The Sinister Story of 13 Year Old Victorian Murderer Robert Coombes
Vložit
- čas přidán 26. 05. 2023
- In this Victorian true crime episode we explore the disturbing case of Robert Coombes who, despite being just 13 years old at the time, was a callous and calculating murderer.
His case is one full of twists and turns and perhaps, even redemption.
00:00 - Intro The Story of Robert Coombes
00:46 - The Summer of 1895
06:52 - Emily Coombes Body is Discovered
10:30 - Trial and Aftermath
Become a Channel Member ► czcams.com/channels/WCFthsYZHoPDIssCiD-mVQ.htmljoin
Facebook ► wellineverofficial
Twitter ► WellINeverShow
Patreon ► www.patreon.com/wellinever
#Truecrime #documentary #WellInever #Victorian
The most surprising bits of this story wasn't the murder, it was:
- The Victorian justice system not wanting to hang someone, regardless of circumstance
- The person being sent to a Victorian mental hospital and coming out of it (vs dying of TB or something)
- The person actually seeming to have been largely rehabilitated by the process and going on to lead a normal, if in some elements admirable, life.
Like... the system actually worked for once?
ikr? thats the real shock.
He probably wasn't poor
It might have also had to do with the war. Seeing death in another way may also have emphasised the cruelty and consequences of it, which he may not have been able to process properly when he was younger.
Considering what the brothers did immediately afterwards, it seems like it was originally viewed, particularly by Robert, in the same sort of way as ‘getting the house to themselves’.
the exception that proves the rule
Amazing this little sociopath didn't hurt more people and actually received super effective treatments in the conditions you state... yes..
This was the late Victorian period, not the Dark Ages!
My younger brothers and I grew up in an abusive home, both mentally and physically, but we never talked about killing our parents, there were many times I wished they were dead but I never thought about doing it, or having someone else kill them. I waited until I graduated high school and ran away, I was 17
I hope things are better for you now.Wishing u the best.
That's rough
I also was in the same position I'm 63 now. I still have issues mental weight with my mother who is such a narcissist and says she never even touched me and my sister but as you know. And I know that she did of course you beat the hell out head up against the dresser dragged us around the house by our hair while we were naked. I have air problems because of her hitting me so much in the head she cracked a broomstick over my back and threw me down the stairs. Or pushed me down the stairs I walk with the cane now and I am going to see a doctor this week actually because of this vile person. That is my mother. Just because someone gives birth to you does not make them motherly. I've had my children's friends friends hug me and call me mom because her mom was a drunk or whatever whoever reading this I assure you. Understand I could go on. If you have children when you stop reading this please make sure you have them just because for no other reason
Please excuse the.
@@peggyjones9080 I am so sorry. You deserved to be cared for not hurt by your mother.
He adopting an abused child says even more about his early life than even the information he killed his mother after she beaten his little brother.
I thought this exact same thing
He committed a horrifying crime at an age marked by big emotions and poor impulse control. Then after serving time and being allowed to mature in a stable environment, he ends up a fairly decent human being. Well I never.
He definitely suffered brain damage to his prefrontal cortex, the part responsible with complex thoughts and impulse control. If the scars were still on his temple, it would have been a serious injury, and inflicted while his skull was still soft and less able to protect his brain
brain damage too as an infant... i am surprised he turned it around, and it wasn't an act to do more evil...
I was actually very moved that he saved another child from abuse and became his father, well dobe, proof people can get better. Yeah it's possible something was wrong with him mentally or with his brain but sounds like it got better as he grew up.
He was already in a stable environment with his family. As for the CZcams psychological assessment of prefrontal cortex damage B.S; why didn’t he continue making horrific decisions after release from jail. Nah, to you all. This kid was engrossed with his Penny Dreadful magazines and decided to act out those fantasies to see what it was like.
@@miketemple7686 are you also the type to claim violent video games and movies make kids want to be violent? sounds to me like he snapped; if what they claimed was true that the mother was physically abusive, maybe that was the final straw and he decided to act. maybe he just had some sort of other mental health condition that had no real name at the time other than "not quite right". whatever it be, we may never know the true answer.
As soon as the narrator mentioned the two boys being so different from the parents, I had a feeling they were being heavily abused. No one is raised by a great mother and hard-working father, and all of their kids (just two this time) happened to be sullen and unlike either one. If it was just Robert, ok, but Robert Jr AND Nathaniel...
Yeah.. exactly what I was thinking.. and then trying to blame it on "penny dreadfuls" is no different than more resently, blaming Marylin Manson for school shootings.
