Joshua David Casswell, QC (1886 – 15 December 1963) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

barrister, noted for a case involving the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'', and for several infamous murder cases. He was famous for being charming and unruffled. He was relentless in his pursuit of a case, with a great knowledge of the law, and something of a gift for rhetoric.

Biography

Casswell was born in Wimbledon, the son of Joshua Joyce Casswell and Sarah Tate. He was educated at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The s ...

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

, and then Pembroke College,

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, gaining an honours degree in

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

in 1909. He was called to the bar in 1910. Casswell served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a major, and was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

in 1916, before being invalided home in 1917. He married Irene fitzroy Hutton in 1919 and had three sons and one daughter.

The ''Titanic'' case

In 1913, Casswell acted in a case against the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, which owned the

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct Packet trade, packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo service ...

, in relation to the sinking of the ''Titanic''. The outcome was that several relatives of passengers who had drowned were awarded £100 each in compensation, when the jury found that the captain had been negligent.

Rattenbury

In 1935, Casswell acted for George Percy Stoner, a

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

chauffeur, who was accused of murdering his employer, the architect

Francis Rattenbury Francis Mawson Rattenbury (11 October 1867 – 28 March 1935) was a British architect although most of his career was spent in British Columbia, Canada, where he designed the province's legislative building among other public commissions. Divorc ...

. The case gathered public attention because the other suspect, Rattenbury's pretty young wife

Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'', an upcoming film by Sally Potter * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' ( ...

, committed suicide shortly after the murder, leading to a suspicion that Stoner had taken the blame for her. He was, in the end reprieved from a death sentence.

The Cleft chin murder

Casswell acted for Elizabeth Marina Jones, in 1944, in possibly his most well-known case, called the Cleft chin murder. Jones and her boyfriend, Karl Hulten, who had deserted from the US Army, indulged in a campaign of violence ending in the death of a taxi driver. Hulten was executed, but Casswell secured Jones’ life and she was released in 1954. The case prompted

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

to write an essay ‘Decline of the English Murder’.

Neville Heath

In 1946, Casswell's attentions returned to

, which had been the scene of the gruesome murder of Doreen Marshall by

Neville Heath Neville George Clevely Heath (6 June 1917 – 16 October 1946) was an English murderer who killed two young women in the summer of 1946. He was Capital punishment, executed in Pentonville Prison, London, in October 1946. Early life and career Nev ...

. Heath had also killed Margery Gardener, and there was discussion as to which murder should be the basis of his trial. Doreen Marshall's murder had been so brutal that the prosecution felt it opened the door to a defence plea of insanity, so he was tried for Margery Gardner's killing. In court the debate focussed on the question of whether or not Heath was in his right mind. By the end of his career, Casswell had defended 40 people accused of murder, and had saved all but five of them from execution.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casswell, J. D. 1886 births English barristers 1963 deaths Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford Members of the Middle Temple English King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Royal Army Service Corps officers 20th-century English lawyers Official Referees (England and Wales)