The Asylum Attendant

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Lady Justice is a true crime podcasttherefore deals with incidence of violence, disturbing
imagery and explicit content. Listener discretionis advised. The Lady Justice podcast offers
their deepest condolences to victims' families andwas just to offer thanks to those who
work in emergency services. Hello,my lovely, and welcome to Lady Justice

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True Crime and the episode The AsylumAttendant. My name is Chantelle and thank
you ever so much for joining mein this episode. You Feel Me a
Bridon, a twenty year old nurseat Dike Bar Mental Institute, was discovered
murdered after she failed to arrive atwork. Her killer, a male attendant

(00:58):
at the same hospital, would claimthat he'd been driven to insanity by his
own patients. So, without furtherado, here is some background on the
location and time frame of this case. Come with me now on a journey
through time and space to the yearnineteen twenty six, when the UK monarchy

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was headed by George the Fifth andthe Conservative government was led by Stanley Baldwin
as Prime Minister. The year's newswould be dominated by the general strike,
which directly caused Parliament to declare martiallaw nineteen twenty six would also see famed
crime novelist Agatha Christie become the subjectof her mystery when she disappeared during December.

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We are visiting Bonnie, Scotland thisweek, specifically the west central town
of Pays. Thee Pays These standsjust north of the Glenavi Brays, a
stunning set of hills, with theeast side of the town bordering the city
of Glasgow. The settlement has longheld importance and was known as one of
the more prominent religious sites in thearea during its first few centuries. The

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Industrial Revolution brought a boom to thetown, with weavers creating the town's most
recognized export, o Paisley Shore.Today it is known for its links with
famous folk from arts, music andliterature. As always, sources are listed
in the show notes. It wasjust after her night shift ended at six

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thirty a m. On Thursday Julytwenty second, that nurse Margaret Shearer Dodds,
accompanied by a friend, Nurse McLean, went for a brisk walk towards
Glenifa Brays. They had not gonefor pleasure, but had gone in worry
for another young nurse had an arrivedfor her shift. In fact, they

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knew she hasn't been in her bedall night. The nurse missing. Euphemia
Shannon Bridon just twenty years old,having celebrated her birthday every a few days
before. She had quickly become apart of the fabric of Dyke Bar since
she took her appointment there in Decemberof the previous year. She originally hailed

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from Lockerbee, eighty miles south,where she had lived with her widowed mother
and three siblings. Born on Julyfourteenth, nineteen o six, to Janet
and James, she was the eldestof the bride and children, being followed
by two brothers and her little sister. James A. Taylor was a local

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celebrity, being known for being achampion sprinter, providing victories at border meets.
He left his family in the familyhome, a red brick terrace prophecy
on Townhead Street to join in thewar efforts. When Euphemia, or Effie
as she was affectionately known, wasjust eight in nineteen fourteen, News was

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reached the Scottish family soon after thatthat the beloved man had succumbed to malaria
soon after disappointment on Salinika Front.Though the bride in family had been through
a lot. They were a strongunit and had great support from the community
and their church, Saint Cuthbert's UnitedFree Church. Euphemia was described as a

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quiet, well meaning girl and brightwho was helpful and kind. She sang
soprano in the church choir and taughtat the Sunday School. A close friend
of the nurse as she was growingup, Miss Copeland called her very likable
but abrupt in manner, who hadmuch attention in lockerby being thrice attached in

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her hometown. Yet she had herheart set on nurse, saying so chose
to leave for work Paisley, havingbeen a good choice, with family being
in both Glasgow and Wishure. Shewas known as a responsible young woman who
never gave anybody any reason for worryor concern, so the disappearance of the

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nurse was highly suspicious. The twowomen didn't need to walk far before they
came across some items on the roadleading through Hollybush Farm. The track itself
was a service road for the useof the farm and was only two hundred
yards from the main Paisley Barhead road. A significant struggle had clearly taken place

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and although miss Brydon was described asa strong, powerful woman, that it
had not ended well. Laid therewas a woman's hat, a handbag,
and a portion of black silk.The women instantly recognized the hat and the
handbag they belonged to the nurse theyhad been searching for. The black material,

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when looked at closer, would assemblea man's tie somewhat, but it
had been torn away, the edgesragged. Near to the remnants of the
tie was a large pool of blood. The nurses rushed back to the hospital,
where they would inform two male attendantsof what they had found, asking
them to accompany them back, hopingthey could help Euphemia if they found her.

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The Fosom then returned to the spotnear some fields. Angus McIntyre,
one of the male attendants who hadtraveled with the nurses back to the spot,
would later speak of the following moments. We had not been on the
job for more than a minute ortwo when we came on the body.

