Jean Lee (murderer)

Infobox Criminal
subject_name = Jean Lee

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image_size =
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date_of_birth = birth date|1919|12|10|df=y
place_of_birth = Dubbo, New South Wales
date_of_death = death date and age|1951|2|19|1919|12|10|df=y
place_of_death =
alias =
charge =
conviction = Murder
penalty =
status = Executed by hanging
occupation =
spouse =
parents =
children =

Jean Lee (December 10, 1919 – February 19, 1951) was an Australian woman, convicted of murder, and notable as the last woman to be executed in Australia.

Born Marjorie Jean Maude Wright in Dubbo, New South Wales, Lee had an unremarkable childhood and was remembered as an intelligent, popular student, although she was inclined to be rebellious on occasion. She married in 1938 and the following year gave birth to a daughter. After several years, her husband abandoned her and their child, and Lee gave her daughter to her mother to raise. After Lee's mother successfully sought legal custody of Lee's daughter, Lee moved to Melbourne where she became involved in petty crime.

She met Robert David Clayton, who had some criminal convictions, and their relationship soon became abusive and Lee was subjected to violence. She began to work as a prostitute.

The couple found a method to extort money from unsuspecting men, and later called it "The Badger Game". Lee would lure a man into a sexually compromising position, and Clayton would burst into the room, and surprise them. Clayton played the part of the outraged husband, and blackmailed the other man into giving him money in return for his silence. As many of the men were supposedly respectable married men, they would often give Clayton money, rather than risk him telling their wives. On occasion, the man would refuse and Clayton would then beat and rob him.

The couple were later joined by Norman Andrews, another criminal that Clayton had first met while in prison. In 1949, the trio targeted an elderly man, William Kent, known as "Pop". They had heard that he kept money in his home, and Lee convinced him to take her there under the pretext of having sex with him. They were followed by Clayton and Andrews who tied Kent to a chair, and over a period of hours kicked and beat him, while demanding to know where his money was kept. Kent was at first defiant, but eventually told them that he had no money. He was then stabbed several times, before Andrews strangled him. Neighbours heard Kent's screams and called police, but by the time they arrived, Lee, Clayton and Andrews were gone, and Kent was dead.

The three were soon apprehended in a hotel room, still wearing blood-stained clothing. Lee confessed to the crime and in an effort to save her lover, claimed that she had acted alone and that he had no knowledge of the events. All three were charged with murder but by the time their trial began on March 20, 1950, they had turned on each other, with each person attempting to shift blame onto the other two. Lee was charged under the principle of "common purpose" which meant that although it was accepted that she had neither stabbed nor strangled Kent, she had played an active role in his death and was therefore equally culpable. The three were found guilty and sentenced to death. Lee became hysterical as she heard the sentence.

On June 23, 1950, the Court of Criminal Appeal ruled that their confessions had been improperly obtained and ordered a retrial, but this was overturned by the High Court and the verdicts and sentences were confirmed. Lee's mental state declined after this, and she alternated between violently attacking her prison guards and begging for mercy, while stating repeatedly that she was innocent and that they have never meant to kill anyone.

Lee also commented that she did not believe a woman would be hanged. As the date for her execution drew near, Lee grew increasingly erratic. On the morning of her execution, she became hysterical and had to be sedated. She fainted when the executioner came to her cell, and she was strapped semi-conscious to a chair. She was duly executed and two hours later, her lover Robert Clayton, and their accomplice, Norman Andrews, were also hanged.

Jean Lee was one of two women executed in Australia during the 20th century, the other being Martha Rendell, who was hanged for murdering her de facto husband's son in 1909. [cite book |author=Jones, Barry E |title=A Thinking Reed |publisher=Allen & Unwin Pty., Limited |location= |year= |pages=82 |isbn=1-74114-387-X |oclc= |doi=] She was the last woman to be hanged before the death penalty was abolished.

References

*Waterkeyn, Xavier, "Death Row, Profile of People Who Face the Ultimate Penalty", 2006, New Holland Publishers, Australia. ISBN 1-74110-387-8