Psychopaths aren't born they're created through neglect and indifference.
As a fellow Tweed enthusiast I admire your courage to wear the full regalia loud& proud in public.
Tweed. Warm, sturdy and practical. stylish too.
It’s not that unusual in England.
@@scathatch what? tweed is the ultimate expression of style, especially when sitting in a smoky cafe, a blank page flickering on your auteur's edition Macbook Pro.
Given the atrocious fashion trends of recent years I’d say tweed is pretty snazzy.
Proper British
I'm familiar with this case as I've read a book 'The Wicked Boy' by Kate Summerscale on the life of Robert Coombes. The reason why Robert murdered his mother out of anger because she had beaten his young brother the previous evening in front of other local children whom Robert & his brother had been playing with. The reason why Mrs Coombes had physically abused her 2 sons is that her husband was frequently away for longer periods as he worked for a shipping firm as a liner's steward out of sheer loneliness & frustation. I firmly believe that the 2 Coombe boys may have been abused mentally & physically since early childhood as the clue lay on Robert's severe headaches which he was taken to a family doctor from the age of 3 years old. The doctor advised both parents that Robert shouldn't have his head be struck any more. Why the doctor failed to alert the authorities of the fact that he suspected Robert was an abused child is a mystery to this day.
Corporal punishment was legal and normal in those days (all the way up to year 2000 in private schools).
Totally correct!! Those poor kids!
@@martinaasandersen3775 so whats your point lol?
@@TheFunkhouser " Why the doctor failed to alert the authorities of the fact that he suspected Robert was an abused child is a mystery to this day". No mystery. It was legal.
Parents had full, legal control over how they disciplined their children even if their methods constitute abuse by today’s standards.
I'd heard of this murder before, but not about Robert Coombes after his release, I was just blown away. I wonder how his Dad coped.
That's what I wondered about too. I read the Wikipedia article before watching this, and neither said anything about the dad afterwards.
@@SR-iy4gg we can only hope he found peace x
I can say I wasn't shocked to hear he moved here to Australia.
@@nataliemay415 I'm Australian and I laughed at that joke.
@SR-iy4gg :: It was up to the narrator to tell us what happened to the father. Very bad choice not to tell the viewers. The jury was ahead of its time to place him in an institution or maybe the death penalty was too severe for a 13-year-old ? The heavy treatment by the doctors at his birth seems like a reasonable explanation for the cause.
The considerable head trauma suffered by Robert at a protracted, difficult birth may account in part for his crime. Traumatic brain injury often features as one of the often overlooked elements which can precede such shocking events 😢
Hello Emmy, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
Im sorry....it can cause the frontal lobe 2 b damaged, so the person feels no fear or remorse....but they CHOOSE to kill or not
@@trevorjennings721 Trev here is spamming the comment sections trying to chat up women in a fashion that indicates it's a bot.
Reported.
Emny,Not necessarily..
I have a TBI & I never murdered anyone
Also, suffering trauma to the frontal lobe, has been proven to cause schizophrenia.
I'm always fascinated by child killers who somehow manage to grow up to be functional members of society -- I have to wonder how, when they go so wrong so young, that they straighten out.
Let alone going off to Broadmoor at that age in that time!
I think he might have been telling the truth about being abused by his mother. Generally children that age who murder their parents do so for one of two reasons, either they are being abused and believe that is the only way to make it stop, or they are deeply mentally ill. The fact that he was a functional adult points to the former rather than the later
I think in those cases perhaps it's because what is wrong with them that allowed them to do what they did as a child is the result of a trauma, not an innate personality trait like sociopathy? They can be helped to develop and overcome the trauma. I'm thinking of Mary Bell and her desperate childhood with an abusive prostitute mother who pimped her out.
The most interesting example seems to be with James Bulger's killers, Venables and Thompson. At the time Robert Thompson, from a desperately dysfunctional home with an alcoholic mother was thought to be the leader, while Jon Venables, from a home where his parents cared about him, charmed the police officers into feeling sorry for him.
Yet all these years later Thompson has managed to stay out of trouble and has become - so far as we know- a functional member of society, whereas Venables has been back in prison for child pornography and other offences. It is hard not to draw the conclusion that -however you might feel about them for their crime as children, and this is absolutely NO excuse for what they did- Thompson back then was damaged by his environment, which allowed his actions that day and removed from that environment he was able to develop and change, whereas Venables has something innately just WRONG with his personality, that all the 'rehabilitation' in the world cannot change.
You dont know if he didnt kill again. He should of been hung when he was of age. murder is murder regardless .
