Offender Record · OFF-2026-033
John Christie (photo from the Radford University biography)
John Reginald Halliday Christie
Also known as The Rillington Place Strangler, The Monster of Rillington Place
Sex
Male
Race
White
Born
1899
Custody
Deceased
States
GB
Distinguishing featuresWhisper voice from claimed mustard gas injury in WWI; spoke very quietly; round glasses; light brown hair, balding; slim build
Custody
Executed by hanging on July 15, 1953
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Summary of the record
John Reginald Halliday Christie was convicted of the murder of his wife Ethel in 1953 and executed by hanging at Pentonville Prison on July 15, 1953. Christie murdered at least eight people—seven women and one infant daughter—by strangling them in his flat at 10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill, London, between August 1943 and March 1953. Most victims were rendered unconscious with domestic carbon monoxide gas before being raped and strangled. He was also convicted as a serial rapist who committed necrophilia on his victims.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Dec 1952, London, England
Murder of Ethel Christie (wife)
Metropolitan Police Service, London · Old Bailey (Central Criminal Court), London · Arrested Mar 31, 1953 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death by hanging
Christie murdered his wife Ethel by rendering her unconscious with domestic gas, then strangling her. He placed her body beneath the floorboards of the front room and told relatives she had gone to Sheffield, forging her handwriting in correspondence. She was 54 years old at the time of her murder.
SourcesJohn Christie (serial killer); Notorious murderer John Christie is executed in England - 1953; The Arrest and Trial — John Christie
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
1
Victims convicted
7
Victims confessed
8
Victims suspected
Active years
1943–1953
Victim profile
Young women, Sex workers, Family members, Acquaintances
Stated motive
Sexual, Power or control
Range from home
local
Confessed
Yes
Education
some high school
Marital history
Married
Children
0
Military discharge
honorable
Died
1953-07-15 · executed
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
GB
England, United Kingdom
approx. 1899 – 1919 · Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire · Boothtown, Halifax
England, United Kingdom
Sep 1916 – Jun 1918 · West Riding of Yorkshire · 52nd Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment, later Duke of Wellington's Regiment as signalman; gassed June 1918 in France, hospitalized in Calais · army
England, United Kingdom
approx. 1919 – 1924 · Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire · Returned after army discharge; worked various jobs including wool mill clerk and cinema operator
England, United Kingdom
approx. 1920 – 1929 · Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire · Married Ethel Simpson in May 1920; separated 1929
England, United Kingdom
Jan 1921 – Apr 1921 · Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire · Postman at Halifax Post Office
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Apr 12, 1921 – Jun 27, 1921 · HM Prison Manchester; 3 months for stealing postal orders
England, United Kingdom
approx. Jan 1923 – Jan 1923 · Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire · Arrested for obtaining money on false pretenses and violent conduct at post office; placed on probation
Uxbridge, England, United Kingdom
approx. Sep 1924 – Dec 1924 · Uxbridge jail; 9 months on two consecutive charges of larceny (3 and 6 months)
Greater London, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1929 – 1933 · Moved to London after separating from wife; various residences
Greater London, England, United Kingdom
approx. May 1929 – Nov 1929 · 6 months hard labour for assaulting a prostitute with a cricket bat in Battersea
Greater London, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1933 – 1938 · Reconciled with wife Ethel after 1933 release
Greater London, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1933 – Nov 1933 · 3 months for stealing a priest's car
Greater London, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1938 – Mar 1953 · 10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill; ground-floor flat where all murders occurred
Greater London, England, United Kingdom
approx. Sep 1939 – Dec 1943 · War Reserve Police Constable; assigned to Harrow Road Police Station
Greater London, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1943 – 1944 · Clerk at Acton radio factory
Putney, England, United Kingdom
Mar 31, 1953 – Mar 31, 1953 · Apprehended on Putney Embankment after 10-day manhunt; had run out of money
Greater London, England, United Kingdom
Mar 31, 1953 – Jul 15, 1953 · HM Prison Pentonville; held for trial and execution
Timeline
Apr 08, 1899
John Reginald Halliday Christie born in Boothtown, Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.
Sep 1916
Christie enlisted in the British Army.
Apr 12, 1917
Christie called up to join 52nd Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment.
Apr 1918
Christie's regiment dispatched to France; he was seconded to Duke of Wellington's Regiment as signalman.
Jun 1918
Christie injured in mustard gas attack; spent one month in military hospital in Calais.
Oct 22, 1919
Christie demobilized from the army with honorable discharge.
