Out of Print
Edited with a Note on Capital Punishment
On 26 August 1942, Dobkin was interviewed for the first time by Chief Inspector Hatton, and escorted to the church cellar, where he vehemently denied any involvement in his wife’s death. He was then arrested for her murder.
The Trial of Harry Dobkin opened at the Old Bailey on 17 November 1942, with Mr Justice Wrottesley presiding and Mr L.A. Byrne prosecuting. Dobkin’s counsel, Mr F.H. Lawton, spent most of his efforts trying vainly to challenge the identification evidence. The prisoner’s appearance in the witness box left the jury unimpressed, and it took them only 20 minutes to arrive at a verdict of guilty.
Before his execution Dobkin confessed to his wife’s murder, claiming that she was always pestering him for money and he wanted to be rid of her for good. On 7 January 1943, Harry Dobkin was hanged behind the walls of Wandsworth Prison.
