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 The Sinister Supernatural - how the Paranormal Shaped Murder

Thursday 30th October, 18:30 (Doors open at 18:15)

To many, murder seems clear cut: one person kills another with malice aforethought. But the modern law governing murder has taken nearly 1000 years to evolve, and has been shaped by some truly baffling and bizarre cases. 

Over the centuries, juries and judges have considered whether demons can be legally responsible for murders, whether magical spells can really kill and whether ghosts can die.

In this talk, Naomi Ryan will discuss some of the most controversial and confounding murder cases in British criminal history, and explore how the supernatural has shaped our modern understanding of murder.

Naomi Ryan is a criminal barrister. After qualifying with a Masters in Law from St Catherine’s College, Oxford, she taught criminal law to undergraduates at St Hilda’s College Oxford and University College London before embarking on her career as a criminal barrister, where she both prosecuted and defended. She now works as an advisory lawyer on criminal matters within the civil service. She regrets that she has yet to cross-examine any murderous spirits.

Timings: doors open at 18:15. The talk begins at 18:30 and lasts approximately 75 minutes, including a Q&A with the audience.

Conditions of entry: this event is recommended for anyone over the age of 16 years. 

Tickets: there are two ways to attend this event, in person at Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice, or online via a live stream (using Zoom). 

Prices to attend at the Museum: £12 / £9.60 Friends.

Join us online via Zoom.

The Sinister Supernatural - how the Paranormal Shaped Murder

Thursday 30th October 18:30

To many, murder seems clear cut: one person kills another with malice aforethought. But the modern law governing murder has taken nearly 1000 years to evolve, and has been shaped by some truly baffling and bizarre cases. 

Over the centuries, juries and judges have considered whether demons can be legally responsible for murders, whether magical spells can really kill and whether ghosts can die.

In this talk, Naomi Ryan will discuss some of the most controversial and confounding murder cases in British criminal history, and explore how the supernatural has shaped our modern understanding of murder.

Naomi Ryan is a criminal barrister. After qualifying with a Masters in Law from St Catherine’s College, Oxford, she taught criminal law to undergraduates at St Hilda’s College Oxford and University College London before embarking on her career as a criminal barrister, where she both prosecuted and defended. She now works as an advisory lawyer on criminal matters within the civil service. She regrets that she has yet to cross-examine any murderous spirits.

Timings:  The talk begins at 18:30 and lasts approximately 75 minutes, including a Q&A with the audience.

Conditions of entry: this event is recommended for anyone over the age of 16 years. 

Tickets: there are two ways to attend this event, in person at Bow Street Police Museum, or online via a live stream (using Zoom). 

Prices to attend at the Museum: £6/£4.80 Friends.

Join us in person at the Museum.

Terror in the Blitz: the Air Raid Killer

Thursday 27th November, 18:30 (Doors open at 18:15)

Discover the macabre tale of Gordon Cummins, a serviceman who shocked a nation during the Blitz blackouts of 1942 and left an indelible mark on forensic science, criminology, psychology, and history itself.

Join former Metropolitan Police DCI Steve Gaskin see how Gordon Cummins, aka the Air Raid Killer, went on a rapid killing spree and was brought to justice to face the executioner.

" Not since the panic-ridden days in 1888, when Jack the Ripper was abroad in the East End, had London known such a reign of terror as that which existed in this wartime February, when, night after night, death - fiendish revolting and gruesome - came to four unsuspecting women in the heart of the Metropolis”                                                                                                                                 -  Chief Superintendent Fred Cherrill

Steve Gaskin was a DCI in the Met, serving at busy police stations in the Metropolis. Notably, he spent a total of ten years investigating drug trafficking and the money generated from crime. He retrained as a criminal psychology lecturer and works with his wife Kate, a former Met officer, and his three daughters.

Timings: doors open at 18:15. The talk begins at 18:30 and lasts approximately 75 minutes, including a Q&A with the audience.

Conditions of entry: this event is recommended for anyone over the age of 16 years. 

Tickets: there are two ways to attend this event, in person at Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice, or online via a live stream (using Zoom). 

Prices to attend at the Museum: £12 / £9.60 Friends.

Join the livestream via Zoom.

Terror in the Blitz: the Air Raid Killer

Thursday 27th November, 18:30

Discover the macabre tale of Gordon Cummins, a serviceman who shocked a nation during the Blitz blackouts of 1942 and left an indelible mark on forensic science, criminology, psychology, and history itself.

Join former Metropolitan Police DCI Steve Gaskin see how Gordon Cummins, aka the Air Raid Killer, went on a rapid killing spree and was brought to justice to face the executioner.

" Not since the panic-ridden days in 1888, when Jack the Ripper was abroad in the East End, had London known such a reign of terror as that which existed in this wartime February, when, night after night, death - fiendish revolting and gruesome - came to four unsuspecting women in the heart of the Metropolis”                                                                                                                                 -  Chief Superintendent Fred Cherrill

Steve Gaskin was a DCI in the Met, serving at busy police stations in the Metropolis. Notably, he spent a total of ten years investigating drug trafficking and the money generated from crime. He retrained as a criminal psychology lecturer and works with his wife Kate, a former Met officer, and his three daughters.

Timings:The talk begins at 18:30 and lasts approximately 75 minutes, including a Q&A with the audience.

Conditions of entry: this event is recommended for anyone over the age of 16 years. 

Tickets: there are two ways to attend this event, in person at Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice, or online via a live stream (using Zoom). 

Prices to attend at the Museum: £6 / £4.80 Friends.