Police had been searching for four-year-old Edwina Taylor since the afternoon of 31st August 1957 when she had vanished from her home in Upper Norwood.

Edwardson was a 31-year-old factory worker with a long criminal history, including a conviction for indecent assault, who lived not far from Edwina's home.

A couple of days after the child's disappearance they found that Edwardson had also gone missing. They felt that the two events could be connected and searched Edwardson's ground floor flat. In the cellar they found Edwina's strangled body lying on a pile of coal. She had been sexually assaulted and beaten about the face.

In Edwardson's locker at work police found a note in which Edwardson confessed to killing the child. He gave himself up to the authorities shortly after the grim discovery and confirmed his confession.

Edwardson told police that he had bribed the child with sweets to go into his flat so that he could assault her. He had intended to take her home again afterwards but had knocked the child unconscious with an axe. He had then accidentally strangled the girl while trying to resuscitate her.

Edwardson pleaded guilty to murder at his trial at the Old Bailey on 25th October 1957. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.