Catch up TV

Case Closed? Series 3: 2. Stone

Top criminal barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein look back at the murder of a young lady, found partially naked, lying in an alley known as a local ‘lovers' lane’.\n\nLeighton Buzzard, 1937. A railway workman on his way to start his shift discovered the partially naked body of a young adult female. The victim was quickly identified as 23-year-old Ruby Keen, a popular local woman, who had been strangled with her own scarf. Her clothes had been ripped off, sparking suspicion of sexual assault.\n\nRuby had been due to marry her policeman fiance in the summer, but she spent much of that Sunday evening drinking with her ex-boyfriend Leslie George Stone. Stone quickly came under suspicion, and further investigation led to several eyewitnesses placing him near the scene of the crime. He was soon charged with murder, and after a two-day trial at which Stone's account of the night dramatically changed, he was found guilty of murder and hanged.\n\nMore than 80 years later, Stone’s nieces Mary and Rose couldn’t believe their uncle had committed such a heinous crime. They wanted to learn more about his character and the case that was kept a secret from them by their mother.\n\nJeremy and Sasha delved into the archives to re-examine witness testimony and forensic evidence that was groundbreaking for its day and includes physical exhibits that still exist in the Metropolitan Police’s crime museum. Leaving no stone unturned, they sought to find enough new evidence to convince Judge Radford that Leslie’s conviction for murder was unsafe.\n\nNow, one year on from Judge Radford’s decision, Jeremy and Sacha catch up with Mary and Rose, who have continued to investigate the case. They reveal a troubling document that raises fresh questions about the legal process and explain what happened when they met up with a relative of the victim Ruby Keen.

Source: BBC 1