors for money. As a frequent patron of sex workers, it was far more likely that Sinclair had mistaken

Dagmar's intentions. Plus, Dagmar Pachevalsky was a virgin. This fact was suggested by her family and corroborated during her autopsy. The idea that she'd suddenly decided to engage in sex work was ridiculous. But Sinclair wouldn't admit that his story was full of flaws. He continued changing his angle, desperate for a way to look innocent. Mr. Sinclair, perhaps you don't know this, but theft is not a legal excuse for strangulation. Yes, sir.

Then what possessed you to throttle the deceased? Well, first when I tried to get my wallet away, she was kicking and scratching at me, And then her scarf just came away in my hand, and that's all I remember, till I came too. Are you saying that contrary to your initial statement in which you were fully conscious during Dagmar's killing, you actually experienced one of your blackouts? Yes, sir, I came too. Must have been minutes later, and she was dead. But I don't know what happened.

Must have been one of my turns. Changing his story like this was a clumsy and transparent attempt at an insanity defense. The effort only cast more doubt on Sinclair. This was at least the fifth time his statement had changed, and in earlier tellings, he'd been in full possession of his faculties while killing Dagmar Petschavalski. It turned out that this wasn't the only tale Sinclair had altered over the years. The story about his severe head.

head wound sustained while jumping from a train had been embellished too. According to expert witnesses, the injuries weren't enough to warrant an insanity defense. It was the nail in the coffin when the prosecution cross-examine Sinclair's current wife, Daisy. Perhaps unaware that she was ruining her husband's chances of an insanity defense, she'd said she'd never seen any actions from him that supported mental illness. She was aware of his head pains and dizzy spells, but hadn't witnessed total blackouts. Even doctors who'd attended Sinclair after his suicide attempt deemed him of sound mind. And when the prosecution reconstructed their proposed version of events on the morning of October 31st,

all hope looked lost for Sidney Sinclair. Based on their evidence and the book Murder at Rudham Hill, we believe the last day of Dagmar Pachevalski went something like this. At around 5 a.m. on October 31st, 1946, 48-year-old Dagmar Petshavalsky left her small hut on her mother's property. She carried a puppy named Hetty, intending to rehome the dog with her brother, Ralph, and sister-in-law, Elena. She had a brown attache with jam sandwiches. And, of course, she carried the hand-croached,

yellow string bag Elena had made for her birthday. She also wore a light-colored scarf, one she'd repurposed from an old men's vest. Dagmar was nothing, if not resourceful. She set out on the road with her thumb up, intending to hitch a ride from a passing Lorry driver. The road from Kingsdown into London was often busy with drivers making deliveries. She'd catch a lift into London and then ride the discount train to her brother's house and woking. By 5.20 a.m. no one had stopped. Dagmar had hoped to get into London by 8 a.m. and needed to catch a break soon. But when a lorry driver made a U-turn to pull up beside her, she hesitated.

The man behind the wheel was shrouded in the low morning light. Dagmar could make out his frame, short but thickly built. His hands were large and rough. She could almost see the large scar running across his face. The man offered her a ride, explaining that he was heading back to London after he dropped off a delivery of bricks just down the road. If she hopped in, he'd make sure to get her to her train on time. The man seemed friendly enough, and it was so cold and wet out,

Dagmar decided to take him up on his offer. The person behind the wheel was Sidney Sinclair. and he had no intention of behaving like a gentleman. He'd never seen Dagmar before and assumed any woman who'd be looking for a ride at that hour would be a sex worker. As soon as Dagmar settled into her seat, she felt the atmosphere shift.

The once cheerful man now leered at her, practically licking his lips. When he pulled off the main road and parked, fear ran cold in Dagmar's bones. Sinclair got down to business and asked her how much she charged. It was then that Dagmar realized what this man was after. She scrambled for the door, but Sinclair grabbed her, pulling her back. A scuffle broke out.

