Eastbourne Murders and Misdemeanours

For much of Eastbourne’s history it was a collection of small settlements on the Sussex coast. In the eighteenth century select visitors came to enjoy the sea air and the coast became fortified against the threat of invasion by Napoleon. The arrival of the railways in the Victorian era brought large numbers of people to the area and the town of Eastbourne grew rapidly. Despite its reputation as a sedate and somewhat classy seaside resort, Eastbourne has had its fair share of murders and other criminal activity. A strict Victorian schoolteacher beat one of his pupils to death, a bigamist tried to murder his two families and in 1912 Police Inspector Arthur Walls was shot dead as he tried to arrest a burglar. In the 1920s there were two shocking crimes committed on the Crumbles, a lonely stretch of beach. The subsequent sensational trial of Patrick Mahon made headlines around the world and was described by Alfred Hitchcock as ‘his favourite crime’. In the 1950s the trial of local doctor Bodkin Adams shocked the country when he was accused of murdering his rich elderly patients. Perhaps the strangest story is why the local constabulary was established. This was a result of a series of riots in the town caused by the Salvation Army!

This collection of true-life crime stories gives a vivid insight into life in Eastbourne in the past. This book will fascinate anyone with an interest in the history of crime as well as those who want to know more about the history of Eastbourne.