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Murders of Anne Castle and William Bryan

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Murders of Anne Castle and William Bryan
Minerva Estate (pictured in 2012)
LocationMinerva Estate, Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets, London
Date22 August 1993
Deaths2
VictimsAnne Castle (aged 74)
William Bryan (aged 71)
PerpetratorsDanville Neil
MotiveFinancial motive

In 1993, elderly siblings Anne Castle and William Bryan were attacked and killed during a home invasion in London, England. The crime went unsolved for nearly three decades, when new DNA evidence led to a conviction in 2022.[1] Serial burglar Danville Neil was sentenced to life in prison for the killings.[2]

Background

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William Bryan, known as 'Bill', was a veteran of World War II.[1] He was invalided from the British Army in 1945.[2] Anne Castle, known as 'Annie', had been widowed in 1987.[3] She was a retired worker at the former Bethnal Green Hospital.[4] She had five children, 13 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.[5] The siblings lived together in East London.[6] They shared a flat on the Minerva Estate in Bethnal Green.[7]

Crime

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On the night of 22 August 1993, neighbours heard screams which suggested a "prolonged burglary and attack".[8] The next day the police found the bodies of the two pensioners at their home in Bethnal Green.[9] Castle was slumped in an armchair and Bryan was lying on the floor.[8] The robe from his dressing gown was used to tie his feet, and his binoculars strap was used to bind his hands.[10]

Their home had been ransacked and valuables had been stolen, including jewellery.[8][11] Two wedding rings and two diamond rings had been pulled from Castle's hand.[2] The siblings had been beaten to death during the robbery.[12] Investigators believed that Castle died from a heart attack while her brother died from suffocation.[13] The killings had apparently occurred during a "botched burglary".[14] The perpetrator had failed to find £4,000 in cash which had been stashed in the flat, some of which was hidden in socks.[15]

The case went cold, the first development being a review in 2000 which led to DNA being obtained from the binocular strap.[16] The forensic technology at the time was not advanced enough for a positive identification.[17] The case was covered in a Series 8 episode of the television programme Most Evil Killers.[18] New DNA techniques led to charges being brought in 2022.[8]

Trial

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On 1 October 2020 police officers carried out a search warrant at the Lewisham home of Danville Neil and he was arrested.[19] He denied all charges.[20] Neil's DNA was found on a strap used to tie Bryan's hands.[8] Neil was a serial burglar who had been convicted for 15 burglaries between 1973 and 1998.[21] He had been jailed for two violent burglaries and released on licence in August 1992.[22] Neil had served for offences committed between June and August 1984.[20] His DNA was on the national database due to his prior convictions.[23] The defence argued that the DNA had been transferred to the binoculars at a car boot sale where they had hypothetically been bought.[8]

Neil was convicted of the murder and manslaughter in the case, and in November 2022 he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 32 years.[1] Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said in her ruling: "you dodged justice for nearly 30 years, now justice has caught up with you".[24] In 2024, his appeal against his conviction was rejected.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Danville Neil: DNA evidence sees man jailed for siblings' killing". BBC News. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Burglar who killed elderly siblings has appeal bid dismissed". The Independent. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  3. ^ "Violent career criminal guilty of killing elderly siblings in 'prolonged burglary and attack'". ITV News. 18 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Double murder charge 28 years after pensioners found dead in Bethnal Green". East London Advertiser. 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  5. ^ Cuddeford, Callum; Croal, Nicola (19 November 2022). "Burglar jailed 29 years after killing elderly siblings in their own home". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  6. ^ Reporters, Telegraph (25 November 2022). "Elderly couple's killer finally jailed 30 years on after DNA breakthrough". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Man who killed elderly siblings in 1993 convicted after DNA match found". East London Advertiser. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Man accused of murders in 1993 after new DNA data". BBC News. 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Violent burglar who killed elderly siblings also targeted Penge and Norbury homes". News Shopper. 25 November 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Lewisham burglar who killed siblings in their own home is brought to justice after 30 years". South London News. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  11. ^ Mata, William (18 November 2022). "Man found guilty of 1993 Bethnal Green double murder thanks to DNA advances". The Standard. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  12. ^ Evans, Holly (9 November 2022). "Burglar 'murdered elderly brother and sister' then 'stole cash and jewellery'". My London. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  13. ^ "The white-knuckled pensioners: Cal McCrystal visits Bethnal Green in". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Man to stand trial for murders of elderly siblings in botched 1993 burglary". The Independent. 28 September 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Violent burglar who killed elderly brother and sister in 'appalling' attack is jailed for 32 years". ITV News. 25 November 2022.
  16. ^ "New DNA evidence convicts burglar 30 years after Bethnal Green double murder – Eastlondonlines". www.eastlondonlines.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 October 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  17. ^ Bolton, Will (9 November 2022). "Burglar accused of double murder 30 years on, after DNA breakthrough". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  18. ^ "World's Most Evil Killers (TV Series)". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Violent burglar who killed elderly brother and sister jailed for 32 years". East London Advertiser. 25 November 2022. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Serial burglar denies murdering Bethnal Green siblings 30 years ago". BBC News. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  21. ^ "Violent burglar guilty of killing brother and sister in 1993 after DNA link". The Independent. 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  22. ^ "Lewisham burglar who killed elderly siblings during break-in loses appeal". News Shopper. 9 July 2024. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  23. ^ "Burglar who killed elderly siblings finally jailed after 'dodging justice'". Metro. 25 November 2022. Archived from the original on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  24. ^ "Violent burglar who killed elderly brother and sister jailed for 32 years". Kent Online. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.