Serial killer John George Haigh his victims were ‘sacrifices’ and that he wanted to drink their blood
To his friends in London, John George Haigh seemed like a perfectly respectable English gentleman.
He mingled with the upper class, was a regular at concerts and sported the very best suits from Savile Row. The businessman claimed to have profitable links to the nylon industry and rented a small workshop in Crawley.
Wealthy clients were occasionally invited there to discuss investment opportunities.
However, once they passed through the door of the workshop, they never left.
A religious upbringing
John George Haigh (right) arrives at Horsham Magistrates Court handcuffed to a policeman on April 1, 1949 (Picture: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
John Haigh, an only child, was born in Stamford in Lincolnshire on July 24, 1909 to strict parents John and Emily; they were both members of the Plymouth Brethren religion.
Haigh worked in insurance until his first brush with the law, which came when he stole a cash box from the office and got fired. He married 23-year-old Beatrice Harmer in 1934 but, just months after the wedding, was jailed after he forged car documents. His young wife swiftly divorced him and gave up their baby daughter for adoption.
In 1936, newly-released Haigh moved to London and began to sell fraudulent stock shares. That was until an eagle-eyed client noticed he’d spelled ‘Guildford’ in Surrey incorrectly as ‘Guilford’ on his letterhead. The conman spent the early years of the Second World War behind bars for low level crime. Upon his release, he moved to Crawley in 1943.
Speaking about Haigh, Joel Griggs, curator of the True Crime Museum in Hastings, explains that he ‘talked the talk’.
The True Crime Museum has on display the actual acid vats John George Haigh used to dispose of his victims’ bodies (Picture: True Crime Museum)
‘Like any good con man, Haigh punched above his weight. He wore suits from Savile Row, jewelry from Hatton Gardens and frequented the most expensive hotel bars in Mayfair. He was a good actor and convinced people he was something special,’ Joel tells Metro.
But Haigh’s charm was a mask, he had money on his mind. In the post-war years, even the most wealthy individuals in London had seen their fortunes knocked. When the confident Haigh sidled up to them and spoke of investment opportunities, they jumped at the chance to get involved.
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‘Haigh befriended elderly couples, preferably widows, in posh hotels across London like Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Belgravia or Kesington,’ Joel explains.
‘He’d listen to their various woes, about money or family life. He’d nod, smile and ingrain himself into their lives. Then he’d strike with some fake business opportunity.’
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Source:: Metro
