John Edward Gartside

Name

John Edward Gartside

Background

In May 1947, Mrs Doughty visited her friends Percy Baker and Alice Baker. They lived in a remote part of the Pennines.

When she arrived, she was surprised to find the furniture from the house being loaded into a removal van. The driver told her that the Bakers had parted after a quarrel and decided to sell up. Mrs Doughty did not believe this and contacted the removal firm.

The removal firm said that a young man had called and told them that he was separating from his wife and was rejoining the Air force. He had a houseful of furniture to dispose of. The dealer offered him £300 and he accepted. He signed a receipt in the name of P Baker. When Mrs Doughty inspected it, she believed it to be a forgery and informed the police.

The offence

When the bodies of Percy Baker and Alice Baker were recovered, it was discovered that both had been shot. Percy Baker had been shot twice in the head and Alice Baker had been shot once. Both bodies were naked when discovered.

Investigation

The dealer was able to inform the police that, as well as buying the furniture, he had also been asked to deliver a number of suitcases to a shop at Saddleworth. Police checked the shop and found it rented by 24-year-old John Gartside.

When Gartside was arrested, he was driving Mr Baker's car.

Gartside initially told the police he had bought both the furniture and the car from the Bakers for £450. Eventually, he broke down and took the police to a spot on the moors about three quarters of a mile from the house. Police recovered the bodies of both Percy Baker and Alice Baker there.

The police conducted a thorough search of the house and found bloodstains in the dining room and a mark of a bullet on the floor. The suitcases were found to contain large quantities of clothing, household linen and personal items that were identified as the property of Mr and Mrs Baker.

Trial

Gartside was tried at Leeds Assizes in July 1947.

At trial, he made a feeble attempt to show that the shooting had not been intentional.

Gartside told the court that he arrived at the house while the Bakers were arguing. He said he was a regular caller at the house as Percy Baker was a friend of his. On this occasion, he said he had taken two guns with him that they were going to try out later. He suggested that Percy Baker might have wanted to buy the guns.

Gartside maintained that Alice Baker had attacked Percy Baker with a poker. He said that Percy Baker, in trying to defend himself, had grabbed one of the two loaded guns and shot Alice Baker with it.

He told the court that he grappled with Percy Baker trying to get the gun away and that it had gone off accidentally and shot Percy Baker.

Gartside said that Percy Baker was writhing in agony on the floor and that he picked up the gun and shot him twice to put him out of his misery. The account was at odds with the forensic evidence.

Gartside then said he panicked and decided he would have to get rid of the bodies. The prosecution pulled his story apart, and he was found guilty.

Sentencing

Gartside was subsequently executed by hanging at Armley Gaol in Leeds on 22 August 1947.

Outcome

Gartside was found guilty at his trial at Leeds Assizes in July 1947 and was subsequently hanged at Armley Gaol in Leeds on 22 August 1947.

Timeline

• May 1947 — Mrs Doughty visited Percy and Alice Baker; she found furniture being loaded into a removal van.
• May 1947 — Mrs Doughty contacted the removal firm and informed the police after inspecting a receipt she believed to be a forgery.
• July 1947 — John Gartside was tried at Leeds Assizes.
• 22 August 1947 — John Gartside was executed by hanging at Armley Gaol in Leeds.

Other details

Mrs Doughty inspected the receipt and believed it to be a forgery and informed the police.

There were eight suitcases that the removal firm had been instructed to deliver to a shop at Saddleworth.

When police checked, they found the shop to be rented by 24-year-old John Gartside.

When questioned, Gartside said he had bought both the furniture for £250 and given a further £200 for the car.