Only now could some of Hutchinson’s past be detailed. He had been born at Christchurch in 1891 and had first come to the attention of the police in 1910 when he was sentenced to five months in prison for stealing a postal packet whilst employed by the Royal Mail.

Since that date he had received no fewer than sixteen prison sentences, only finally being discharged on 7 June 1932, from a two year sentence for false pretences. He had appeared before Canterbury magistrates on 6 October 1930. In fact, he had spent very little time outside of jail between 1910 and 1932.

An appeal was entered, the three grounds given were, that the prosecution had failed to provide any motive for the alleged offence; that the verdict was against the weight of evidence; and that Hutchinson was simply not guilty of murder. The appeal was dismissed as being worthless and the sentence was confirmed. Finally, on Wednesday 23 November 1932, Ernest Hutchinson was hanged at Oxford.