Alina

With the British justice system just so bogged down with additional crime and a dramatic increase in public need, other crimes were kind of ignored. Like sex work, for example, was a big crime back then, considered a big crime, and it flourished during the wartime years. In part because it was obviously, like, way less important of, like, who is it really? Like, what are we doing here? You know?

With the British justice system just so bogged down with additional crime and a dramatic increase in public need, other crimes were kind of ignored. Like sex work, for example, was a big crime back then, considered a big crime, and it flourished during the wartime years. In part because it was obviously, like, way less important of, like, who is it really? Like, what are we doing here? You know?

But also because these women provided what some were arguing was a valuable service to the military men. Yeah. So... You're going to prosecute them? Like, come on. Just let everybody live. There's a lot of way worse shit happening in here.

But also because these women provided what some were arguing was a valuable service to the military men. Yeah. So... You're going to prosecute them? Like, come on. Just let everybody live. There's a lot of way worse shit happening in here.

In London's Piccadilly Circus, for example, the so-called Piccadilly Commandos, as the area's sex workers were known, catered to thousands of young men about to ship off to the front lines, all of which went largely ignored by the police. They just let it happen. You know, they're going off to war. Yeah, you know, whatever.

In London's Piccadilly Circus, for example, the so-called Piccadilly Commandos, as the area's sex workers were known, catered to thousands of young men about to ship off to the front lines, all of which went largely ignored by the police. They just let it happen. You know, they're going off to war. Yeah, you know, whatever.

With that said, the lax attitudes around sex work at the time and law enforcement turning a blind eye to the whole thing allowed for at least one man to quickly and easily find victims with who he could get very close to very easily and act out his murderous fantasies that he had very clearly been having for a long time. Yeah. So it's like, it's a double-edged sword for real. Definitely.

With that said, the lax attitudes around sex work at the time and law enforcement turning a blind eye to the whole thing allowed for at least one man to quickly and easily find victims with who he could get very close to very easily and act out his murderous fantasies that he had very clearly been having for a long time. Yeah. So it's like, it's a double-edged sword for real. Definitely.

Now, given the tensions and frustrations being felt across Britain in those days, murder seemed like an inevitable thing that was going to happen. In fact, within just two weeks of the announcements of the nightly blackouts, the report of the first murder came in from Edinburgh on September 15th, 1939.

Now, given the tensions and frustrations being felt across Britain in those days, murder seemed like an inevitable thing that was going to happen. In fact, within just two weeks of the announcements of the nightly blackouts, the report of the first murder came in from Edinburgh on September 15th, 1939.

And this victim, in this case, 52-year-old Isabella Ralph, had no fixed address and did make her living sometimes doing sex work. Okay. Now, in the case of Isabella Ralph, the press reported the death and gave like a brief overview of the circumstances. That was really it. Just a quick little mention.

And this victim, in this case, 52-year-old Isabella Ralph, had no fixed address and did make her living sometimes doing sex work. Okay. Now, in the case of Isabella Ralph, the press reported the death and gave like a brief overview of the circumstances. That was really it. Just a quick little mention.

You know, with cities being ripped apart by German air raids and families being separated by evacuations and displacement, it seemed like everyone just kind of moved on from this murder of this woman, this, you know, like nomadic woman in Scotland. Fortunately, Edinburgh police got lucky and a few days later they arrested John Henry Connell. A 24-year-old bricklayer that was living in Edinburgh.

You know, with cities being ripped apart by German air raids and families being separated by evacuations and displacement, it seemed like everyone just kind of moved on from this murder of this woman, this, you know, like nomadic woman in Scotland. Fortunately, Edinburgh police got lucky and a few days later they arrested John Henry Connell. A 24-year-old bricklayer that was living in Edinburgh.

Damn, 24. Yeah. Upon being arrested, Connell told police he'd taken a room at a boarding house, and the next day he realized that he had some money that was stolen. So he confronted Isabella Ralph, with whom he'd had... Relations. Relations with the previous evening. Okay. And he managed to retrieve his stolen money.

Damn, 24. Yeah. Upon being arrested, Connell told police he'd taken a room at a boarding house, and the next day he realized that he had some money that was stolen. So he confronted Isabella Ralph, with whom he'd had... Relations. Relations with the previous evening. Okay. And he managed to retrieve his stolen money.

But in the process of this whole thing, the two got physically aggressive with each other. They started struggling. And he said he grabbed her throat in order to stop her from screaming. And oops, he killed her. I think we all know by now how long it takes to manually strangle someone. Uh-huh. So that's bullshit. You don't just go, oh, oh, I tried to make her stop screaming. It's so crazy.

But in the process of this whole thing, the two got physically aggressive with each other. They started struggling. And he said he grabbed her throat in order to stop her from screaming. And oops, he killed her. I think we all know by now how long it takes to manually strangle someone. Uh-huh. So that's bullshit. You don't just go, oh, oh, I tried to make her stop screaming. It's so crazy.

I held it there for like, you know, many, many minutes. At the very least, it's three minutes, right? At least like four, I think.

I held it there for like, you know, many, many minutes. At the very least, it's three minutes, right? At least like four, I think.