Offender Record · OFF-2026-173
John Straffen (photo from the Radford University biography)
John Thomas Straffen
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'11"
Hair
blonde
Born
1930
Custody
Deceased
States
GB, IN
Distinguishing featuresHeight 5'11" (noted in document)
Custody
Deceased at HM Prison Frankland, County Durham
Custody record at the facility
When he dies on 19 November 2007, in the healthcare unit at Frankland Prison in County Durham, Straffen is Britain's longest-serving prisoner.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
John Thomas Straffen (27 February 1930 – 19 November 2007) was an English serial killer who committed the murder of three prepubescent girls between the ages of five and nine in the counties of Somerset and Berkshire, England, between 1951 and 1952. His first two victims were murdered in Bath, Somerset, in the summer of 1951. He briefly escaped from this facility in April 1952 and murdered a third child in the village of Farley Hill, Berkshire, in the four hours he remained at liberty prior to his recapture. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment by the Home Secretary following his personal recommendation to the Queen that Straffen be reprieved. John Straffen died of natural causes within the health care centre of HM Prison Frankland following a brief illness on the morning of 19 November 2007.
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 Jul 27, 1947, Bath, Somerset
Sexual assault
Police
On 27 July 1947, a 13-year-old girl reported to police that a blond-haired teenager named John had sexually assaulted her after putting his hand over her mouth and saying: 'What would you do if I killed you?' The police were unable to locate the assailant and would only link Straffen to this offence much later.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Straffen, John; John Straffen - Wikipedia
Offense date Jul 15, 1951, Bath, Somerset
Murder
Somerset Police / Taunton Assizes · Taunton Assizes · Arrested Aug 09, 1951 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Detained at Her Majesty's pleasure (found unfit to plead)
On July 15, 1951, John Straffen killed a five-year-old girl named Brenda Goddard. He encountered Brenda while she was picking flowers near her home in Bath. After lifting her over a fence, he attacked her. He strangled her and left her body in a nearby copse before going to the cinema to watch a film.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Straffen, John; John Thomas Straffen - Murderpedia
Offense date Aug 08, 1951, Bath, Somerset
Murder
Somerset Police / Taunton Assizes · Taunton Assizes · Arrested Aug 09, 1951 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Detained at Her Majesty's pleasure (found unfit to plead)
On August 8, Straffen murdered another girl, nine-year-old Cicely Batstone. He took Cicely to a meadow after first watching a movie. There, he strangled her as well. Straffen was arrested on the morning of August 9. He confessed to killing both girls during police questioning.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Straffen, John; John Thomas Straffen - Murderpedia
Offense date Apr 29, 1952, Farley Hill, Berkshire
Murder
Berkshire Police / Winchester Assizes · Winchester Assizes · Docket HO 291/2186 · Arrested Apr 29, 1952 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death (24 July 1952); Commuted to life imprisonment (29 August 1952)
On April 29, 1952, Straffen escaped from Broadmoor. Later that day, he murdered another young girl, five-year-old Linda Bowyer, as she rode her bicycle in Farley Hill. He was captured shortly after. Straffen kidnapped the girl before strangling her. This was within just four hours of him escaping Broadmoor.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Straffen, John; John Thomas Straffen - Murderpedia
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.
3
Victims convicted
3
Victims confessed
0
Victims suspected
Active years
1951–1952
Range from home
local
Confessed
Yes
Education
some high school
Marital history
Never married
Children
0
Died
2007-11-19 · natural
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Somerset Police · GB
Investigated and arrested Straffen for murders of Brenda Goddard and Cicely Batstone (1951)
Source: UK Parliament, Crime + Investigation, Wikipedia, Murderpedia
Taunton Assizes · GB
Prosecuted for murders of Brenda Goddard and Cicely Batstone; trial October 1951
Source: UK Parliament, Wikipedia, Murderpedia
Office of the Home Secretary · GB
Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe commuted death sentence to life imprisonment (29 August 1952)
Source: UK Parliament, Wikipedia, Murderpedia
Horfield Prison · GB
Held and examined Straffen after arrest in 1951; medical evaluation conducted
Source: Wikipedia, Murderpedia
HM Prison Frankland · GB
Long-term custody; Straffen died here 19 November 2007 after 55+ years imprisonment
Source: Wikipedia, Murderpedia
Broadmoor Hospital · GB
High-security psychiatric hospital; held Straffen after October 1951 trial; escape April 1952
Source: UK Parliament, Crime + Investigation, Wikipedia, Murderpedia
Winchester Assizes · GB
Prosecuted for murder of Linda Bowyer; trial July 1952
Source: UK Parliament, The National Archives (United Kingdom)
Berkshire Police · GB
Investigated and charged for murder of Linda Bowyer (1952)
Source: UK Parliament, The National Archives (United Kingdom)
Brixton Prison · GB
Remanded to Brixton after recapture in 1952 following Broadmoor escape
