The Murder Trial that put Eastbourne on the Map
*The following true crime case contain details on murder and suicide that may be triggering for audiences. Viewers discretion is advised*
Trust between patients and medical professionals is vital to maintain a healthy population. Doctors swear the Hippocratic Oath, vowing to serve humanity and do no harm. But what happens when a doctor misuses the trust that has been bestowed upon him by his patients to fulfil his selfish needs?
Dr Bodkin Adams is known as the Eastbourne Killer or Eastbourne Bluebeard in the press, named after a fairytale that has a much more satisfying conclusion than the real-life events, as so often is the case. From 1922, when he first began treating patients in Eastbourne, the city's gossip focused on his preferential treatment toward the elderly. It was rumoured that he either treated his frail patients too much or too little, depending on their conditions, to benefit his own financial situation.
Described as charming and kind, Dr Bodkin Adams managed to convince many of his patients to include him in their will and, in some cases, even make him their executor. This started the first rumours about his possible involvement in the deaths of beloved family members after they had changed their wills to his benefit. The descriptions of his polite demeanour did not grant the suspicions to subside however, so in 1955 the police were faced with multiple anonymous calls accusing the doctor of murder. Officially, the police claimed they would not investigate due to a lack of evidence, but Dr Bodkin Adams' engagement with the high society of Eastbourne, including high-ranking police officers, might have contributed to the choice to ignore the allegations.
There are a couple of cases the public found particularly suspicious after hearing about the wealth of accusations towards the Doctor: the deaths of Edith Alice Morrell and Jack and Gertrude Hullett.
Morrell's death in 1950 under the doctor’s care was the first one that granted serious suspicion. While the doctor was on holiday outside of the country, the elderly Morrell decided to cut the doctor out of her will. Upon hearing the news, the doctor interrupted his holiday and returned to Morrell, who later changed her will back to include him again. She died three weeks after re-introducing Bodkin Adams to her will. Adams ordered her cremation immediately, even though her son was named as her sole executor, conveniently omitting the chance of an autopsy.
Similarly, the Hulletts, a married couple, perished in short succession in 1956. On the 13th March, Jack Hullett died under the care of Dr Adams, leaving his estate to his now-widow and parts of it to the doctor. On the 23rd July, Gertrude Hullett died, supposedly committing suicide following her husband's death. Doctor Bodkin Adams, in deep sympathy with the grieving family, did everything to avoid the coroner's involvement with her body before its cremation. Against the doctor's wishes, an autopsy was conducted and concluded that Mrs Hullett died of an overdose, whether accidental or purposely leading to suicide. She had been in a comatose state when the doctor had been to see her, but instead of listening to an experienced colleague, the doctor listened to a junior doctor's advice to treat her using a medication he was unfamiliar with and rejected the idea of taking her to a hospital or employing a day nurse to look after her. A friend of the deceased couple phoned the police, causing the suspicion of a crime to blossom even within the police force. An inquest ensued.
Incidentally, vital evidence disappeared from the coroner’s court before the proceedings before the Eastbourne magistrate. The investigation led to the doctor’s arrest in mid-December. During his arrest, he expressed that he did not believe anyone could prove a murder had been committed, instead of outwardly denying the murder. The local hearings began on the 14th January 1957 and, even though the prosecution wanted to prove a systematic nature to the decease of the Doctor's patients, they could only file one case of murder to be brought to court. Dr John Bodkin Adams plead not guilty when accused of the murder of Mrs Morrell. The magistrate decided, after nine days, that this is a case to be judged at the Old Bailey. On the 18th March, the trial, which would be the longest ever murder trial at the time in London. After 17 days of hearings, testimonies, and court proceedings, the jury took only 44 minutes to agree on their verdict. Doctor John Bodkin Adams was found not guilty for the murder of Edith Alice Morrell on the 9th April 1957. With this trial over, there was no way to charge him with any other suspected murders either. He plead guilty to minor charges of forging prescriptions and making false statements on cremation forms, resulting in a fine payment. A free man, he resigned from the NHS after being struck from the medical register in the year of his trial. Astonishingly, after visiting his loyal patients as a non-official doctor advising treatment with over-the-counter medication, his medical license was reinstated in 1961. The doctor even regained his ability to prescribe dangerous drugs to his trusting patients.
The suspected criminal lived out his days and died at 84, found guilty by the media, but never by the jury. The press connects him with up to 400 murders during his tumultuous career, even though this number cannot be backed up by evidence. He received legacies from his former patients up to his death in 1983. His fortune at the time of his death amounted to £402,970 which would be £1,511,414.05 in today's money.
Unlike in a fairytale, this shocking story does not end with a happily ever after for Bodkin Adams patients. The four cases discussed here are not the only ones he was suspected of, but some of the ones that the prosecution chose to build their case on. Even though he was never found guilty, the case remains in the interest of the public today. Therefore, the only light at the end of the deadly story turns out to be the dark tourism and publicity that, to this day, leads tourists to Eastbourne, boosting the local economy.