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It was lying under a wind bush, almost out of sight, but could
have been distinguished from the top ofone of the passing tram cars. Nurse
Brydon's body was covered by her darkgray tweed coat over the face and head
was a jumper. I have beenthrough some trying ordeals as an asylum attendant

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and in the army, but Iwill never forget my feeling of horror when
the woman's dead body was exposed tomy eyes. The face was covered with
wounds and blood and almost unrecognizable.The post mortem of the body was conducted
by doctor Struthers and doctor Miller ofPaisley in accordance with the instruction given by

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the Fiscal. They would state thatthe official course of death was shock following
rape and wounding of the head.The examinations conducted by the men which would
feel that there was a willing toEuphemale's head where she had landed upon a
sharp stone, though a further injuries, however, to the body, including

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ten wounds to the face, visiblebruises on both sides of her neck indicating
that she had also been strangled,and abrasions upon her right hand. Needs
of the discovery was quickly relaid backto Dyke Bar, where Renfrewshire Constabulary were
informed. As the police made theirway to the scene, the hospital became

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a somber place with the tragedy beingspoken of in all the corridors and rooms.
For sixteen members of staff. Ithit them particularly hard as they,
unbeknownst to them, would be thelast people to spend time with Euphemia.
The night before Wednesday, there hadbeen an outing arrange for some of the

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staff. It had been something thatthe younger staff had been keenly looking forward
to, with special permissions sought fromthe management to be allowed to stay out
until midnight. A group of ninefemale nurses and eight male attendants had planned
to have an evening picnic at thelocal beauty spot, Glenifo Braves, but

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had also provisionally booked a horse spacein nearby bar Head if the weather was
to be typically British. The grouphad worked from six am to eight pm
that Wednesday and had gathered together justbefore eight thirty pm to walk to the
spot a little over two miles away. Two of the male attendants, Malcolm

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McLennan and Robert Handley, had arrangedwith the group to join them later as
they had planned to visit the localpublic house, and they arrived as the
group had just settled around night thirty. When there, everyone was in good
spirits as the night slowly drew in. Warner. Flora McTavish. McLarty had

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been anxious about going to the picnic, worried it would just be couples,
yet Euphemia had reassured her that shewas also unattached and that the point of
the outing was to have fun.The two attendants that had been drinking before
they had arrived had also come withhalf a bottle of whiskey bought from the

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public house that they had shared together, but nobody was said to be drunk
or in a bad mood. Thepicnic party stayed together, laughing and joking
for almost two hours before setting backto the hospital accommodations. Between five past
and ten past eleven. I mentionedbefore that it was known that Euphemia had

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not returned at all that evening,which was known because during a check of
the rooms and the staff, itwas discovered that her bed was empty.
A close friend of hers, whowas at the picnic had been awoken by
another nurse at three thirty am toask if they had seen her, which
they had not. Putting a picturetogether of Euphemia's last name movements was vital

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to the investigators, led by SuperintendentGeorge Gray, everyone other than the now
deceased nurse had been accounted for.At the start of their shift. No
one else had been missing. Talkingwith those people, it was said by
all that she had been in thecompany of one of the party, in

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particular, everyone seeing them last togetherarm in arm during the journey back,
where they lagged behind. That manwas Robert Handsley. Yet, though the
victim and Handley had been close thatnight, it was not unusual for the
pair. For the weeks before thepic nick, they had become closer,

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been seen to go on around fiveor six walks alone. They had been
quite close, barring it for thefour days before the outing, where they
had a small disagreement, but everyonenoted they were still on good terms.
People that Dyke bar believed that hewas a nice man with a nurse,

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Margaret Scholar describing him as a quietfellow, gently and kindly in manner.
Though it was known that the pairwere beginning to form the basis of a
relationship together, Euphemia had not writtenhome about the man she had met at
work. She had been in constantcommunication with her family, even when work

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meant she missed big events like heruncle's wedding, not once had there been
a mention of Handley in the lettersto her childhood friend, Miss Copeland or
her mother. The last communication fromEuphemia had been sent to her mother just
previous to her death, landing onthe doorstep of her mother's the morning of

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the discovery. Miss Copeland would say. On the morning of the tragedy,
her mother received a letter from herand a few hours later she was notified
by the local police that she hadbeen concerned in an accident. She went
off post haste to Glasgow. Thissaid, he was the last person to

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be seen with Euphemia alive. Thepolice would ask Robert Hanley to be removed
from duty and escorted for interviews,yet as they arrived to where he should
have been, he was gone.His supervisor explained that not too long before,

