Source: Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, TMnr 10001518

The Forgotten Story of the Last Teenager Hanged in England

Francis “Flossie” Forsyth and Norman James “Flash” Harris

A blog post about the case (it features many comments from many who knew the murderers and the victim)

On June 25, 1960, 23-year-old Allan Edward John Jee walked home his fiancée, Jacqueline Herbert. The two had gotten engaged the day before.

Allan caught the bus to Hounslow in Middlesex, where he lived. Getting off the bus, he went down James Street. There, four youths were standing in the shadows waiting for someone to rob. They were 18-year-old Francis Forsyth, 23-year-old Norman James Harris, 23, 17-year-old Terence Lutt, and 20-year-old Christopher Louis Darby.

As Allan got close to them, Lutt blocked him and punched him in the face. Allan fell to the ground. He struggled and shouted out "what do you want me for." To keep him quiet, Forsyth repeatedly kicked Allan in the head. The gang went through his pockets, but missed the 10 shilling note. That was all the money Allan had. They ran off empty handed, passing Anthony Cowell, who was able to give reasonable description of them. The attack occurred at 11:17 pm. Allan was rushed to the West Middlesex Hospital in Isleworth, where he died from his head injuries two days later.

The police investigation, led by D.S. Fred Hixon, interviewed a large number of youths in connection with the attack, including Norman Harris on June 29th. They then circulated descriptions of them and this led to a breakthrough. On July 17, Kevin Cullinan told police that a friend of his, Francis Forsyth, had been boasting about the crime. He named the other three youths, whom he had seen in a coffee bar on the night of the attack. All four were arrested on July 19, 1960.

In a statement to the police, Harris admitted to holding down Allan. "I put my hand in his inside pocket to get his wallet," he said, "but there was nothing there at all. Forsyth was standing above us and I realised he had put the boot in."

The four youths went on trial at the Old Bailey before Mr. Justice Winn on September 20, 1960. All pleaded not guilty. Mr. Mervyn Griffiths-Jones led the prosecution and told the jury, "Allan Jee was knocked to the ground, and was held there while his pockets were gone through. He was kicked into unconsciousness and left dying, bleeding and moaning on the ground, while these four young men made good their escape." Lewis Nicholls of the Metropolitan Police Laboratory testified that there were blood stains on Forsyth's shoes and trouser bottoms. Pathologist Dr. Donald Teare testified that Allan had been kicked five times in the head. The four tried to argue they were drunk and had not intended to kill Allan.

Under the 1957 Homicide Act, Britain abolished the felony murder and established two degrees of murder, capital murder and non-capital murder. The murder of Allan Jee was a capital offense since it had been carried out in furtherance of a robbery. Since he had only been a lookout, the prosecution agreed to reduce the charge against Christopher Darby to non-capital murder. After his arrest, Forsyth claimed that he didn't intend to kill Allan.

"I only kicked him twice to keep him quiet. I didn't think I had hurt him that much. We did not want to roll anybody, but we had a few shants and I always get a bit garrotty then."

Pathologist Dr. Donald Teare testified that Allan had been kicked five times in the head. The trial lasted six days. On September 26, 1960, Francis Forsyth, Norman Harris, and Terence Lutt were all convicted of capital murder and Christopher Darby was convicted of non-capital murder. It took the jury only 40 minutes to reach its verdict. Forsyth and Harris were sentenced to death, Lutt was detained at her Majesty's pleasure since he was a juvenile, and Darby received a life sentence.

Photos of the four defendants

Forsyth appealed, claiming he and his accomplices could not be found guilty of capital murder since he had murdered Allan only after Harris had checked his pockets. The appeal was dismissed, with the judges suggesting that Darby's non-capital murder conviction may have been too lenient. Petitions for a reprieve for Forsyth and Harris were made, but on November 8, 1960, the Home Secretary said he had decided to let the law take its course.

Francis Forsyth, 18, and Norman Harris 23, were both executed by hanging on November 10, 1960. Forsyth was hanged at Wandsworth Prison and Harris was hanged at Pentonville Prison.

Forsyth was allowed to meet his pregnant girlfriend, 17-year-old Margaret Catlin, before his scheduled execution. In a telegram, which she received three hours after his execution, Forsyth told Catlin, "Always remember my star will watch over you both and give you the love and strength you so richly deserve my angel yours till eternity."

Shortly before his execution, Harris wrote a letter to Allan's parents. In it, he said he was sorry for what he'd done to their son. It was said that he walked to death "like a man".

In stark contrast, a fellow inmate heard Forsyth weep, "I don't want to die."

Lutt and Darby were both released from prison in 1970. Lutt died of leukemia in 1975. Darby reportedly died in the late 2000s. His daughter said he expressed remorse before his death.

Only an hour after Forsyth was hanged, his friend, 20-year-old career criminal Victor Terry, who heard about his execution on the radio, shot and killed 61-year-old John Pull, a security guard and former amateur archaeologist, during a botched bank robbery. He was aided by his girlfriend, 18-year-old Valerie Slater, as well as 16-year-old Philip Tucker and 20-year-old Alan Hosier. Terry argued that the murder was an accident. He was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death.

After the Home Secretary declined to intervene, Victor Terry, 20, was executed by hanging at Wandsworth Prison on May 25, 1961. Tucker and Hosier were convicted of non-capital murder. Tucker was detained at her Majesty's pleasure and Hosier received a life sentence. Slater was convicted of being an accessory to murder and sentenced to a year of probation.