In September 1900 a woman's body was discovered on the beach in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. She had been strangled with a bootlace. The police had no idea who she was, but they established she had been staying in the town at a boarding house with her infant daughter, Ruby. She had checked in under the name 'Mrs Hood'.

It took several weeks to work out her true identity. Her name was Mary Bennett, and her estranged husband, Herbert, was quickly arrested and charged with her murder. He was convicted in a trial at the Old Bailey, and hanged in March 1901.

Now, Ruby's grandson Paul Fitchett is on a mission to find out the truth about his great-grandparents and crack the tragic case that left Ruby an orphan. He strongly believes Herbert was innocent - but can he prove it?

If you have any story ideas for future episodes of Caught Up in Crime - you can email them to caughtupincrime@gmail.com or contact me at tom@shinebrighterconsulting.co.uk

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Artwork by Spencer Wilson

Music by Premium Beat

Theme: Noir Guitar by Jonathan Boyle

Tracks featured in this episode:

• A Mysterious Fairy by Adieu Adieu
• Still by Shaun Freerson
• The Ancient Mystery by Tom Olivier
• Seek the Solution by Cloud Revolution
• Open Seas by Liam Mansfield
• Glimpse of the Darkness by Emmett Cooke

Emily Patterson was the last victim of one of North America's first known serial killers. But she was also a loving mother to two small boys, a pillar of her local community in Canada, and the long lost ancestor of crime writer Denise Beddows.

It was Emily's bravery as she tried to fight off the evil killer Earle Nelson - known as the 'Gorilla Killer' due to his abnormally large hands - that led to his capture and execution in 1928.

While most books about serial killers are sensationalist accounts about monsters and their brutal crimes, Denise tells the story of each of Nelson's victims. They are the women history left behind. They are The Forgotten 44.

You can order Denise's book - The Forgotten 44 - from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forgotten-Forty-Four-Victims-Survivors-Americas/dp/B0CGGC4QT8

If you have any story ideas for future episodes of Caught Up in Crime - you can email them to caughtupincrime@gmail.com.

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Or Facebook

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Artwork by Spencer Wilson

Music by Premium Beat

Theme: Noir Guitar by Jonathan Boyle

Tracks featured in this episode:

• Questionable Behavior by Sunshine Music
• Moving Heart by Firefly Music
• Crime of the Century by Flash Fluharty
• The Disappearance by Emmett Cooke
• Lamentations by Mark Fabian
• Castigan's Folly by Nathan King

In 1998, author and historian Susan Ronald was in a bank vault in Zurich, Switzerland checking the assets of an elusive billionnaire for a huge investment project. There she stumbled upon evidence of a huge stash of art looted by the Nazis.

Nobody took her story seriously until, more than 15 years later, the German authorities discovered thousands of priceless works of art - many stolen from Jews - secretly hoarded away by a man named Hildebrand Gurlitt - Hitler's personal art curator.

Susan Ronald's book Hitler's Art Thief is available to buy from her website or any online book store.

If you have any story ideas for future episodes of Caught Up in Crime - you can email them to caughtupincrime@gmail.com.

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Or Facebook

Or Instagram

Artwork by Spencer Wilson

Music by Premium Beat

Theme: Noir Guitar by Jonathan Boyle

Tracks featured in this episode:

• Pizzicato Mystery by Studio Le Bus
• Axed by Mojo Handful
• Warpath by Swan Productions
• Mystery at Midnight by Lee Miller
• Searching for Hope by Taizo Audio
• The Bells of Bavaria by The Commandeers