Adolf Beck case

Adolph Beck and Adolf Beck ( * 1841 in Norway, † December 7, 1909 in London) was a businessman and the victim of a known miscarriage of justice. Beck spent on false and inadequate identification methods 1896-1904 several years for crimes committed by the con artist Wilhelm Meyer, alias John Smith crimes in prison. Beck's case, and similarly stored miscarriage of justice by the British George Edalji aroused much public attention ( " Causes célèbres " ) and led to the establishment of the Court of Criminal Appeal (German: Criminal Law Court of Appeal ) in 1907.

Life

Adolph Beck went to sea as a young man and came to England in 1865. After a stay in South America, he moved again to Norway. Beginning in 1885 he stayed back in England, where he worked as engineer. Despite its commercial activities Beck was constantly in financial worries.

On December 16, 1895 Beck was raised in London's Victoria Street by an angry woman who reclaimed allegedly stolen by Beck jewelry. Beck pointed the woman out that there must be a mix-up and continued on his way. After the woman pursued him further, he complained to a police officer about the alleged " prostitute " that bother him. The woman, however, demanded his arrest, insisting that it was a thief at Beck.

The policeman took both with the nearest police station. The woman's name was Ottilie Meissonier and was an unmarried language teacher. According to her pelvis had a few weeks earlier presented as Lord Willoughby and stolen her jewelry on a pretext. Beck was taken into custody.

After further investigation, the police came forward 22 women who have been cheated in the past few years of an alleged Lord Willoughby de Wilton. In a hastily conducted juxtaposition Beck along with some men who were completely random off the street, the deceived women faced. Among the control subjects there was no man with gray hair or a mustache, like Beck wore it. Accordingly, he has been "identified" by all women as perpetrators.

Already in 1877 a certain John Smith was convicted. This had a similar modus operandi. Despite Beck's protestations of innocence, the court assumed that it was the same person at Smith and Beck. Beck protested and pointed to witnesses: that could confirm that he had been present in 1877 in South America. On March 3, began in 1896 at the Old Bailey trial of Beck. The prosecution was represented by Horace Avory and Guy Stephenson, defenders Charles F. Gill and Percival Clarke.

The font expert Thomas H. Gurrin compared writings of Smith and Beck, and came to the conclusion that Beck had the previous documents with a " feigned handwriting " written.

Witnesses or evidence that would have proved Becks stay in South America, were not admitted. All called by the prosecution witnesses claimed that Beck would be the culprit. On March 5, 1896 Beck was found guilty and sentenced despite his protestations of innocence to 7 years in prison. In prison, he got John Smiths old inmate number D 523, supplemented by the letter W for a repeat offender. Despite several petitions for reconsideration of his Solicitors investigation of the case Beck remained until 1901 in prison.

1898 turned out that Smith was circumcised Jew and as such, while this was not true to Beck. After an appropriate request from the Home Office to the competent judge Forrest Fulton this merely stated that Smith and Beck may not be the same person, but Beck was convicted in any case for the acts of 1895. From Beck's prisoner number then only the W was deleted, otherwise nothing was further undertaken.

The journalist George Sims published in 1901 in the Daily Mail an article about the inconsistencies of the case. Public opinion in the case slowly changed in favor of Becks. One of the most prominent advocates of a re-examination was the writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In July 1901 Beck was released early because of his " good conduct ".

From 1904 also covered cases betrayed women. A more familiar with the case, Inspector Beck brought one of the witnesses along with Beck. On April 15, 1904 Beck left his apartment, where he was accused by the witness of the theft. Beck panicked and tried to escape the woman. He was immediately arrested. His panic flight was designed him as an admission of guilt. On 27 June of that year he was once again in court. Five women identified him as an impostor. Despite this testimony, the judge had doubts about the guilt of the accused and postponed the sentencing.

On August 7, the true perpetrator was arrested. He had tried some ladies to steal their jewelry on a pretext and sell these. During the arrest, he gave his name as William Thomas. The person familiar with the case, Beck CID Inspector John Kane immediately recognized the obvious parallels between the two cases.

After then the next confrontation all still available witnesses changed their minds and now accused William Thomas. This occurred even under pseudonyms such as John Smith, William Wyatt and William Weiss and was, as it turned out, a certain Wilhelm Meyer.

Adolph Beck was pardoned on 27 July 1904. As compensation he was offered £ 5,000. An investigation Commission reviewed both convictions and found wrongdoing of the involved police officers and judges.

Beck personally have had no satisfaction. He died in 1909 lonely and broken man in London's Middlesex Hospital.

Aftereffect

Beck's case was one of the triggers that led to the establishment of the Court of Appeals Court of Criminal Appeal in 1907 in England.