Letters from the Acid bath murderer

Recent releases at The National Archives

On 10 August 1949 John George Haigh, The Acid Bath murderer, was hanged for killing 6 women between 1944-49. Haigh's motives for killing were originally cited as greed and as a means of funding his gambling habit. However, during his trial Haigh pretended to be insane in order that he would escape the murder charge and be sent to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital. He claimed to be a vampire and said that he killed his victims to drink their blood. This claim was thrown out by the court.