| Crown vs Mary Fitzpatrick | |
|---|---|
| Court | York Winter Assizes |
| Decided | 11 November 1882 |
| Case history | |
| Prior actions | Charges: Wilful murder Robbery with violence |
| Court membership | |
| Judge sitting | Sir Henry Hawkins JP |
| Keywords | |
| Robbery Penal servitude Six years | |
The trial of Mary Fitzpatrick of November 1882, before Justice Henry Hawkins, was an English murder and robbery case at the York Winter Assizes in the assize courts at York Castle, which drew much attention in contemporary newspapers. It followed the death of 24-year-old glass blower James Richardson, who was last seen alive in the company of rag sorter Mary Fitzpatrick,[1] aged 23, and was next seen dead in the water without his watch and chain. The Coroner's Court returned a verdict of "wilful murder."
Fitzpatrick and Richardson lived in slum areas of Leeds; Fitzpatrick was tried by at least five aristocrats.[1] She was convicted of robbery, and sentenced to penal servitude for six years. At the time of the trial she had two young children.