May 10, 1920
Christie married Ethel Simpson at Halifax register office.
Jan 10, 1921
Christie began working as postman in Halifax.
Apr 12, 1921
Christie convicted of stealing postal orders; sentenced to 3 months imprisonment at HM Prison Manchester.
Jan 15, 1923
Christie convicted of obtaining money on false pretenses and violent conduct; placed on probation.
Sep 1924
Christie convicted of larceny; sentenced to consecutive terms of 3 and 6 months at Uxbridge jail.
1929
Christie separated from wife Ethel; moved to London.
May 1929
Christie convicted of assaulting a prostitute with a cricket bat in Battersea; sentenced to 6 months hard labour.
1933
Christie convicted of stealing a priest's car; sentenced to 3 months imprisonment.
Nov 1933
Christie released from prison; reconciled with wife Ethel.
1938
Christie and wife Ethel moved into ground-floor flat at 10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill, London.
Sep 1939
Christie accepted into War Reserve Police despite unchecked criminal record; assigned to Harrow Road Police Station.
Aug 24, 1943
Christie murdered Ruth Fuerst, 21-year-old Austrian munitions worker and occasional prostitute, by strangulation at 10 Rillington Place.
Dec 28, 1943
Christie resigned as War Reserve Police Constable.
Oct 07, 1944
Christie murdered Muriel Eady, 32, work colleague, by rendering her unconscious with domestic gas and strangling her at 10 Rillington Place.
Nov 08, 1949
Christie murdered a 20-year-old female tenant and her 13-month-old daughter at 10 Rillington Place; later admitted to murdering the mother but never confessed to the infant.
Mar 09, 1950
Timothy Evans, wrongfully convicted largely on Christie's testimony, executed for murders Christie committed.
Dec 14, 1952
Christie murdered his wife Ethel, 54, by rendering her unconscious with domestic gas and strangling her; placed her body under the front-room floorboards.
Jan 19, 1953
Christie murdered Rita Nelson, 25, a pregnant woman from Belfast, by rendering her unconscious with domestic gas and strangling her at 10 Rillington Place.
Feb 1953
Christie murdered Kathleen Maloney, 26, a sex worker from Ladbroke Grove, by rendering her unconscious with domestic gas and strangling her at 10 Rillington Place.
Mar 06, 1953
Christie murdered Hectorina Maclennan, 26, by rendering her unconscious with domestic gas and strangling her at 10 Rillington Place.
Mar 24, 1953
New tenant discovered three bodies in a hidden kitchen alcove at 10 Rillington Place while stripping wallpaper.
Mar 31, 1953
Christie arrested on Putney Embankment after a 10-day manhunt; confessed to multiple murders while in custody.
Apr 01, 1953
Christie charged with his wife's murder.
Apr 15, 1953
Christie charged with murdering three prostitutes.
Jun 22, 1953
Christie's trial began at the Old Bailey on the charge of murdering his wife; pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Jun 26, 1953
Jury found Christie guilty of the murder of his wife after deliberating 1 hour 20 minutes; sentenced to death.
Jul 15, 1953
John Reginald Halliday Christie executed by hanging at HM Prison Pentonville, London, at age 54.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Military History Fandom ·
John Christie (murderer)“He committed two further crimes of larceny in 1924 and received consecutive sentences of three and six months' imprisonment from September 1924.”
News report · The Murder Files ·
john-christie“An Austrian munitions worker and part-time prostitute, she was strangled and buried in the small back garden of Rillington Place.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
John Christie (serial killer)“John Reginald Halliday Christie (8 April 1899 – 15 July 1953) was an English serial killer and serial rapist active during the 1940s and early 1950s.”
News report · EBSCO ·
John Reginald Halliday Christie“After serving in World War I, where he suffered speech loss due to mustard gas exposure, Christie faced multiple prison sentences throughout the 1920s and 1930s for offenses including theft and assault.”
News report · Crime Library ·
The Arrest and Trial — John Christie“He was hanged at Pentonville Prison on July 15th, 1953.”
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Christie, John“Convicted and sentenced to death. 06/26/1953. Executed. 07/15/1953”
News report · Crime Magazine ·
Notorious murderer John Christie is executed in England - 1953“On July 15, 1953, John Christie, one of England's most notorious killers, is executed.”
Other government record · The National Archives (UK) ·
John Reginald Halliday Christie. 10 Rillington Place. Hectorina MacLennan“at Central Criminal Court (CCC) on 25 June 1953 convicted of murder; sentenced to death; executed 15 July 1953”
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