George Brinham was a member of the Labour National Executive when he was killed in his flat by a 16 year old boy who hit him over the head with a whisky bottle. The boy was acquitted of murder on the grounds that he had been subject to an unwanted sexual advance
My interest in this story is that I knew the boy, by sight at least. We lived in the same small country town, but he went to the Secondary Modern & I was a Grammar School girl
He was the eldest of a large Catholic family. I remember the photo in the local paper when the bishop came to bless the ninth child
He ran away from home & had barely arrived in London when he met Brinham
After the acquittal he came home – to a sympathetic welcome. Not long afterwards he got engaged to a sweet girl who was in the same Sunday school class as I was. I cannot remember if I can remember a wedding. We moved away soon afterwards
I was reminded of this story at the weekend so I Googled to see if I could get any more details
Not much
I found the rather alarming intelligence that Brinham who was firmly of the view that the young needed the guidance of their elders & betters & had been appointed to supervise the Young Socialist movement
The book Prostitution, Women & Misuse of the Law contrasts the leniency extended to his killer with the treatment of women who kill men who mistreat them sexually
The writers have a point – but not one which is all that well supported by this case