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Hanley had requested to leave to collecta collar and tie from his room
and had not yet returned. Officerswould then take the short walk to his
room located at the hospital and knockedon the door. However, there was
no answer. When entering the room, they soon realized they might have stumbled

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across their man. Inside were anumber of bloodstained articles of clothing, including
a raincoat that a witness would lateridentify as one worn by Hansley at the
picnic the night before, inside thepocket where Euphemie's keys that had been missing

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from her handbag. A search wasmade for him in the grounds, whilst
officers spoke to those closest to himat work. A twenty one year old
attendant by the name of Alexander mcclean was questioned, and it became apparent
that although he had no idea wherehis friend was, he was indeed a

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valuable witness. He'd been with Hanleyafter he'd returned from the picnic when Handley
awake him at one am. Thesuspected man had entered his room despite the
lights being off and Alexander being asleep, to ask him a favor. McLean

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had known Handley for years and wasn'tsurprised by the early warning visit, though
he was rather surprised to see Robert'sshat covered in blood. He asked him
where the blood had come from,but Handley replied in a quote cool and
collected manner that on his way backhe had fallen over a gate. He

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had busted his nose and it bledbadly. Hanley didn't seem drunk, but
it was the middle of the nightand dark took these excuse and thought nothing
of it, much the same aswhen Handley requested a loan of one pound,
Alexander hadn't asked him what the moneywas for, it being a common

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practice between the two to help withloans when needed. The pair sat smoking
and talking about the unimportant things atwork and life for about an hour and
fifteen minutes. He last saw Handleyat seven am, when he had come
to his room and asked to borrowa bonnet, which McLean also did.

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He did not know where his friendwas, but he did give details he
knew about Hanley to the investigators outside. There was no luck looking for Hanley
in the grounds, and after speakingwith Elizabeth gall A Pantry made the police
knew how much of a head starthe had. The girl had been with

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another when she passed him on thebackstairs of the dining hall. He caught
on them both with a good morningas he exited through the rear war Just
before eight am, if Sheriff's warrantfor arrest was issued for Handley, with
an alert placed out all surrounding policehorses to be look at for a quote.

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Man of ordinary build, five toseven in heights and eleven stone in
weight. He's clean shaven and hasfair hair. At the time of the
disappearance, he was wearing a navyblue suit with a light cap. The
land around Dyke Bar was searched bypolice and volunteers, including all the woodland

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and farmland, even in terrible weather. As their heavens opened. A visitor
was to appear at the hospital whilstthere was such a flurry, a middle
aged woman who had come to visither son, Missus Handley. She come
from their hometown to see her sonand was greatly shocked about the fuss that

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surrounded him when she arrived. Thenews that her son was a suspected murderer
had a terrible effect on her.The frail woman, who was known to
have been prone to heart attacks,answered questions by the police, yet was
too distressed to stay impaisley, leavingto return home the same day. The

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effect of that day stayed, withher having to be treated by a doctor
and placed on bedrest. The rumormill started incredibly quickly. Where could Robert
Handley be in nearby Glasgow? Thepolice were informed immediately as Handy had been

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known to frequently visit the city whenhe was off to beat. They visited
a number of hotels, railway stationsand even the Irish shipping office on the
street. Though citizens had their ownideas of where he had gone. One
rumor had spread saying that Hansley hadbeen seen trying to book accommodation in the

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east end of Paisley, and anothersaid he'd been seen in a drossing Some
would say that he'd been traveling tolarks both a coastal towns to the west.
By Friday, rumors had said thathe'd already been arrested in the early
morning at Port Glasgow, yet thepolice would issue a statement from the headquarters

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refruiting all such claims. They didagree that they believed he had likely left
the district, a theory that wassupported by him borrowing cash from his friend,
yet they had no idea where hehad gone. That day, the
press ran stories about the horrific murderalongside a picture of Handley that had been

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issued by the police. Reporters spoketo those who had worked with the twenty
one year old, and they woulddescribe him as a man with a quote
quiet disposition, but the most raffeethe interview would come from an uncle.
He lived at two Townhead Terrace inOld Kumnuk, Mister William Archer, he

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would be quoted as saying my nephewwas born in Dale Mellington in nineteen o
four. His father and mother cameto Old Kumnuk shortly afterwards, when Robert
was only two years old. Afterleaving school, he worked for a time
as a message boy with the OldKomnuch Coworp Society. He was later employed

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in various local qullery until the coalstrike of nineteen twenty one, when through
his uncle mister James Hanley, who'sthe head warder at Writing Asylum Dumfries,
he obtained a position as a variationer. At this time, my nephew was
only seventeen years of age. Afterbeing employed in the Dumfries Asylum for around

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three years, he returned to OldKumnac. During this time of unemployment,
he was very studious and was usuallyengrossed in books dealing with mental subjects.
A great change seemed to come overhim about this time. He'd always be
reticent about his affairs, but fromonwards he carried out his residence to excess.

