Joseph Deans

Joseph Deans murdered his girlfriend Catherine Convery 48 who he battered to death at the Grey Horse public house in Howard Street, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland on 7 October 1916.

Joseph Deans had been a miner. In 1897 he was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment for assaulting a police officer. After his release he later went to South Africa where he worked as a gold miner for 17 years, returning to England in 1913 with sufficient means to enable him to live without working.

When he returned he had lived at 10 Howard Street which was close to the Grey Horse public house and not far from where Catherine Convery had lived in Devonshire Street and it was because of that that an acquaintance sprang up between them.

After meeting they kept company for 18 months. However, it was said that Joseph Deans seemed to be very jealous of Catherine Convery and about nine months before the murder he hit her on the head with a coal rake because she came back to her house with a soldier. However, it was also heard that Joseph Deans himself had also been hurt in the incident and that they had both had to go to the infirmary. On another occasion he assaulted her with his fists and constantly threatened to kill her.