John William Vickers

John William Vickers murdered Jane Duckett 72 who he battered to death at Tait Street, Carlisle on 15 April 1957.

John Vickers burgled Jane Duckett's grocery store on Tait Street, Carlisle at around 2am. Jane Duckett was old and partially deaf and so John Vickers thought that it would be easy, however, he woke her up and she came down the stairs and attacked him during which he hit her killing her. He then went on to search the house.

The case was sontroversial because it was one of the first cases to be tried after the pause in executions after August 1955. After the homicide Act became law on 21 March 1957 the death sentence wasagain handed out under new rules one of which was the requirement for malice aforethought which this case lacked. The appeal judges thought this so important a point of law that they adjourned the appeal from a panel of three judges to a panel of five judges. An appeal was then made to the House of Lords but it was refused and John Vickers was executed.