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When he visited us, he wouldrarely open his mouth unless asked a
question point blank. He seemed togrow more mood as the days went on,
and one day he alarmed my sonDavid, his cousin, by telling
him that he thought his mind wasgoing and that he was becoming like some
sort of the patients at Dumfries.In April of this year, however,

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he obtained employment as a male nursein the dyke Bar Mental Hospital, Paisley.
He was taken on as a temporaryattendant for the summer months with the
prospect of attaining a permanency. Sixweeks ago he returned on a visit from
dyke Bar, my brother in law. His father told me he was really

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worried about his son, who Hesaid that he was more reserved and arose
than usual. Mister Hanley said thatRobert would sit for hours in his room
by himself, rarely speaking a wordto anyone. It was whilst people read
the pages of the newspaper the otherscene. The police was trying to salvage

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the crime scene from the element.As I mentioned, the original search for
Hanley had begun quite soon after thediscovery of Euphobia's body on the Thursday,
but whilst this was ongoing, ithad started to rain, and not just
rain, but really rain. Thescene by a hollybush farm had been almost

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obliterated of the evidence that once laidon the ground, the rain destroying the
signs of a struggle that it oncebore. The area was still under policey
provision and a large area of turfhad been taken away. The investigators may
have been having terrible luck with thecrime scene, but they had gathered a

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clearer picture of the man that theywere looking for. Speaking with those that
known him at the hospital in Dumfries, it was discovered that he had in
fact been asked to resign from hisposition. He had been known to exhibit
odd behavior and was of a drinkan incident that had occurred one night when

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he had been left outside the entranceof the housing the staff. He had
to wait for the matron to unlockthe door. Instead of doing this,
he scaled a wall using the drainpipe and entered through his window. The
arrest of Robert Handley was made onone of the main streets in Air on
Friday, July twenty third, afteralmost forty hours on the run. Constable

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Alexander McDonald had been on special pointduty on the Bridge Street at ten thirty
five pm that evening when he wasapproached by a clean cut young man with
fair hair. The stranger had addressedthe officer saying, you'd better take me
to the police office and sure.At the tone of the man, the

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officer, thinking that perhaps he wasfooling around, stopped and studying the man
before replying, you want to goto the police office. The man simply
replied yes, but the officer wasstill hesitant, so the man told him
I am Bob Hansley. Instantly,the officer recognized the name as someone with

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whom there'd be the arrestaurant issued,so he began to realize the seriousness of
the moment. He took the surrenderedman with no issue to the local station,
where he was searched. The articlesof clothing that he'd been wearing were
stamped with his name, and theinsurance card located in his pocket was also

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to match the name of the wantedman, and news was sent of Hasley.
The moment that the detectives heard,a taxicab was acquired to escort Superintendent
Gray and Detective Inspector Gray to collecttheir man with them. Returning that night,
Handley was secured in the Paisley cellsat three am, ready for a

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court appearance in the morning. Thenews as an arrest had been made was
public knowledge. Before the morning evenbroke and a group of interested individuals had
gathered outside the Sheriff Court in hopesof catching the man. The short hearing,
though performed before Sheriff Hamilton, wasprivate. However, Handley had seemed

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to be calm as he walked intothe room flanked by two police officers.
His smart demeanor did falter though towardsthe end when he was remanded to Queenock
Prison, his face showing his dismaybeing flushed before briskly walking away when dismissed.
His trial would begin on October eighteenthof that year at the High Court

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in Glasgow. Before the start ofthe day, large crowds had gathered in
jail Square, the sensation of thecase making news across the UK. The
four day hearing did not seem tobother. The fair haired man gets out,
carefully brushed from his forehead, dressedin the navy blue charge suit and
a dark blue overcoat. The presswould call him calm and unfussed, his

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facade only dropping in the moments offrustration, his jaw noticeably clenching at some
of the evidence heard. He rarelyraised his head. The proceedings were overseen
by Lord Ormidale and the fifteen persinjury, including five women, were to
be seated as the advocate, misterHector Burne Murdock began his opening speech.

