Michael Tanner

The Oxford Murder that gripped the country in 1931 would grace any episode of Inspector Morse. Yet it was horrifically real. Annie Kempson was a defenceless widow bludgeoned and stabbed to death in her own home for the sake of a few pounds—a despicable crime for which the killer could expect no mercy. Following a nationwide man-hunt, career criminal Henry Seymour was arrested by Scotland Yard’s ‘Lucky John’ Horwell. And thanks to renowned pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury a guilty verdict was returned. This truly was an Oxford murder from beginning to end. The crime was committed in Oxford. The trial was held in Oxford. The execution was carried out in Oxford. But did the Oxford murder result in a miscarriage of justice?