Pottery Cottage murders

1977 CE.

Shown on the map at 53.238°, -1.546°.

The Pottery Cottage murders were a series of murders committed in Eastmoor, Chesterfield, between 12 and 14 January 1977. The murders occurred after William Thomas Hughes escaped from custody whilst being transferred from prison to court to face charges of rape and grievous bodily harm. Hughes stabbed two prison officers during his escape before holding a family of five hostage at Pottery Cottage for over two days, ultimately murdering four members of the family. Hughes was shot dead by police marksmen after a high-speed, multiple-vehicle pursuit on 14 January. He was the first person to be shot dead by Derbyshire Constabulary and the first prison escapee to be shot dead in the United Kingdom in modern times. Chief Inspector Peter Howse was later awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct for his role in apprehending Hughes and saving the life of the sole survivor.

Text from the Wikipedia article Pottery Cottage murders, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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