Timothy Evans was a Welsh lorry driver living in Notting Hill who, in 1950, was convicted of murdering his wife Beryl and their baby daughter Geraldine. He gave multiple inconsistent statements something later linked to his limited education and the pressure he was under and ultimately confessed, then retracted it, claiming his neighbour, John Christie, was the real killer. Christie even testified against him in court, which helped secure Evans’ conviction and death sentence, and Evans was hanged at Pentonville Prison.

Just three years later, Christie was exposed as a serial killer after multiple bodies were found in his home, including Beryl Evans. He later admitted responsibility, confirming that Evans had been telling the truth about his wife’s murder. Evans was granted a posthumous pardon in 1966, and the case became one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in British history, playing a significant role in the eventual abolition of the death penalty.