The Disturbing Case of Joseph Holden (1900)

When Joseph Holden walked along Railway Street situated over in Radcliffe, he was fully aware of the ramifications his recent actions would have not just on his own life, but also on the lives of all those close to him.

Making his way along the cobbled road just off Blackburn Street, he saw the figure of Sergeant Thomas. As they reached each other, Holden stopped Thomas and what came next was as confusing as it would eventually turn out to be shocking.

“Lock me up!” Holden would ask of the Sergeant.

A little bemused as to what Holden had just said, Sergeant Thomas took a couple of seconds before asking, “What for?”

“You’ll see.” replied Holden.

Both men then made their way to the police station which was a few seconds walk away from where they stood and back inside the station, Holden would again ask be to ‘locked up’.

When asked by Thomas why he was insistent on being locked up, Holden would unravel a story that would go on to shock not only the police officers present in the station, but also that of an entire nation as the story would soon spread to all major news outlets of a man who had killed his grandson and the manner in which he had committed the crime would prove to be just as disturbing.