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That speech would last over an houras he explained the facts of the case.
He would explain how Robert Handley andthe Uveemia Briden had known each other
rather closely, and that after astaff picnic outing they were seen by the
other members of the party alone togetheralong the route where miss Bridon was discovered

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the following day. He had beenthe very last person who had seen her
alive. He would also touch onthe special defense proposed by Hansley's defense mister
Craigie Atkinson, which stated, atthe time of the defense he was not
of sound mind. It was saidthat the work within the mental health institutions

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such as Dyke Bar, where hewas caring for a suicidal and manipulative patient,
had damaged his own psyche, andthat he was beginning to lean on
alcohol to deal with his mental health. It was in a moment brought on
by heavy drinking in which he wasnot in his right mind that the crime

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occurred. Mister burn Murdock disagreed withsuch. Mister Burn Murdock disagreed with such,
saying the crime was during a sexualsalt that Hansley had thrown Euphemia down
to the ground, causing injuries toher head. He'd also committed further acts

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of violence, with marks upon herthroat, hands, and thighs, which
lent to more aggression than a simpleaccident. His issues with drinking too much,
as said by him, made himangry and he should bear the responsibilities
of his actions. It would beat this point that he would begin to

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call his forty two witnesses for theprosecution, which dominated over the eighteen later
proposed for the defense. The firstof these would be Euphemia's widowed mother,
Janet. She gave emotional testimony toreceiving a letter the day her daughter was
discovered dead. The forty one yearold also told of how she was informed

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the death, stating that she'd beennotified by both the matron of Daike bar
and the police leading to her arrivalin Paisley to identify her child's body.
One of Euphemia's closest friends at DykeBar, Margaret Scolia, was to testify

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they had been friends since Euphemia's arrivalin early December nineteen twenty five, and
she would also tell of being onspeaking terms with Handley since his arrival at
the institute in May of twenty six. In that time, she had only
noticed at a veloped closeness between herfriend and the defendant for around three weeks

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before the murder. Yet on theSunday previous to the outing they had fallen
out. Margaret would say that sheknew that the couple was still on speaking
terms and when she was at thepick she felt no animosity between them.
She agreed that Handley was drinking froma bottle of whiskey, and although he

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did smell of booze, he didnot seem to be under the effects of
such. She had spent some timewith him at the picnic and noted nothing
different. She remarked that when shesaw Euphemia again after sitting with Handley at
the picnic, Euphemia had joked thatshe was jealous of her keeping in good

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spirits. When the party that hadbeen picnicking together finished up, they embarked
on their return journey. Handley realizedthat he was missing his cap at this
point, and miss Bridon had stoppedto help him. They had remained at
the back of the group, walkingslowly. Margaret last saw the pair walking

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arm in arm as the group gotback to the gate near their recommendations.
The couple were now out of Margaret, along with a group, would wait
by the gates near the hospital fortwenty minutes before retiring to bed so that
she had work the following morning.When asked of her opinion of Handley,

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she said that he was a quietfellow, gently and kindly in manner.
Twenty year old nurse Grace Dodds wouldalso take the stand and collaborate the fact
that the couple had been keeping companyand at the picnic. She also smelled
drink on Handley, yet did sayhe did not appear to be intoxicated.

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Margaret. Victoria Ferguson, another nurse, was also in attendance at the picnic,
and she agreed that he smelt stronglyof alcohol. She claimed that the
couple were very fond of each other. The twenty five year old nurse had
known the defendant when they both workedat the Crichton Royal Asylum, and noted

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that he did drink regularly. Disagreedwith the statement that it was a good
deal of drink. Referring to thework that she saw Handley undertake at Dyke
Bar, she said that his hourswere six thirty am to eight pm and
there were three half an hour breaksincluded. He'd been working with an individual

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described as a quote very bad suicidalcase, and that whilst he was in
Paisley she had had rumors of havingdrinking on behalf of him, but she
never saw this herself. When partof the black silk deck tie was produced,
she positively identified it as the accused. Other witnesses that were called detailed

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a relationship between Handley and Euphemia,talking of their walks alone together and be
regarded as rather affectionate towards one another. This said in the days leading up
to the murder, after they hadhad that argument, they had only been
described as being on friendly terms.Donald Ritchie, he was also employed on

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the same ward as Handley, wouldtalk to the patients that he had been
in charge of in the weeks beforethe killing. He told of the man
being very depressed and was actively tryingto end his life. This was a
constant thing through the ten weeks ofHandley's care. Another witness that had known

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Handley in his previous appointment at Dumfrieswas twenty one year old Alexander McClean.
He'd known the defendant for three yearsand stated that he thought that he was
an okay and that he never hadany problems with him. When asked if

