- John Kewish
John Kewish, Jr. (died
1 August 1872 ) was the last person executed by theIsle of Man . He was convicted and executed for the crime ofpatricide .Prior to his arrest, Kewish lived on a farm with his elderly parents and his sister. Kewish's father, John Kewish, Sr., was found dead on the farm on
28 March 1872 with four large holes in his chest. It was believed by police that he had been killed with apitchfork . Kewish, Jr. was arrested and charged with patricide.Kewish was tried before a
jury . After 14 hours of deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a verdict. A new trial was ordered after one jury member became ill and deliberations were unable to continue. At Kewish's second trial, he pleadnot guilty by reason of insanity . After an hour's deliberation, the jury convicted him of patricide. The presidingdeemster ,William Drinkwater , sentenced Kewish to the mandatory punishment of death byhanging . After his trial, Kewish admitted to hisgaoler that he had shot his father four times after a family dispute.Kewish was hung in
Castle Rushen atCastletown on1 August 1872 . It was the first non-public execution that took place under Manx law. The Isle of Man did not abolish the death penalty until 1993, but all death sentences after Kewish's execution were commuted tolife imprisonment by theHome Secretary of the United Kingdom usingthe Crown 'sPrerogative of Mercy .ee also
*
Capital punishment in the Isle of Man References
*Steve Fielding (1994). "The Hangman's Record: Volume One 1868–1899" (Beckenham, UK: Chancery House Press, ISBN 0900246650) p. 23
External links
*Peter W. Edge, [http://firedrake.org/drpete/manx2.htm "The Law and Practice of Capital Punishment in the Isle of Man"] , 1996, accessed
2008-08-13
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