CHAPTER 7

Too Good to Live Queenie Pennington 1929

By 1929, William Pennington and his wife, Queenie, had been married for four years, and their union had been blessed, in June 1926, with a daughter who they named Jean. The problem was, however, that this did not bring the couple closer together as might be expected, for Queenie began to suffer from depression.

William worked as a roadman, for Berkshire Council and, on the morning of Friday 30 August 1929, left for work, as usual, at 6.30am. He did not return to his home at 2 Fairview Cottages, Amen Corner, Binfield, until 5.05pm, and when he did he found that the door was locked against him.

William knocked on the door a number of times and, finally, saw that the scullery door was opening. He dashed forward, only to find his wife in the doorway with a vicious gash in her throat. William ran for a neighbour and asked him to call the doctor before he went back into his house. Going inside, William found, to his horror, that his daughter Jean lay on the scullery floor, in a pool of blood, her head almost severed from her body.

The first police officer to arrive was Constable Thatcher, who knew the family well. He took a note of the position of Jean’s body and also that the child was still warm, showing that the crime had only taken place very recently. Queenie was now lying on the floor, next to her daughter, unconscious. A check of the premises revealed a razor in the sink and a hammer on the floor, both of which were heavily bloodstained. There was also a good deal of blood on the scullery floor and in the kitchen.

At 5.20pm, Dr Lancelot George Jacobs arrived. He determined that Jean’s throat had been cut very deeply and her windpipe severed. He then administered medical aid to Queenie, before she was taken to the Guardian’s Institution at Easthampstead. The body of the child was taken to the mortuary at the same establishment and the following day, 31 August, Dr Jacobs carried out a post-mortem.

That examination showed that there were a number of brown stains on the child’s hands and lips. There were similar stains on the side of Jean’s head and also on her legs. The doctor concluded that these had probably been caused by someone trying to force some kind of liquid into the child’s mouth, and the consequent movements as Jean struggled against it. Finally, Dr Jacobs was able to put the time of death at some twenty to thirty minutes before his initial examination, or close to ten minutes to five.

The inquest on Jean Pennington opened on Monday 2 September, before Mr R S Payne, the coroner for East Berkshire. Evidence of identification was given by Constable Thatcher and details of the cause of death were outlined by Dr Jacobs. The proceedings were then adjourned until 7 October, by which time it was hoped that Queenie might have recovered sufficiently from her injuries.

In fact, Queenie Pennington made a reasonably rapid recovery and, by 10 September, was well enough to attend a magistrates’ hearing. Queenie, wearing a blue suit, and with her throat heavily bandaged, sat motionless in the dock throughout.

Ellen May Haines lived in the front two rooms at the house where the Penningtons resided and she told the court that she had seen the baby alive and well at approximately 3.00pm on the fateful day. Mrs Haines also testified that in her opinion, Queenie had seemed to be devoted to her daughter.

Margaret Smedley was a district nurse and she had been called to the scene to attend to Queenie. By the time she arrived, Queenie had been assisted into a chair. After she had dressed Queenie’s throat wound, Margaret had noticed an envelope on the kitchen table. This, it transpired, was a note which read: ‘I can’t stand living any longer. Please take this as the truth from me. I am only blaming myself.’ The note was signed: ‘Mrs Pennington’.

The brown stains found on Jean had also been noted on Queenie’s lips. This was almost certainly Potassium Permanganate. When he had searched the premises, Constable Thatcher had found a half-used packet of that chemical on the kitchen shelf. It was possible that Queenie had tried to poison her daughter and herself, before turning to the razor.

Superintendent Goddard had questioned Queenie, once she had recovered sufficiently from her injuries. She had explained to him that she had intended to kill herself, not Jean, and could not remember why she had cut her daughter’s throat. She went on to say: ‘I have always suffered with my head. I really didn’t mean to kill Jean; it was myself I wished to kill. I could not put up with the pain any more.’

Queenie Pennington was duly committed for trial on the charge of murder. In the event, Queenie stood in the dock at Reading on 14 October, before Mr Justice Acton. Mr HH Maddocks led the case for the Crown whilst Queenie was defended by Mr St John G Micklethwait. She pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The events inside 2 Fairview Cottages were then reconstructed. Prior to the crime, Queenie had seemed to live happily with her husband and daughter, to whom she was, undoubtedly, devoted. However, at some time between 4.45pm and 5.15pm on 30 August, she had first tried to get Jean to drink Potassium Permanganate, and when this failed, she had then cut Jean’s throat with her husband’s razor and then turned the weapon upon herself. When these efforts did not succeed in ending her life, she had then taken a hammer and struck herself repeatedly over the head. There was no motive for the crime and the defence were therefore claiming that, at the time she committed this crime, Queenie had been insane.

Dr Jacobs, in addition to repeating his medical testimony, was also able to say that whilst he and William Pennington had been alone with Queenie, she had said: ‘The child was too good to live.’

Ellen Haines testified that Queenie had been very much ‘up and down’ before 30 August. She was easily excited and sometimes seemed to suffer from bouts of melancholia.

Constable Thatcher, in addition to his evidence already detailed, pointed out to the court that no attempt had been made to conceal Jean’s body, as might have been expected in a case of wilful murder.

The final witness was Dr John Hall Morton, the senior medical officer at Holloway prison, where Queenie had been held. He had observed her since her reception there on 14 September and reported that she appeared depressed and dull. She had difficulty in holding a normal conversation and, in his opinion, was suffering from some mental abnormaility.

On 26 September, Queenie had complained to Dr Morton of severe pains in her head. Later still she had a violent outburst and tried to ram her head against the wall. In Dr Morton’s opinion, Queenie knew what she had done to her daughter but had no concept of it being wrong. His opinion was that she was certainly insane at the time of the attack.

Having heard all the evidence, the jury reached their verdict without even leaving the courtroom. Queenie was guilty, but insane. She was then sentenced to be detained as a criminal lunatic until His Majesty’s pleasure be known.

Queenie Pennington was granted one last request. Before she was taken away, the judge allowed her to see her husband, William, the man who had come home from work and found his family destroyed.