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he thought Handley drank to excess,he said he didn't think so, and
as he'd never come to the opinionof that with his two years at dumfriess
all the time that they'd both beenemployed as attendants at Dyke Bar. The
cross examination of the witness on thestand would include questions regarding the young age

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that Handley had become caring for mentallyill patience. He was asked, do
you know that, owing to strainimpose by work of that kind, the
accuse used to take large quantities ofdrink every day, to which McLean answered,
I heard of it, I neversaw it. Alexander McLean had also

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been the friend that Handley had turnedto after the murder, and he would
speak to their conversation in his room, where the defendant had borrowed a sum
of money from him. He wouldspeak to Handley mentioning Euphemia when he came
to his room, and said thatthe young woman had continued to walk on

(36:13):
to Barhead. Another male attendant whohad been an attendance at the picnic,
would say that he spoke to Handleyon the morning before the discovery. They
spoke about the previous evening, bothagreeing that they enjoyed it very much.

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When asked about his companion on thewalk home, Handley said that when they
got to the gates, they departedwith Euphemia carrying on the road towards bar
Head. He told the witness hedidn't think much of it, as he
believed that she wasn't on duty thatday. This same witness would also speak

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to the Tuesday, the day ofthe air races and the day before the
murder, and said that when Hansleyhad returned from his day out, he
had come across him very drunk.Hansley was so intoxicated that the witness had
to assist him into bed. Thishad not been the first time, and

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they had previously taken note of thequantities of drink the young man's taking and
requested that he stopped for his owngood. The final witness of the first
day was a charged tendant at thehospital who was working on the morning of
the discovery. He remarked that whenthe news had reached Tikbar, Hansley was

(37:42):
on duty and the witness had spokento him about how the murder was such
a strange affair, with Hansley tellinghim that he was out with her last
night. He said, as thesupervisor for the staff, Hansley had to
request from him permission to leave theward At seven fifty a m. Handley

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had just done that, asking tobe excused from his dreaties to collect a
collar and tie. Permission was granted, but the attendant never returned. When
asked whether the patients that Handley hadbeen taken care of on the ward could
have influenced the defendant's outlook on lifeor cause him to be under undue stress,

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he would say that he felt inregards to that person that no.
Handley would not The second day ofthe trial would be halted as a medical
emergency befell, a female juror whohad to quickly excuse herself that during the
testimony of the arresting officer, theproceedings were halted for thirty five minutes whilst

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a professor Glacester was to attend toher. After the unexpected delay, the
Deputy Chief Constable of Ranfreucheur Constabulary,Superintendent George Gray, was to take the
stand. He gave details of thepolice examination that was conducted at the scene,

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whilst Hansley sat with his arms crossed, unbothered by the evidence given.
Two ushers would bring in a largepiece of turf taking from near Glenifo Brays
that measured twenty inches by twenty fiveas well as a large stone embedded hidden

(39:37):
deep amongst the grass. The landin which Euphemia lost her life was placed
on a table and it was explainedhow the movements of the couple could be
determined from the blood in the turf. Gray would also speak to the scene
seventeen yards away underneath the wind bushwhere Euphemia had been discovered. It was

(40:04):
clear that the perpetrator had tried toconceal the body, and the officer felt
that attempts to clean the blood hadbeen made. He then explained further how
the body had been disturbed. Herundergarments had been interfered with, and her
gray tweed coat was spread out andcovering her from throat to ankle. He

(40:28):
described seeing the young nurse's face completelyblood smeared, so much so that her
hair had become matted, Her lowerlip bore a cut, and just below
was a free shaped mark on herneck. He could see there had also
been an attempt to strangle Euphemia withseveral bruises. Formed the fact that the

(40:52):
defense's stance was that Handily had notbeen responsible for the death of Euphemia due
to his mental condition at the time. The prosecution would take extra time to
examine this, with expert witnesses beingcalled to the stand. One of these
would be one of the most prominentin the psychiatry field at the time,

(41:15):
doctor David Kennedy Henderson. He wouldgo on to be knighted in years later
for his work, and at thetime of this trial he was highly regarded
as the best of the best.He was to speak to the accused mental
state and told the courtroom he wasbasing his testimony of meeting Handley during September.

