Miss Flora Jane Gilligan was seventy-six years old and lived in Diamond Street, York. Her naked body was found outside her home on 10th March 1953. She had been raped, battered and then dropped from her bedroom window in an attempt to make the killing appear a suicide.

At the crime scene police found fingerprints and a distinctive footprint. Nearby was a barracks housing men from the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, and police started a program to fingerprint all the soldiers on the camp.

They soon found matching prints which belonged to 25-year-old Private Philip Henry. He had got rid of the shoes with the distinctive soles but police traced the man who had repaired them and he recognised the pattern. Police also found out that Henry had spent the fateful night off the camp.

Henry's trial began at York Assizes in June 1953. Despite his continued claims of innocence he was found guilty and was hanged at Armley Jail, Leeds, on 30th July 1953

Murder-UK.com