John George Haigh
| John George Haigh | |
|---|---|
Police photograph of John Haigh (1949)
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| Born |
John George Haigh 24 July 1909 Stamford, Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | 10 August 1949 (aged 40) Wandsworth Prison, Wandsworth, London, England |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Other names | The Acid Bath Murderer |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Motive | Profit |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 6–9 |
|
Span of killings
|
1944–1949 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Weapons | Lead pipe, .38 calibre Webley revolver |
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Date apprehended
|
1949 |
John George Haigh (24 July 1909 – 10 August 1949), commonly known as the Acid Bath Murderer, was an English serial killer in the 1940s. He was convicted for the murder of six people, although he claimed to have killed nine. He used acid to dispose of the bodies after battering them to death or shooting them because he believed it was an undetectable method of destroying their remains. Haigh dissolved corpses in concentrated sulphuric acid before forging papers to be able to sell the victims' possessions and collect substantial sums of money.
During the investigation, it became apparent that Haigh was using the acid to destroy victims' bodies because he misunderstood the meaning of the term corpus delicti, and mistakenly believed that, if the bodies could not be found, a murder conviction would not be possible. Despite the absence of his victims' bodies, there was sufficient scientific evidence for him to be convicted for the murders and subsequently executed.
John George Haigh was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire and grew up in the village of Outwood, West Riding of Yorkshire. His parents were engineer John Robert and Emily née Hudson, members of the Plymouth Brethren, a conservative Protestant sect. He was confined to living within a 10 feet (3 m) wall that his father put up around their garden to lock out the outside world.
Haigh later claimed that he suffered from recurring religious nightmares in his childhood. Despite these limitations, Haigh developed great proficiency at the piano, which he learned at home. He was fond of classical music and often went to concerts featuring music by Felix Mendelssohn, Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky and many more.
Haigh won a scholarship to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield. He then won another scholarship to Wakefield Cathedral, where he became a choirboy.
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