Sinclair attempted to sexually assault Dagmar, but she struggled, kicking open the lorry door. Frightened, Hedy the puppy, leapt out, and ran off. Finally, Degmar screamed, a terrified sound, cutting through the silence of the rural morning. Dagmar pulled out from the struggle, heading for the open door. Sinclair knew her escape meant police, more prison time, another name change, and a new life. And he wasn't going back to all that.

As Dagmar pushed off, he grabbed the scarf around her neck. He pulled tight, yanking Dagmar back into the lorry, quieting her screams. He pulled on the scarf with such force that her thwarted her thwarted. thyroid cartilage snapped, but she continued to fight, angering Sinclair further. He pulled and pulled. Within 30 seconds, he silenced Dagmar Pachevalski forever. Her body slumped down and Sinclair panicked. A life of thefts and robberies hadn't prepared him for this. He just crossed a threshold into murder, and he had to cover up this crime. A few miles down the road, Sinclair pulled over again.

He was near Routum Hill, and the hedges along the roadway were high. Quickly, he dragged Dagmar's body across the grass and dumped it behind the bushes. Only a few hours later, a passing driver would find her and call for help. Sinclair continued on to his delivery job, dropping the bricks off at Goldwell Cider Works. He did his best to put his terrible actions out of his mind. He headed home and tossed Dagmar's belongings, the attache, and the string bag along the way. With that, Sidney Sinclair believed he'd gotten away with murder. But in only a matter of weeks, his cover-up would blow wide open.

Sydney Sinclair's trial lasted just two days from February 27th to 28, 1947. The jury's deliberation was even shorter. Only 35 minutes passed before they had their verdict. Sidney Sinclair, you have been found guilty of the murder of Dagmar Petrovalsky. Do you understand what this means? Yes, sir. The jury rejects any consideration of insanity or manslaughter. The death penalty is recommended without mercy.

Do you have anything final to say in your defense? fence. No. Sidney Sinclair, you will be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May the Lord have mercy upon your soul. Sinclair's legal team attempted appeals on his behalf, but it was a lost cause. Practically everyone in England knew this man was guilty and most were ready to see him hang. As author Diana Suhami explains, the differences between Sidney Sinclair,

Dagmar Pachevalsky and the reactions to austerity couldn't have been more stark. For the public, Dagmar represented the virtues of prudence and frugality, while Sinclair symbolized the darkest evils of human nature. So the country watched eagerly as Sinclair approached the gallows. Detective Fabian was present at the execution, working alongside his colleague, Albert Pierpoint. Pierpoint was a prolific executioner.

He'd handled some of the vilest criminals in history, having presided over Nazi executions between 1945 and 1948. On Tuesday, March 18, 1947, Pierpoint hanged Sidney Sinclair. In many Brits' eyes, the death righted a set of cosmic scales. Evil was vanquished. and austerity reigned once again. Thanks again for tuning in to Solved Murders.

We'll be back next Wednesday with a new episode. For more information on the murder of Dagmar Pachevalski, amongst the many sources we used, we found Diana Suhami's book, Murder at Rudham Hill, extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of Solved Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast

for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. If we live till next time. Solve Murders, True Crime Mysteries is a Spotify original from Parcast. It is executive produced by Max Cutler. Sound design by Michael Langsner, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Travis Clark. This episode of Solve Murders was written by Kayla Westergard-Dopson,

with writing assistance by Karis Allen and Giles Hofseth. Fact-checking by Claire Cronin and research by Mickey Taylor. The amazing cast of voice actors includes Tom Bauer, Joe Hernandez, and Kai Jordan. Solve Murder stars Wendy McKenzie and Carter Roy. This is Story Booth Daily. Tune into this new podcast for your daily fix of real-life stories from people around the world. Story Booth Daily premieres Monday, November 8th on Spotify. Story Booth Daily is a Willhouse and Spotify original from Parcast.

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