George Hewitt (Jail)

George Hewitt was convicted of the murder of Maude Ruddle 41 who he killed 9 years earlier. He was sentenced to death but reprieved.

George Hewitt killed Maude Ruddle in 1932 and on 12 September 1941 he walked into the police station at 9.25am on High Street, Stewkley and gave himself up.

He said that in the early part of 1932 in January or February he picked up Maude Ruddle in the Fox pub in Parliament Street, Nottingham and agreed to spend the night having sexual intercourse with her for 10/-d. they then went to Holme Pier Point, Nottinghamshire to a barn where he usually slept in the occupation of the owner about 4.5 miles out of Nottingham on the Holme Road.

George Hewitt said that during the night Maude Ruddle took two £1 notes out of his pocket which he didn't discover until the morning. He said that at 6.30am he got up to do his normal work on the farm 3/4 mile from the barn and found that his two £1 notes were missing. He said then that he used a 12 bore gun to scare Maude Ruddle into giving him back his money. He said that they had an argument during which Maude Ruddle said that they should head back off towards West Bridgford which he agreed and they headed off down the road. George Hewitt said that he took the gun under his arm.

George Hewitt said that when they got to the gate leading across the cow barn he compelled her to go in with him and threatened to shoot her if she didn't give him back his £2. He said then that Maude Ruddle sat down and started to cry and he put the gun down and started to milk a cow. George Hewitt said that when Maude Ruddle saw that he had put the gun down she made a dash for the door and and he picked up a 3 inch by 3 inch hedge state and hit her with it which stunned her and after a few minutes she started to scream and so he finished her off by shaking her with his hands.

George Hewitt said then that he took the £2 out of her hand bag leaving the 10/-d which he had paid her and then went to the front of the cow barn where there was a manure heap and started to shovel out the manure and then dug a 2 foot hole that he buried Maude Ruddle in and then covered up again with manure making sure to cover the top with fresh manure.

After confessing George Hewitt took the police to the stop where they dug up the body of Maude Ruddle.

The autopsy could not determine an exact cause of death but found no evidence of gun shot wounds to blows to the head but most of the rest of the body was too decomposed to examine. they did however find a ligature around her neck that could have been applied before her death and used to strangle her and the cause of death was stated to have probably been strangulation.