The last Brit ever sentenced to be hanged before the punishment was abolished has passed away - and he maintained his innocence up until his dying day.
Alan Norton went to prison for murder after his 10-year-old sister, Joy, was found dead in a field in 1965. The child had been sexually assaulted and stabbed multiple times.
Despite consistently claiming his innocence, Norton was sentenced to death by hanging in 1966.
Norton was still awaiting his execution date when hanging was eventually abolished on the Channel Island of Jersey in 1986. As a result, he was moved to a life sentence and spent over 30 years behind bars.
Since his release from prison in 1996, Norton worked extensively to prove his innocence by taking polygraph tests, requesting DNA analysis, and even writing a book about his efforts entitled Justice Jersey Style: A true story based on the life of Alan William Norton.
Norton had been certain that a DNA test on the dress his sister wore on the day she was murdered could have pointed to the true culprit.
However, after he called on Jersey Police to find the dress, police stated that the garment had been let go after the case was closed.
Norton never managed to prove his innocence and sadly passed away on 18 May, at the age of 79.
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While living out in Portsmouth, he found a friend in his neighbour Lindsay Carline, who launched a GoFundMe last week to raise money for his funeral flowers and cremation.
Speaking to The Mirror about Norton and his family, Carline said: "He wasn't disowned, but he was estranged from his family. Because of the situation that happened when their little sister was murdered
"He hadn't really reconciled with them, he got back in touch with one of his siblings but it didn't continue, it was a very strange relationship because when all this happened they were quite young - he was 21 when she was murdered."
As well as that, Carline revealed that Norton had had a wife and baby at the time of his sister's murder.
"His wife divorced him and he wasn't allowed to have anything to do with his son," she said. "He passed away a few years ago, his ex-wife has passed away too."
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During their time as neighbours, Carline insisted that Norton never once changed his story, and was a kind, generous man who "lived penny to penny but if there was any way he could help someone he would."
She continued: "I've had health issues and he helped me through cancer recovery, recovery from spine surgery, and he's helped me through chronic pain, so he's always been a lovely person.
"I never once had any inkling that he could possibly be guilty."
Featured Image Credit: GoFundMe
Topics: News, UK News, True Crime
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