Paul Fitchett, who is trying to clear the name of his great-grandfather Herbert Bennett, travelled to Jersey last week at the invitation of Jersey resident Paul Roberts, brother of the late David Gainsborough Roberts.
At a private meeting, Mr Roberts presented Mr Fitchett with two items – a photograph and gold chain – which were part of the Marshall Hall collection, artefacts which the celebrated lawyer amassed from some of his most famous trials, including that of Herbert Bennett whom he unsuccessfully defended in 1901.
‘I cannot thank Paul enough, I really can’t,’ Mr Fitchett said. ‘Every time I look at them I really well up. I was totally blown away by the gift. I want to thank Paul for his kindness and understanding.
‘The chain and photograph are the only two pieces that we now have that give us any sense of connection to my great-grandfather and, even more importantly, to my great-grandmother. The chain was handed down to her, so it goes back six or seven generations in the family.
‘Paul was a very gracious host and a very sincere man, and I feel that I have made a new friend. I came away feeling that he had had a considerable weight of responsibility on his shoulders for looking after the collection that his brother had bequeathed to him,’ Mr Fitchett said.
He added that he was especially grateful because he now understood more about the Marshall Hall collection. ‘While the items are important to me, I also understand their value within a collection which has global importance in the world of crime,’ he said, adding that he was now seeking to formalise an agreement to loan the items back to Mr Roberts, should they be required for exhibitions.
However, the gifts do not end Mr Fitchett’s quest to discover more about one of the most celebrated murder trials of the 20th century. He remains convinced that the truth of what happened to Mary Jane Bennett on the beach at Yarmouth in 1900 is still to emerge.
‘Our solid belief has always been that he was hanged for a murder that he did not commit and which made my grandmother an orphan when he was hanged. It was one of the most important murder trials of the century. It was all over the press at the time – they were absolutely filled with it.’
Much more recently, the case has featured in television documentaries, including the BBC’s Murder, Mystery and My Family series which has, in turn, led Mr Fitchett to further discoveries.
Following its last transmission, he was contacted by the granddaughter of the policeman who was sent to deal with his great-grandmother’s body when it was discovered on the beach. She told him of her grandfather’s disillusionment at the way the case was handled. He left the police the following year.
He also believes that key aspects of the evidence were overlooked at the Old Bailey trial including the significance of the knot in the ligature with which Mary Bennett was strangled which links the murder with a seafarer.
This has led Mr Fitchett to two lines of investigation: the possibility of involvement of Russian sailors whose ship mysteriously left port the day after the murder and several days ahead of schedule; and the possibility of mistaken identity involving Herbert Bennett’s brother, Henry, himself a sailor.
As he follows up these inquiries, Mr Fitchett is also writing to the Governor of Norwich prison where Herbert Bennett is buried, following his execution on 21 March 1901 to ask to be notified if there are plans to relocate the prison cemetery.
Mr Fitchett added: ‘It’s ongoing to me because it’s family and I don’t think that Herbert did it. I want to get his body removed from Norwich jail where it was dumped in a box and buried in a dog compound. Would you want your relation treated like that?’
