Ethel Le Neve
Ethel Le Neve | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ethel Clara Neave 22 January 1883 |
| Died | 9 August 1967 (aged 84)[1] Croydon, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Typist |
| Known for | Mistress of Dr. Crippen |
| Criminal charge | Accessory to murder |
| Penalty | Acquitted |
Date apprehended | 31 July 1910 |
Ethel Clara Neave (22 January 1883 – 9 August 1967) was the mistress of Dr. Crippen.
She was born in Diss, Norfolk, the eldest child of Walter William Neave and Charlotte Anne Neave (née Jones),[2] Ethel was hired as a typist by Crippen in 1900[3] and was his mistress by 1905.
After the murder of Crippen's wife, Cora, they fled the country on the SS Montrose on which the couple aroused the suspicion of the ship's master, who telegraphed their location to Scotland Yard. Scotland Yard sent Chief Inspector Dew to arrest them upon their arrival in Canada. Extradited back to England, she was exonerated of the charge of complicity to murder.
After the trial Le Neve travelled to Toronto, working as a typist there for three years before returning to London under the name "Ethel Harvey". While working at Hampton's furniture store off Trafalgar Square, she met, and in January 1915 married, Stanley Smith, by whom she had two children. They lived in Croydon, where Ethel died in 1967.[3]
References
- ^ "Ethel's Death Certificate". drcrippen.co.uk. 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ "Ethel Le Neve alias Mrs Crippen, and Neave". Dr Crippen. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- ^ a b Wilkes, Roger (30 January 2002). "Inside story: last refuge for a killer's mistress". The Daily Telegraph. London: TMG. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
Further reading
- Bloom, Ursula (1981) [1955]. The Girl Who Loved Crippen. Bath: Chivers Press. ISBN 978-0851197333.