The tragic murders that shook Abertillery | Forensic Files

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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any time you need support
please contact your local crisis center 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 abertalleri wales locals had rallied together to undertake a desperate search
shops and 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 ebba 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 frida bernell frieda burnell [Music] hours earlier frida burnell had been
skipping down somerset street into abertalleri's bustling town center the side of little frida 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 frida 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 9 00 a.m the bell at the top
of the front door of mortimer's store jingled as frida entered the shop specialized in livestock
supplies and while they had the chicken feed frida requested there weren't any sacks
of grit only loose grit frida 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 abitaliri's locals
were assisting police and the bernal family in trying to locate frieda somehow during her journey home from
mortimer's store she had vanished without a trace [Music] the following morning a local coal
worker finished his shift in the mines and began the walk back to his home as he approached abertillary's town
center 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 sac closely
inside was the body of eight-year-old freda bernell her remains had been dumped just 90
meters from her house freda 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 the robe her attacker had also attempted to rape
her the shocking murder rattled the typically carefree townsfolk frieda'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 freda'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 frieda'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 between 30 to 40 years of age
approximately five feet six 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 abertillary 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 frida was murdered between 9 30 am
and 1 pm 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 freida left mortimers they heard screams coming from the
direction of the storied 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 30 a.m she thought it was her son
in the backyard herding 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 frida's skin and the sack she was found in a small handkerchief that frida 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 275 metres 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 frida'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
herbeck carried one the other was held by one of his employees fifteen-year-old harold jones
harold was at the front counter when freda visited mortimer's on february five 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 her once for a short period
at 10 a.m almost an hour after frida burnell had stopped by he'd been tasked with retrieving some
stock from the shed but the teenager didn't go alone herbert's ten-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 frida burnell was missing
harold slid his hand into his pocket only to realize that he didn't have the key to the shed on him
realization 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 freda harold went back to the shed with
francis mortimer and another local teen 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 freda into the
secluded building upon realizing it was accessible yet despite having a strong alibi
harold jones was eyed by scotland yard as a prime suspect in the case the fifteen-year-old knew frida burnell
personally as she was friends with his little sister flossie consequently a level of trust existed
between harold and freda 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 freda'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 abertillary's residence
harald's employers vouched for his whereabouts at the time freda 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 frida burnell's murder and held at the abertillary 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 abertillary 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 [Music] 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
mortimers 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 shared 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 locked 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 freida's killer in
custody local police supported their decision much to the fury of the public they knew an outsider was to blame
a current as inquest into the death of frida burnell formally began a month after she was
found its purpose was to determine whether freda'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 abertillary police station upon taking the witness box he looked nervous
and had difficulty answering questions often giving contradictory evidence the prosecution took his anxious
demeanor as a sign of guilt and for four hours they continued to barrage him with
questions multiple people testified in harald's defense 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 freda
was later found this was the same man allegedly described by spirits during a seance that townsfolk held
after the discovery of frieda'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 center 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 frieda's cause of death was willful murder by some person
or persons unknown bail for harold jones was refused and he was remanded in custody
until april 5 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 5 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 freda's had been found although this failed to address
the bloodied axe the corn chaff or multiple reports of a commotion from their 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 for 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 burnell
commenced harold received the 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 freda 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 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 frieda bernell
fifteen-year-old harold jones was found not guilty the town of abertillary rejoiced
harold walked free from the courtroom and into the arms of his tearful 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 the 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 neighbor
george little clapped him on the back and said well done lad we knew you didn't do it
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her homework ate her dinner and did her nightly chores at 9 pm 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 also present
was flossie's older brother fifteen-year-old harold jones it had been 17 days since he was acquitted for the
murder of freda bernell 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 shot 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 to the local police who commenced their own search at 11
15 pm word quickly spread and just as they had done with frida burnell 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 30 am 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 realising 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 table
top streaked with bloodstains hoisting his upper body into the cramped attic catch
the constables 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 eleven-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 meters from his home when he saw his father approaching
as reported in the manchester guardian phillips 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 philippa jones then performed a 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 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 10 pm 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 school children even sold water to
rubberneckers 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 bloodstains 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 attic 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 abertillary police
station demanding harald'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 burnell case halfway through the inquest he spotted his mother on the balcony and
yelled out to her hello mom 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 do was determine whether he was guilty or not
[Music] 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 [Music] 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 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 quote 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 [Music] 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 another 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 freda bernell in mr mortimer's warehouse
on the 5th of february harold later explained that frieda 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 freda harold left her body in a sack in the shed he then returned to mortimer's to
continue his shift at around 10 a.m 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 ten-year-old
francis mortimer who provided a statement that contradicted his fathers 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 harald 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
later 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 20 pm 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 eulog keep quiet before entering the shirt when harold exited he locked the door
behind him and approached francis and the other team 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 freda in there he claimed to know about creating alibis and
covering his tracks from reading countless detective novels when alone harold returned to the shed
and removed the sack that held frieda 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 harald killed florence little because he enjoyed the publicity and
celebrity status he received after murdering freda bernell 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
and 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 following 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 harald facing the death penalty
by pleading guilty to both murders before he turned 16 harold jones saved himself from the
hangman's noose he 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
cold-blooded killer in the aftermath of the confession herbert mortimer admitted that the alibi he'd provided
for harold following frida burnell'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 mortimers
became outcasts and were forced to close their shop and leave town harold's family remained
in abertillary 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 paterson 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 green at parole at the height
of world war ii some sources claim he was subscripted into the royal artillery as a gun fitter
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 neighborhood of fulham
[Music] 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 specks 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's 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 abertillary author neil milkens 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 fifteen-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 frieda 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 terrorize the
people of abertillary even after his release from prison when organ music was heard emanating
from the front room of the jones family home rumors circulated that he was back in
town in 1950 he was spotted visiting the graves of frida burnell and florence little he was also known to
pop into the local fish and chip shop on occasion abertillary 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 abitaliri residents
in 2018 local author neil milken's raised four thousand pounds 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 frieda 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 [Music] you

Case 182: Freda Burnell & Florence Little

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...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Jessica Forsayeth Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-182-freda-burnell-florence-little

Brief Summary

The episode details the murders of Frida Burnell and Florence Little by Harold Jones in 1921 and the ensuing investigation and trials.

Key points

The Disappearance of Frieda Burnell. On February 5, 1921, eight-year-old Frieda Burnell vanished from Abertillery, sparking a desperate search.
The Discovery of Frieda's Body. The next day, a coal worker found Frieda's body in a sack, just 90 meters from her home.
Harold Jones Arrested. Despite community support, 15-year-old Harold Jones was arrested on suspicion of Frieda's murder.
Trial and Acquittal. Harold Jones was found not guilty of Frieda's murder, leading to community celebrations.
The Discovery of Florence's Body. Florence Little's body was found in the attic, leading to Harold's arrest.
Harold Jones's Confession. Harold Jones confessed to the murder of Florence Little in a detailed letter.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

The shocking murder rattled the typically carefree townsfolk.

Description of the impact of Frieda's murder on the community.

0:36WatchJul 31, 2021

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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