Source: Wikipedia, Murderpedia
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
Hampshire, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1930 – 1932 · Born at Borden Camp
Bath, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1938 – 1951 · Settled in Bath, Somerset
Sambourne, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1940 – 1942 · St Joseph's School, residential school for mentally defective children
England, United Kingdom
approx. 1942 – 1946 · Besford Court school
Bath, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1946 – 1947 · Machinist in a clothes factory
Bristol, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1947 – 1949 · Hortham Colony in Bristol, committed under Mental Deficiency Act 1913
Hampshire, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1949 – 1950 · Agricultural hostel in Winchester (lower-security transfer from Hortham)
Hampshire, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1950 – 1950 · Returned to Hortham after stealing a bag of walnuts
Bath, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1951 – 1951 · Unescorted home leave, living with mother, working at market garden
Somerset, England, United Kingdom
Aug 09, 1951 – Oct 17, 1951 · In custody pending trial at Taunton Assizes
West Berkshire, England, United Kingdom
Oct 17, 1951 – Apr 29, 1952 · Broadmoor Institution / Hospital, committed as unfit to plead
West Berkshire, England, United Kingdom
Apr 29, 1952 – Apr 29, 1952 · Escaped Broadmoor; recaptured in Arborfield playing field after four hours at liberty
Greater London, England, United Kingdom
approx. May 1952 – Sep 1952 · Brixton Prison, then Wandsworth Prison
Bristol, England, United Kingdom
approx. Sep 1952 – Sep 1958 · Moved to Horfield Prison
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
approx. Sep 1958 – May 1968 · Cardiff Prison
Durham, England, United Kingdom
approx. May 1968 – Nov 19, 2007 · HM Prison Frankland, County Durham; died in prison
IN
India
approx. 1932 – 1938 · Family moved when father was relocated by the Army
Timeline
Feb 27, 1930
John Straffen was born on 27 February 1930 in Bordon Camp, Hampshire, England, UK.
Jul 27, 1947
A 13-year-old girl reported to police that a boy called John had assaulted her by putting his hand over her mouth and saying 'What would you do if I killed you? I have done it before.'
Jul 15, 1951
John Straffen killed five-year-old Brenda Goddard. He encountered her while she was picking flowers near her home in Bath. After lifting her over a fence, he attacked her. He strangled her and left her body in a nearby copse.
Aug 08, 1951
Straffen murdered nine-year-old Cicely Batstone. He took her to a meadow after first watching a movie. There, he strangled her.
Aug 09, 1951
Straffen was arrested on the morning of August 9. He confessed to killing both girls during police questioning. He was charged with their murders and taken into custody.
Oct 17, 1951
Tried before Mr Justice Oliver at Taunton Assizes in October 1951, Straffen was found unfit to plead on the grounds of diminished responsibility and committed to indefinite detention within Broadmoor Hospital.
Apr 29, 1952
On April 29, 1952, Straffen escaped from Broadmoor. Later that day, he murdered five-year-old Linda Bowyer as she rode her bicycle in Farley Hill. He was captured shortly after.
Jul 21, 1952
Straffen was brought to trial at Winchester Assizes for the murder of Linda Bowyer on 21 July 1952.
Jul 24, 1952
At Winchester on 24 July 1952 John Thomas Straffen was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
Aug 29, 1952
Home Secretary Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe commuted the sentence to life imprisonment because Straffen was feeble-minded on August 29, 1952.
Nov 19, 2007
John Straffen died of natural causes within the health care centre of HM Prison Frankland following a brief illness on the morning of 19 November 2007.
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 · Wikipedia ·
John Straffen - Wikipedia“John Thomas Straffen (27 February 1930 – 19 November 2007) was an English serial killer who committed the murder of three prepubescent girls between the ages of five and nine.”
News report · Crime + Investigation ·
John Straffen - Biography Crime File“When he dies on 19 November 2007, in the healthcare unit at Frankland Prison in County Durham, Straffen is Britain's longest-serving prisoner.”
News report · Students' Verdict ·
Britain's Longest-Serving Prisoner: Two Murders, an Escape and a Third Murder“On 31st August, after a two-day hearing at Bath Magistrates' Court, Straffen was committed for trial for the murder of Brenda.”
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Straffen, John“John Straffen; Information researched and summarized by Eric Morgner”
News report · Murderpedia ·
John Thomas Straffen - Murderpedia“On 9 August 1951, Straffen was arrested for the murder of nine-year-old Cicely Batstone in Somerset.”
Other government record · UK Parliament ·
John Straffen - Hansard - UK Parliament“Straffen is serving a sentence of life imprisonment, to which a sentence of death imposed in July, 1952, was commuted.”
Court record · The National Archives (United Kingdom) ·
STRAFFEN, John Thomas: at Winchester on 24 July 1952 convicted of murder; sentenced to death“HO 291/2186: STRAFFEN, John Thomas: at Winchester on 24 July 1952 convicted of murder; sentenced to death. Commuted to life imprisonment”
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