TWO MEN HANGED AT ENGLISH GAOL.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 185, 6 August 1931, Page 1

TWO MEN HANGED AT ENGLISH GAOL.

PENALTY PAID FOR REFUSE DUMP MURDER. United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received August 6, 10 a.m.) LONDON, August 5. William Shelley, aged 57, and Oliver Newman, aged 61, navvies, were simultaneously executed at Pentonville Prison for the murder of Herbert Ayres at Edgeware early in June. The body of Ayres was found partially burned in a refuse dump. STORY OF FRACAS AT MIDNIGHT RECOUNTED ACCUSED ADMITTED GRIM FIGHT IN DARK. Statements alleged to have been made by the accused, which told of a fight and the subsequent carrying of the body to the rubbish shoot, were repeated at Flendon Police Court at the investigation of the burning dump tragedy. Oliver Newman, 61. and William Shel ley, 57, labourers, were charged with being concerned together in the murder of Herbert William Ayres, 45, at Clay Lane, Edgeware, on May 30, by striking him on the head with an instrument.

Ayres’s charred body was found on a burning rubbish dump near Mote Mount Golf Course, Mill Hill.

Divisional Detective-Inspector Bennett had said that Shelley was known as “ Moosh,” Newman as “ Tiggy,” and Ayres as '* Pig Sticker.” Mr C. Wallace, representing the Director of Public Prosecutions, stated that in Clay Lane there were two huts, in one of which Ayres had lived for five weeks. The other had been occupied by Shelley and Newman for the last three months. "A Terrible Fight.” Mr Wallace read a statement alleged to have been made by Shelley, in which he said that Ayres had been continually causing trouble. “ About midnight, May 30, ‘Tiggy’ and I were in my hut and ‘Sticker’ was outside. We both accused him of stealing things from our hut, and then we both went outside to him. "No sooner was I outside my hut than ‘Sticker’ punched me in the chest and knocked me down, and then a fight started. ‘Tiggy’ joined in. We had a terrible fight and he (meaning Ayres) war; killed. “ It was very dark at the time. After that ‘Tiggy’ and I picked him up, and, as he was bleeding from the face, we wrapped sackings round his head and carried him to the shoot and laid him oil some rubbish. We then came home and went to bed. “ I did not hit him with anything, only my fist, and ‘Tiggy’ only used his He kicked me when I was fighting.” -i. Wallace also read the following statement alleged to have been made by Newman: “ About eleven o’clock me and Moosh was outside our hut. ‘Pig Sticker’ came through the hedge. We had a few words with him about pinching our stuff. He gave me a shove, and I asked him what game he was up to. ‘Pig Sticker’ said, ‘l’ll punch you on the jaw.’ I said, ‘lt will take two to play at the game.’ He then gave me another shove with his hand and tormented me. Then we had a ‘go’ for two minutes, and I went and laid down.

“ I saw ‘Pig Sticker’ on the ground, and I said to Moosh, ‘He must be dead.’ We found a sack laying there and wrapped it around his head. We carried him away over to the dust shoot. We put him on the top and let him roll down.” Later, said Mr Wallace, Shelley made the following remark: *' If I had my way he would not have had it like this. I wanted to put him on the line and let a train run over him. He has only got what he wanted for a long time. It was the hardest job carrying him across there. We took him in a sack and put a pole through it.” Sir Bernard Spilsbury said that some of the injuries could have been caused by a pick. The fracture on the left .temple was caused by something having a large square suriace. Shelley and Newman, who both pleaded not guilty and reserved their defence, were committed for trial at the Central Criminal Court.