(41:39):
At this meeting, he would say, the accused behaved in a natural
manner and was quote self possessed andanswering all the questions clearly. During the
exam, Handley had spoken openly throughtheir time together and gave an accurate account
of his life, seemingly honest inhis demeanor. He told the doctor that

(42:04):
he'd gotten into the habit of drinkafter taking appointment at Dumfries, which he
found hard to disengage from. Heexplains that he was drinking heavily as he
took up his job at Dyke Bar. Handley described himself as somebody who had
a sensitive nature, though when hedrank it raised quote some sort of madness

(42:28):
in him. That madness, hepointed to, was a plaguing of queer
thoughts that did not dissipate this said. However, from their conversation, the
medical man declared Robert Handley sound ofmind and fit to plead. He believed

(42:49):
the man was saying now and atthe time of the killing. Crossed by
the defense, however, it seemedthat the information provided by the defendant to
the esteem doctor was not true,with mister Atkinson asking are you aware that
his statements that there was no mentalor nervous disease in the family is directly

(43:14):
contrary to the fact. The doctorsaid he was not aware, though said
it was only of importance if ithad been a very close relative. Another
witness who would be called would bedoctor Thomas Tenant, who had formerly been
an assistant medical officer at Dyke Barbut had since moved to London. He

(43:37):
would be called to answer how Handleyhad come to employment at the Paisley Institutes.
Mister Tenant was stated that he washired after a recommendation from a member
of the board. When he spoketo him after the application had been made,
Handley had stated that he wished toundertake medical work, which was some

(44:00):
thing he had not had chance toexperience when working at Dunfried's. Therefore,
he was offered a temporary position tobegin in May nineteen twenty six. Handley
was appointed to work on award thattreated acute patience and the recent admissions there
had been twenty four patients with sevenstaff members on gt. Doctor Tennant said

(44:25):
that he felt that there was noissue with Handley or his behavior, and
found it strange that he'd been describedby others as quiet and reserved, as
his opinion of him was that hewas keen and enthusiastic, a man who
always took part in quote the sportof the place. When cost examined,

(44:47):
the witness would admit that staff memberswho had their contracts changed from temporary to
permanent employment at Dike Bar, therewas no mental health test would be undertaken,
even though it was policy to conductphysical exams. Evidence to the post
mortem was provided by doctor Andrew EdgarStruther. He would explain the extent of

(45:13):
the injuries that Euphemia had suffered andtestified that he believed the injuries to her
face had been caused by the defendantbringing down a stone upon her face with
considerable force. He believed that herdeath would have occurred very quickly, if
not immediately after the injuries happened.Professor Glaister would also give statements to the

(45:37):
court regarding forensic evidence. He examinedthe clothes of Euphemia which were produced and
stated that there had been considerable bleedingand her great coat had been saturated the
most, with a considerable amount locatedon the right side. The defense would

(45:58):
open their case on the day ofthe trial. Much of the evidence they
would present would speak to the mentalhealth of Handley and how they believed he
had come to suffer from such.One of their expert witnesses to testify was
doctor William McAllister, who was employedat Edinburgh's Morningside Mental Institution. He would

(46:22):
speak to examining the defendant on FridayOctober fifteenth, which is five days before,
whilst he was remanded at Duke StreetPrison. Whilst there, he asked
himself with trying to determine the mentalstate of Handley currently and at the time
of the murder, and spoke withthe accused at length. Doctor McAllister told

(46:46):
of how he felt Handley was intellectuallysound, being able to recall and speak
clearly, but in his opinion,he was irresponsible for his actions, being
insane at the time. Asked whyhe had come to such a conclusion,
the witness stated, I took himto account his medical history as related by

(47:08):
the accused, during the six monthsthat he was home and unemployed. He
told me that on one occasion,without any cause, he had brutally maltreated
a dog which was his father's.He explained that he had the greatest satisfaction
from watching the convulsions of the animal. He also told me that during his

(47:34):
service at deike Bar this amounted toalmost an obsession, and the idea kept
recurring to him that he might gratifyhimself by afflicting pain on others. The
doctor would go on to explain thatHansley had not just gained a sexual gratification
from the murder of Euphemia, butenjoyed the entire experience of causing pain.

(48:00):
He would also say that the defendanthad come from quote tainted stock, referring
to two of his maternal aunts thathad shown signs of mental illness in the
past. One of these had beenin trouble with the law for subsequently attempting
to take the life of another womanby a strangulation. Talking to Handley's current

(48:23):
state of mind, he states thathe believed the man was bord alive,
insane, and was liable to abreakdown at any moments. How they got
to this stage has been hinted atto before, such as in the crossic
terminations in reference to the patients thatwas in his care in the weeks before

(48:45):
the murder. That patient had beenreferred to as quote very suicidal, and
the head physician at Riccart's Bar Asylum, doctor Mary Knight, was to testify
to the court what the patient waslike. The mail had previously been in
her care at another institute in Paisley, and she would just describe him as

