How A Solicitor In Doncaster Secured His Place In British Legal History
Throughout the centuries there have been many famous and bizarre cases that have gone down in British legal history. In order to win cases for their clients, solicitors have invoked little known and obscure laws. Other cases have been decided by the influence of the solicitor or barrister. Here we take a look at a famous case in which a solicitor in Doncaster successfully defended his client against all odds, due to his manoeuvring of the jury.
Case background
On the 16th of December 1924, a miner by the name of James Doyle, was seeking some privacy with his fianc?e at the Doncaster cricket field. Doyle became aware of two shapes hiding behind a nearby wall and approached, to find two peeping Toms hiding behind it. During the ensuing confrontation, Doyle drew his knife and slashed at one of the peeping Toms – a local by the name of Albert Needham. Needham was seriously injured and died on the spot.
Manslaughter or murder?
As a result of the death Doyle was called to attend trial at Leeds Town Hall. Whilst most agreed that the peeping Toms had been in the wrong, they also felt that Needham did not deserve to pay for it with his life. The talk focussed on whether Doyle would be found guilty of manslaughter, or the more serious charge of murder, as opposed to whether he would be found guilty.
The solicitors impact
The solicitor in doncaster chosen to defend Doyle went by the name of Marshall Hall. Unsatisfied with ‘merely’ having the murder charge reduced to manslaughter; Hall instead sought to see the defendant cleared of all charges. Under Hall’s questioning the remaining peeping Tom, Wilfred Trussle, admitted that he and Needham had been practicing their seedy hobby for a long time. Through repeatedly mentioning the pepping Tom’s repulsive behaviour, Hall served to sway opinion against them. As a result Doyle was acquitted without even having to give any evidence. The jury accepted Hall’s argument that Doyle had acted in self defence, perhaps more because of the solicitors clever manipulation than the fact they truly believe it to be the case. The feeling was that justice had been served by Doyle and that Needham deserved what he got. Marshall Hall had won a case, which in today’s climate would surely have seen his client serving some kind of custodial sentence. What became known as ‘The Peeping Tom Case’ has gone down as legend in Doncaster and indeed the rest of Britain.