John Wren was weight down by the burden of poverty and shame but the jury found he acted in cold blood
On December 28, 1909, retired naval stoker John Wren walked into Burnley police station and made a chilling confession.
Alongside him lay a bloodied knife, which a stained handkerchief a short distance away. Newspapers reported the boy's neck had been 'severed from ear to ear' and he had bruises where he had been gripped around the throat. Wren made conversation with his brother and asked him for a cigarette, which he held between his front teeth. But as the men talked, Wren made a telling remark. He said: "I am going back to prison, this time for five or six years, even if it means for murder."
After committing the terrible deed, Wren made his way to the police station and the following day made a full confession. He said it had been raining hard when he left Accrington at 3pm and his mood was low. "I had not had any food for three days and I knew I was going weak minded", he said. After killing the child, he returned to the spot three or four times until he was sure the body was cold.
Wren's confession pointed to a man suffering a temporary fit of insanity, brought about by desperation, poverty and shame. But as with many cases at that time, the defence of insanity was dismissed. On February 4, 1910, Wren underwent his final trial at Burnley Assizes and was convicted of murder. None of it was enough to sway the jury and after just 45 minutes deliberations, they returned their guilty verdict. In the three weeks between verdict and execution, more than 2,000 people signed a petition calling for Wren's reprieve, but none was forthcoming. The Northern Telegraph reported the child killer attempted to take his own life in his cell but was cut down by a warder.
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