The Christie Case

[Sherlock]

It is now possible to pre-order Honest John's book on Amazon, as I have just done. Expected time of delivery is October.

[Sherlock]

One of the major mysteries concerning the Christie case is exactly what Ethel Christie did or did not know about her husband's activities both inside their house and outside it. As you rightly say, neighbourhoods were much more intimate and close-knit in those days, and if the local gossip was that Christie was known to offer to perform abortions it seems strange that Ethel apparently never heard anything about this.

I wonder if she did in fact hear something at some point and chose to ignore it, either out of fear of her husband or possibly because she wanted to convince herself that he was an honest and decent man and a reformed character in spite of his earlier criminal record.

As Honest John has already revealed, Christie was still having an affair with another woman after the war and was actually cited as co-respondent when her husband divorced her. Ethel can hardly have failed to have known about that and it must have shown her something of what kind of a man her husband really was.

I wonder if Ethel was so trapped within her relationship with her husband that she simply lacked the willpower to leave him or to challenge him over his behaviour? We will probably never know.

[Writerboy]

I dont know if Trev. claims Christie actually told him this does he? Much as it feels arrogant to disregard something said by someone who was actually there I find the whole statement he makes bizarre and highly unlikely, and also completely lacking in evidence or plausibility. I think the abortion thing was merely Christie's way of luring women to the house. Though if he was well known for offering it it seems strange Ethel never knew. In those days neighbourhoods were very intimiate and everyone knew all the gossip.

Similarly in the Black Museum doc Bill Waddell claims Christie was dismissed from Harrow Road police station for interfering with women in the canteen, something I dont think I've ever seen mentioned elsewhere...

[Sherlock]

On page xlv of Trials of Evans and Christie F Tennyson Jesse states:-

When Christie was eventually arrested and charged with murder, somebody whose authority there is no questioning and who was at that time living in Notting Hill said: "Oh, I see they have got the local abortionist." This could not be brought forward at the trial but it remains a fact. Christie may not have aborted any woman, but he may have said that he could as a means of getting women to the house.
Some people have a theory that Mrs Christie helped Christie commit abortions and made a nice thing of it, but there is no proof that he ever committed one or that she ever helped him...All that was found when the house was searched at the time of the Evans affair was an old syringe with the rubber perished, which (Mrs Christie) said she had used upon herself many years earlier for personal hygiene. The appearance of the syringe bore out this explanation and there were no other tools of the trade of abortion.

This seems to suggest that Christie was known in the neighbourhood for offering to perform abortions, but as Jesse says no evidence has ever come to light that he actually did perform an abortion or that his wife assisted him to do so. It seems more likely that he merely claimed to be an abortionist in order to entice women to his house in order to murder or sexually assault them.

It is difficult to understand why Christie should tell Trevallian that Ethel had assisted him to commit abortions. It may be that he was once again lying for reasons known only to himself, or perhaps Travallian got his facts wrong or embroidered his story somewhat. The truth will probably never be known, but as far as I am aware there is no evidence that Christie was a practising abortionist...unless someone else knows differently!!

[Writerboy]

It seems very odd, I'd be curious to know if Ludovic Kennedy spoke to Trevallian as what he says is quite a bold assertion.

[contrafib]

That's unsubstantiated information.

[Writerboy]

Dont know if people are aware of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbdMkJws6ls

But here PC Trevallian claims Christie and his wife were involved in carrying out abortions. I find this a bit baffling. He is the last surviving person who really knew the case but Ive never heard it men tioned before that Ethel was so complicit and also that Chrsitie actually did carry out abortions and not just use the offer to lure people back. Where on earth would he have learnt how to do it?

[Sherlock]

I've just been watching a recording of the first part of the tv adaptation of Ruth Rendell's Thirteen Steps Down.

It looks as though the first scene of the drama was filmed on location in Notting Hill at the current junction of St Mark's Road and Bartle Road, when Mix Cellini visits the site of Rillington Place. The garage beside Ruston Mews can also clearly be seen.

Later, in Cellini's flat, we see a shot of a pile of books relating both to Christie and to other murder cases. Among them I distinguished some genuine titles including amongst others John Christie by Edward Marston, The Two Killers of Rillington Place by John Eddowes, and Frenzy by Neil Root. There are also two other fairly thick books purportedly about Christie in the pile which I think must simply be theatrical props and not genuine publications.

Cellini is also seen holding the paperback edition of Ludovic Kennedy's Ten Rillington Place which came out in the early 1970s at the same time as the film version and which has Richard Attenborough in the guise of Christie on the cover. Cellini also has a poster advertising the film on the wall of his flat.

There is also an exterior shot of the Kensington Park pub which was frequented by Timothy Evans and possibly also by Christie. I do not know if the interior scene was filmed inside the actual pub.

I am sure that Cellini would be itching to get his hands on Honest John's book on the case when it is published, as it will probably prove to be definitive!!

[Honest John]

According to the ITV Times filming took place in Dublin. The same publication also refers to 'Dr John Christie, 1950s serial killer'. Christie's shade must be happy with his new title!

[Honest John]

Thanks for the note. Will try and watch it.

[contrafib]

For those in the U.K, 'ITV's latest original drama, Thirteen Steps Down, will premiere on Monday August 13th at 9pm'. This is the Ruth Rendell story about a Christie obsessive living in the area near the original Rillington Place.

This is a radio show re: the case. Pretty much standard version but worth a listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMtr01cGgBU

[contrafib]

Anyway, 12pm outside KPH pub if interested.

[contrafib]

If anyone else would like to meet in the Ladbroke Grove area at 12pm and/or British Museum at 1pm tomorrow, let me know. I know it's now short notice!

[Honest John]

Opps! I may have deleted it - I get so much junk mail that I tend to delete swathes and so may have inadvertently have deleted it, and so could you resend. Sorry about that.

[contrafib]

Honest John, i've sent you a private message