(49:07):
suicidal and extremely strong physically. Whilsthe was in her charge, the man
made frequent attempts to complete suicide,and when he was discharged on June fifteenth,
nineteen twenty five, he had notrecovered. She agreed with the statements

(49:27):
made by the defense that caring forthe individual would impose serious train on Handley,
especially so if he had been inthe same condition as when she had
treated him a year before. Theeffect that his job had on him was
crucial to the defense's arguments, andthey would bring witnesses who would try to

(49:49):
highlight the changes in the man fromhis youth onwards. Hugh Hammond had known
Handley since they were boys, bothattending the same school and having worked down
the pits together. He said thatduring this time he considered him to be
a normal fellow with no sort ofhint of abnormality, who himself went to

(50:13):
be employed as an attendant at DykeBar would say that after he saw his
friend take employment at Dumfries, henoticed the change in him. He testified
that Handley became more moody and oppressed, and that he became more shy.
He noted that Handley would not alwaysanswer people if they addressed him, and

(50:35):
that his eyes started to have aquote wistful and queer look about them.
Another witness he would speak to thechanges that Handley seemed to have experienced after
beginning work in the mental health field, was a signalman from Old Kumnuch,
David Reid. He said that inthe months that the defendant had been home
before leaving the Dike Bar, heseemed unlike himself. He said, I

(51:01):
have no doubt in my own mindthat the accused was an abnormal man who
had great fits of abstraction. JamesKirk, a laborer from Hansley's native town,
would say that just before the accusedhad left for Paisley, he had
seen him sat on a bench alone. Kirk, who had been passing in

(51:22):
the company of a work friend,remembered saying, if there ever was a
melancholy boy, there is one overthere. Hanley had only begun his employment
at dyke bar mere weeks before themurder, and rumor was rife regarding his
drinking. This was also touched onby the defense, who called thirty two

(51:45):
year old Frank Allen, a fellowattendant, to testify. He was questioned
regarding the Tuesday before the murder,which was also the day of the air
races. He said that he hadgone into Hansley's room at two, thirsty
because he could still see the lightswere burning. When he entered, he
saw that Hansley was intoxicated, halfdressed, scored on his bed, and

(52:08):
breathing very heavily. Frank would laterspeak to Hansley about this, but Robert
could not remember being drunk. Bennyhad said that Hansley was a quite likable
man, but Quintin Stewart, effectwho had known him since Paisley, would
say that he was quote extremely peculiar, reticent, and moody, even making

(52:34):
the points that his wife said thatshe did not like him, then being
something off about the twenty one yearold. Inclosing, the prosecution reasserted that
Euphemia Bridon would have still been aliveif the defendant had not thrown her down
when he sexually assaulted her. Itwas in that action, which was conducted

(52:54):
in malice, that the death hadoccurred, and although there was an option
for the jew ury to reduce thecharge, the prosecution believed that was an
act of passion inflamed by drink.The defense counted the prosecution's claim that quote,
if the stone had not been inthat fatal spot, then the girl

(53:15):
had been thumped on the grass aloneand rendered unconscious, it is very possible
she would have survived, by sayingthat it had been a fatal accident that
occurred when Hansey was not in theright state of mind, therefore void of
the charge of murder. They finishedby stating the defendant was suffering from impulsive

(53:37):
insanity and sadism. The fifteen personjury would return their verdict on the afternoon
of Thursday, October twenty first,stating that Robert Hansley was guilty of the
rape and culpable homicide. Lord Ormidalewould sentence the young man to fifteen years

(53:58):
penal servitude. That brings us tothe end of this week's case. And
of course we take time to rememberEuphemia, and before I depart you,
lovely lot, I just want toremind you that I am incredibly excited to
be part of Crime Con UK inGlasgow, which takes place on September tenth.

(54:19):
Crime Con UK, in partnership withCBS Reality, the home of expert
led true crime television, have puttogether howards of amazing content. There's book
signings and talks, podcasts, rowI think, even a buffet launch with
the leading names in the community.The organizers very kindly have offered a discount

(54:42):
to listeners of the show, soit check out. If you use the
code lady, you can save someextra pennies. If you do use my
code, let me know. Idon't get told because of data protection,
of course, but if you dolet me know, I'll make sure to
have a little something extra for youto take away. Now, we've just
got enough time to balance out thosescales somewhat with a small act of kindness,

(55:07):
and this week I suggest partaking insome lyssa picking. It is something
that I do with my little humanson the regular and does help not only
to make the area that you livein look a little better, but it
does help nature thrive. So withthat, my lovelies, go be good,
people, Go be kind, Gobe safe, and most importantly,

(55:30):
go be happy,

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