http://www.britishexecutions.co.uk/execution-content.php?key=872ALSO:
I found this on facebook:"
James Robinson - convicted by a palm print.83 year old Mary Ann Dodsley lived alone at “The Hollies” in Skegby in Nottinghamshire. On the afternoon of December the 15th 1954 she had a friend round to tea.
The following morning a neighbour noticed one of her windows was broken and unable to get a reply from Mary, called the police. They found the old lady dead on her bedroom floor under a mattress. The post-mortem found that she had been raped and strangled.
The broken window was examined and a palm print found. A footprint was also discovered. The Mansfield police took palm prints from 68 men and these were examined by Superintendent Maurice Ray. One had 16 points of similarity to the one on the window glass. Only six points of similarity were required for the print to be considered a match.
The print belonged to 27 year old James Robinson who was a labourer at a nearby turkey farm.
He was charged with the murder and tried at Birmingham on the 25th to the 29th of March 1955, before Mr. Justice Jones. The defense argued that Mary had been killed between 9pm. and 10pm. and if this was the case then Robinson could not be guilty as he had a solid alibi for this time, drinking with friends in a local pub. The prosecution contended that Mary had died between 11pm. and 1am. the following morning. Either way Robinson could provide no explanation as to why his palm print was found at the scene.
Robinson’s appeal was heard on the 9th of May and he was hanged at Lincoln prison on Tuesday the 24th of May 1955, by Albert Pierrepoint and Harry Allen."
