Green Bicycle Murder
One of his most famous cases was R v Light, known as the Green Bicycle Murder, which took place near Leicester in 1919. He obtained an acquittal, despite what seemed like overwhelming circumstantial evidence against the defendant. This evidence included: the fact that the defendant (Ronald Light-died 1975) had been seen cycling with the victim (Bella Wright) on the day of her death, on a green bicycle; had possessed at one time a revolver similar to the one used to fire the shot that killed her; had discarded that green bicycle in the canal after filing off all of the identifying numbers; and had thrown away a holster and ammunition for the type of revolver used in the murder. He also lied to police. A full transcript of the evidence and submissions of counsel do not appear to have survived, but from what remains of the closing speech of Sir Edward, he took advantage of the Crown's lack of a case-theory to take their case to its logical conclusion and then demolish it. He submitted that the prosecution case only held together if the entire murder was premeditated. It was the prosecution evidence, indeed the hearsay evidence of the dead victim, that Ronald Light was not known to Bella Wright. How could he then have planned her murder? Sir Edward used this, and many other points to persuade the jury that they could not be sure that Light was the murderer. The jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty after a little over three hours.
Edward Marshall Hall - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
…although I think there was something going on about the rope and the bridge or it could be the James Stewart Film.
