There is a long history of capital punishment in the Isle of Man. Until the 17th century, many convicted prisoners were executed at

Hango Hill Hango Hill is an historic mound on the coast road between Castletown and Derbyhaven, Malew parish, Isle of Man. Prehistory The mound is said to be a possible prehistoric burial site. The recovery of a bronze flat axe implies a possible Bronze ...

. Capital punishment in the Isle of Man was formally abolished in 1993. The

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

is a British Crown Dependency, but not part of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

(which had effectively abolished capital punishment in 1965). The last person to be actually hanged on the Isle of Man was John Kewish, at Castletown in 1872. No execution had taken place on the island during the three decades before that.

Capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

was not abolished by

Tynwald Tynwald ( gv, Tinvaal), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald ( gv, Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal) or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House of ...

(the island's parliament) until 1993. Many people were sentenced to death (for murder and various other crimes) on the Isle of Man between 1873 and 1992. The last person to be sentenced to death on the Isle of Man (and anywhere in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

) was Anthony Robin Denys Teare, at the Court of General Gaol Delivery in

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

, in 1992. Teare was paid £600 to kill Corinne Bentley, the victim of a family row. Teare lured her to a remote spot and cut her throat with a modelling knife. Teare claimed he needed the money to pay off a bank overdraft. The case was heard before the Second

Deemster A Deemster ( gv, briw) is a judge in the Isle of Man. The High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man is presided over by a deemster or, in the case of the appeal division of that court, a deemster and the Judge of Appeal. The deemsters also promu ...

of the Isle of Man,

Henry Callow Henry Callow (died 14 April 2006) was a former Second Deemster in the Isle of Man. He began his career as a Manian advocate and was then appointed High Bailiff in 1969. After 19 years in the post, he was made Second Deemster until retiring in 1 ...

. Deemster Callow thus became the last judge in the British Isles to pass a death sentence (but chose not to wear a

black cap The black cap is a plain black fabric square formerly worn as symbolic headgear by English, Welsh, Irish and Northern Irish judges in criminal cases when passing a sentence of death. When worn, the square was placed on top of the judicial wig, ...

whilst doing so). Following sentencing, Teare engaged a new lawyer, Louise Byrne, who immediately took the case to the appeal court, where the conviction was quashed. A retrial was ordered, and a search for new evidence was made. At the second trial Teare was represented by Peter Thornton QC, an English counsel. William Kelly, a prison healthcare officer at the

Isle of Man Prison Isle of Man Prison is a mixed-use prison located in the Jurby parish of the Isle of Man. The prison is operated by the Isle of Man Prison Service (part of the Department of Home Affairs) and is the only functioning prison on the island. History ...

, gave evidence that Teare had told him on a number of occasions of how he had murdered the victim, Corinne Bentley. It was on his evidence alone that Teare was convicted of murder for the second time. He entered the history books as the last person in the British Isles to be sentenced to death and the first in the Isle of Man to be sentenced to life imprisonment (all previous life sentences had been commuted from death sentences). Corinne's brother was in court as Teare, head bowed, was sentenced to a minimum of twelve years' imprisonment. He was sent to HMP Wakefield in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

References

External links

* * {{Capital punishment in Europe History of the Isle of Man Law of the Isle of Man

Death in the Isle of Man Society of the Isle of Man