Murders of Anne Castle and William Bryan
Murders of Anne Castle and William Bryan | |
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![]() Minerva Estate (pictured in 2012) | |
Location | Minerva Estate, Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets, London |
Date | 22 August 1993 |
Deaths | 2 |
Victims | Anne Castle (aged 74) William Bryan (aged 71) |
Perpetrators | Danville Neil |
Motive | Financial 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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ a b c "Danville Neil: DNA evidence sees man jailed for siblings' killing". BBC News. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Burglar who killed elderly siblings has appeal bid dismissed". The Independent. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Violent career criminal guilty of killing elderly siblings in 'prolonged burglary and attack'". ITV News. 18 November 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Man who killed elderly siblings in 1993 convicted after DNA match found". East London Advertiser. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Mata, William (18 November 2022). "Man found guilty of 1993 Bethnal Green double murder thanks to DNA advances". The Standard. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ Evans, Holly (9 November 2022). "Burglar 'murdered elderly brother and sister' then 'stole cash and jewellery'". My London. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "The white-knuckled pensioners: Cal McCrystal visits Bethnal Green in". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Violent burglar who killed elderly brother and sister in 'appalling' attack is jailed for 32 years". ITV News. 25 November 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "World's Most Evil Killers (TV Series)". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Serial burglar denies murdering Bethnal Green siblings 30 years ago". BBC News. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Violent burglar who killed elderly brother and sister jailed for 32 years". Kent Online. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.