Patrick Herbert Mahon - “The Crumbles Murder”.

34 year old Patrick Mahon was a known criminal who had served time for embezzlement and five years for an armed robbery in 1916. He was also a serial womaniser, however his wife, Jessie, had stuck with him since their marriage in 1910.

He met 38 year old Emily Beilby Kaye in 1923. Emily was a tall, athletic woman who lived at the Green Cross Club, off Russell Square in London. She had over £600 invested in stocks and shares. She and Mahon talked regularly on the telephone and occasionally spent time together. In March 1924 Emily got a severe bout of flu and decided that some sea air would do her good. She went to Bournemouth for this purpose. Mahon visited her there and bought her an engagement ring. At the beginning of April, Emily told her friends and family that she and Mahon were going to marry and emigrate to South Africa. On the 5th of April Mahon rented The Officer's House, Langney Bungalows, at the Crumbles in Eastbourne and was joined there by Emily two days later. She booked into the Kenilworth Court Hotel.

Unbeknown to Emily, Mahon had purchased a large cook's knife and a meat saw while on a trip to London where he had met 32 year old Ethel Primrose Duncan on the 10th of April.

On the 12th of April, Mahon collected Emily by taxi and took her to the bungalow. Emily was seen alive on the 13th and 14th of April but was probably murdered late on Monday the 14th of April 1924.

Meanwhile Mahon had sent a telegram to Ethel inviting her to spend Easter with him in Eastbourne. This she did and arrived there on the 18th of April. She noticed that Mahon’s wrist was bandaged and also that another woman had been in the bungalow. Mahon explained both away. Ethel stayed three nights, unaware that Emily’s body was in a trunk in a locked room in the bungalow. On the 19th of April Ethel wanted to go shopping and so Mahon went to the horse races at Plumpton. On the way he sent himself a telegram under the name of Lee, saying he was needed back in London by Tuesday the 22nd. On Monday the 21st Ethel and Mahon returned to the capital. Mahon returned to Eastbourne the following day to continue the grim task of disposing of Emily’s body which he dismembered. He burnt her head in the fire.

Jessie Mahon had sensed there was more than her husband’s usual philandering going on and searched through his clothes. She found a left-luggage ticket from Waterloo station. She took this to a friend who was an ex-policeman and he went to the station to see what was there. He was handed a bag and when he opened it found the knife, saw and some blood stained women’s clothing. He returned the bag to storage and informed the Metropolitan police who put the left-luggage office under surveillance to see if Mahon would collect it. On the 2nd of May he did and was arrested and taken to Kennington police station and later to Scotland Yard. Here he was questioned by Detective Mark Thompson. Mahon was made to open the bag and among the items in it was a tennis racket bag with Emily’s initials on it.

After two hours Mahon gave the police a statement in which he described how he had killed Emily accidentally during a quarrel. Thinking that no one would believe that it was an accident he decided to dismember the body. When police searched the bungalow, they found Emily’s body had been put in her own trunk. The famous pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury got the job of piecing her remains together. See Photo. He found that Emily Kaye had been about two months pregnant.

Mahon came to trial on Tuesday, the 15th of July 1924, at Sussex Assizes in Lewes before Mr. Justice Avory. He was convicted on the 19th. Sir Bernard Spilsbury was able to recreate the crime scene for the jury. It seems that Emily wanted Mahon to leave Jessie for her as she was pregnant by him and this he refused to do.

The appeal before the Lord Chief Justice and Justices Branson and Swift was dismissed on the 19th of August.

Mahon was hanged by Thomas Pierrepoint and William Willis, at Wandsworth prison at 9.00 a.m. on Wednesday the 3rd of September 1924. Other accounts give the date as the 9th, but this is debunked by the date on Sir Bernard Spillsbury’s handwritten autopsy notes which is clearly 3.9.24.

Mahon walked without assistance the 12 paces from his cell onto the trapdoors and was observed by the Associated Press reporter who was present, to be wearing a lounge suit, similar to the one he had worn at trial. His head was held erect and he looked straight ahead.
Mahon stood 5’ 11” and weighed 141 lbs. A drop of 7’ 4” was given. Just as the trapdoors opened, he leapt backwards and hit his back on the edge of the platform, fracturing his 6th and 7th vertebrae, a fraction of a second later the noose and its brass eyelet fractured his 4th and 5th vertebrae. In Sir Bernard Spillsbury’s handwritten autopsy notes, he noted that there was no priapism or seminal effusion but understood there to have been "a slight escape of urine". The body would have been stripped naked, except for his underpants, by the executioner prior to autopsy. No "seminal effusion" seems to imply that he had found this on previous occasions. At the inquest held before the coroner, Mr. Ingleby Oddie, Spillsbury testified to the double fracture and the coroner asked him “That is rather unusual, is it not, Sir Bernard?” to which he replied “Yes, I think it is.” He gave the cause of death as coma followed by asphyxia.

Back to Contents Page