Thursday, 10 September 2026

The last person guillotined

 On 10 September 1977, Hamida Djandoubi became the last person in France to be guillotined. The French abolished capital punishment in 1981.


Saturday, 5 September 2026

In 1885 a journalist bought a girl

 In London, in 1885 a journalist called W T Stead purchased a 13-year-old girl from a woman for prostitution. (At that time the age of consent was 13). The girl’s mother sold her for 5 pounds (several weeks' wages for many people). The buyer made it clear that the child must be ‘pure’ i.e. a virgin. But Stead took the girl to safety in France. Stead then wrote about it to show how easy it was to buy a child. Partly as a result, the age of consent was raised to 16.

Friday, 4 September 2026

Tudor Sex Trafficking

 In the 16th century carting was a punishment. A person was made to sit in a cart and ride through the streets to be mocked by the crowd. Someone would bang a basin to attract attention. In 1560 a woman in London was convicted of being a 'bawd' (procuring girls for prostitution). She procured an 11-year-old girl and 'sent her off to be a whore'. So sex trafficking is nothing new. As a punishment, the woman was carted.



Thursday, 3 September 2026

An innocent man was hanged

 On 3 September 1952, an unfortunate British Somali man named Mahmood Hussein Mattan was hanged for the murder of a shopkeeper. His conviction was quashed in 1998. I dread to think how many other innocent people were executed.

Wednesday, 2 September 2026

The Last Woman Beheaded in England

 On 2 September 1685 Alice Lisle became the last woman to be beheaded in England. She was executed in Winchester. 

Tuesday, 1 September 2026

Covering up the Holodomor

 This YouTube video shows how Communists covered up the Holodomor, a genocide in Ukraine.