Mohamed Ismail

Background

Mohamed Ismail was a 30-year-old unemployed labourer and a native of British Somaliland. He was thoroughly depressed with his situation and wanted to commit suicide. This was contrary to his religion, and if he carried through with the deed he would go to Hell. He would be “all right” if he killed someone else first and was then executed.

The offence

One evening Ismail wandered into a public house and pulled out a revolver, then started shooting. When the smoke cleared from his five shots, three men lay dead: 21-year-old Michael McFarlane, 29-year-old Thomas Owen, and 32-year-old George Frederick Morris. Two others were wounded: Donald McFarlane and Kenneth Ellis.

The prosecution stated that the men were singing in a public house during an extension of licensed hours on New Year’s Day, shortly after 10.30 p.m., when Ismail took a revolver from his pocket and fired at the men one after another.

The public house where the murders occurred was the East House on Spital Hill, Sheffield.

In later descriptions of the attack, the revolver was discharged at customers as they sat around enjoying New Year’s Day 1960, and Ismail was caught hiding in the toilets. In those descriptions, Ismail said he wanted to kill himself but his religious beliefs forbade him from doing so, and he thought he would be hanged for the crime of murder, fulfilling his desire to die. Another description set the start of the shooting just before 11.00 p.m. when Ismail began shooting at a group of seven young men singing around the piano.

Investigation

Medical opinion was that Ismail was a paranoid schizophrenic and totally insane.

A description of evidence provided through a medical officer at Armley Jail in Leeds stated that there was unmistakable evidence that Ismail was insane, including a belief that evil voices spoke to him through the electrical system and that he smashed the light bulbs to stop the voices reaching him.

Detective Chief Superintendent G. A. Carnill said that Ismail was also alleged to have shot Donald McFarlane, brother of one of the dead men, who was said to be in a critical condition, and Kenneth Ellis.

Arrest

A man was taken into custody in connection with the shooting.

Ismail was arrested minutes after he headed straight for the pub toilet after emptying the revolver.

Trial

At Sheffield magistrates’ committal proceedings, the prosecution said Ismail had taken a revolver from his pocket and fired at the men one after another during the extension of licensed hours on New Year’s Day shortly after 10.30 p.m.

Ismail was found at Sheffield Assizes to plead to charges of triple capital murder on 25th February 1969, and he was unfit to plead due to insanity. The jury at his trial at Sheffield Assizes took only fifteen minutes to declare him “unfit to plead” and he was “detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.”

Ismail was ordered to be detained until the Queen’s pleasure be made known.

Sentencing

Ismail was sentenced to be detained in strict custody during Her Majesty’s Pleasure.

Outcome

Ismail was found insane and unfit to plead at Sheffield Assizes on 25th February 1969 and was detained during Her Majesty’s Pleasure.

He was released from Broadmoor in April 1962 and deported back to his home country of Somalia.

A later statement described that, in the late 1960’s, Ismail ran amok in a village in Somalia, murdering several villagers before he was himself killed. It was also said that doctors at Broadmoor had made an incorrect diagnosis.

Aftermath

The survivors of the shooting were reported to have been stunned by the revelation of Ismail’s release from Broadmoor.

Donald McFarlane, who had been severely injured in the attack, received no compensation in the interim. Because the attack happened before the introduction of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, he did not receive a penny.

Timeline

• New Year’s Day 1960 (shortly after 10.30 p.m.) — Ismail began shooting in the crowded concert room of a Sheffield public house, killing Michael McFarlane, Thomas Owen, and George Frederick Morris and wounding Donald McFarlane and Kenneth Ellis.
• 2nd January 1960 — The Times reported three men killed and two injured when a man armed with a revolver began shooting in the crowded concert room of a Sheffield public house.
• 26th February 1960 — The Times reported that Ismail was found at Sheffield Assizes to plead to charges of triple capital murder and was ordered to be detained until the Queen’s pleasure be made known.
• 25th February 1969 — At Sheffield Assizes, Ismail was found insane and unfit to plead.
• April 1962 — Ismail was released from Broadmoor and deported back to his home country of Somalia.
• Late 1960’s — Ismail was said to have murdered several villagers in a village in Somalia before being killed himself.

Other details

Names and ages of victims and injured

• Michael McFarlane, 21-year-old, died instantly.
• Thomas Owen, 29-year-old, died later in hospital.
• George Frederick Morris, 32-year-old, died later in hospital.
• Donald McFarlane, injured (his condition was described as critical); later said to have been crippled for life and to have required many months of hospitalisation with permanent disabilities.
• Kenneth Ellis, 21-year-old, detained with a wrist injury; it was later added that he died shortly before Christmas in 2207.

Booking and charging details

Ismail was at Sheffield on Saturday remanded in custody until January 11, charged with triple capital murder.

He was charged with the murder by shooting of three men.

Quotations

Donald McFarlane, who had been severely injured in the attack, received no compensation whatsoever in the interim.

“all right”

“House”

“unfit to plead”

“detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.”

Additional biographical details and notes from later descriptions

• One description claimed that on the day of the murder George Morris had been working until 6 pm, and he lived with his sister on Writtle Street in the Burngreave area of Sheffield; his colleague was said to have promised to go have a drink with him and Tommy Musgrave that night.
• It was described that the gunman held the gun at Tommy Musgrave’s head and pulled the trigger, and fortunately there was no more bullets left in the gun.
• A note identified the weapon as a Smith and Wesson revolver.
• A later account included a quote from David Nobbs, a journalist who later became one of Britain’s top television writers, recalling that he saw police cars outside “a little pub called the Vine (it was the East House).” He said:

  “On my way home one evening, after a long session in the pub, I saw four police cars parked outside a little pub called the Vine (it was the East House). I decided that I'd better go nowhere near it in my inebriated state and drifted home to covert my sofa into a bed. In the morning the headline in the Daily Express was "FOUR SHOT DEAD in SHEFFIELD HARLEM". I would have been the first journalist on the scene. I kept very silent about that...”

• Another note stated that Kenneth Ellis carried on installing signalling equipment with British Rail until privatisation, when he took an early retirement package, and he was popular with railway colleagues.
• It was added that Ken was in the pub the night of the shooting, saw the gun in the man’s hand and assumed it was a toy, then lifted his hands toward his shoulders in “western movie fashion,” and the first bullet was fired.
• Joe Scarborough was said to have painted a depiction of the East House shootings.
• A pub talk by Douglas Lamb put the murders at just before 11.00pm when Ismail began shooting at a group of seven young men singing around the piano.
• A description stated that the East House shootings involved Ismail emptying the revolver, then heading straight for the pub toilet where he was arrested minutes later.