@@platedlizard Well there are people out there accusing their parents of abuse and found out in court after they murdered them were good parenrts. I dont buy his story. It sounds he was a rotten little pyschopath
He was abused. For those people who say they would never think of killing their parents even when abused, all I can say is, anybody can snap. Even the most patient and kindest person has a breaking point and the abuser deserved what they themselves caused.
I thought about doing my mom in when I was a little kid, even had it planned out. She was severely abusive and it felt like a her or me sort of thing. I didn't go through with it obviously but I can understand how a child would want to.
There go i but for the Grace of God
@@siobhanmcneenan3253 🤮🤢
True, but it isn't so much that he snapped but that his behaviour afterwards of being completely unconcerned was abnormal. We don't know what state he was in when he killed her but in the period afterwards he didn't seem to present any of the normal shock and remorse somone who snapped could be expected to feel. No matter how much he hated her she WAS still the person to whom he should have had an emotional attachment - even a complicated one - yet his actions in the period after her death suggest none.
@@julierobinson3633 If your mother never acted like a mother and was more your enemy, trust me, there is no emotional attachment.
I'm not going to care at all when my "birth giver" dies. Why should I?
My family life was dysfunctional, and my dad was abusive. My sister and I played this game where we'd say how we would kill him in out early-mid teens. It was rather cathartic, and allowed us to express some of the trauma. We obviously never acted on any of these plans.
I understand
it’s hard to admit stuff like this but it truly does give more insight. at the same time, people who havent gone through abuse will probably never understand how you could say all that, while at the same time never truly wishing an ounce of actual harm, but I understand you completely. Stuff like this proves just how hard it can be to not judge people who have experiences others have never once gone through
Horrific to think he could be capable of murdering his mother, let alone at that young age. Going on to adopt a son and fighting for his country took bravery. Wow, what a mix of emotions I'm feeling 🤯
It has happend alot throughout history. Humans are unpredictable and can be vindictive without cause, why I dont trust them .
Wonder if he and his brother whete abused and he had enough but still extremely disturbing story.
Ppl are more than one or two decisions. Those capable of great evil have often done heroic things, like Ted bundy saving a drowning kid. It does make me question the mom tho if that was robert’s one and only act of violence. A child psychopath wouldn’t just stop being violent once he’d murdered someone. An abusive home life would explain so much of his behavior
Hey just look at the James Bulger murderers!!! One hasn’t had an issue since release… The other had been in trouble including possession of child porn!!! I think we need more research!!! The thing is without taking the chance of releasing these potentially dangerous people we get no relevant data. So it’s something we need to have very balanced compassion for. Justice goes out the window in juvenile cases!! It’s all about rehabilitation or justification for life long monitoring!!!
I just wonder if these people actually understand what they’ve done??? I say this cuz I think if just want to end my existence of I did something so bad!!!
Unfortunately there’s cases like Edmond Kemper who murdered his grandparents in 1964 released in 1970 and resumed killing all but immediately… I think he’s probably the exception (I hope)…
@@rheverend I agree.
It's a odd story. A boy murders his mother and welcomes his own death and somehow leaves a place like Broadmoor in his thirties as a functioning member of society. And he was even kind of heroic serving in Gallipoli, taking in a abused child, and reenlisting to serve again in his 50s. I was expecting more tragedy but he sounded like a guy I wouldn't mind having as a neighbor. Did some Victorian doctor do something right or did he just out grow his issues?
I think his only issue was his mother and therefore it was no longer an issue as such.
Mother was probably abusive
@@ChiefHerzensCoach That's what I thought too
he got rid of the problem , i dont think he was even actually troubled , abuse can make you do some wild stuff , and goes to show how he had compassion for his adopted son and others on the battlefield , he probably didn't want anyone else to go through what he and his brother did , i dont think there was any evil to this besides maybe the mother
"AN" odd story......
"AN" abused..........
N between two a's !!!!!!!!!
🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
It's not just the killing that's baffling, it's the craftiness of these boys, the planning and cover up at such a tender age. Shocking 😮
There but for the grace of God go you then , ? You cannot set yourself up as judge and jury ? We are only human and the mind can be a very cruel thing !
@@WendyJones-zx7is what is that supposed to mean?!
I have known 7 and 9 year olds both well capable of, and bragging about doing away with their elders.
In my own family, no less.
13 years old is a laughable standard to be shocked, in my book.
I had to sit and think about this case for a while. The children were described as sullen and unlike their parents. While that could be true, I find that I believe they were most likely abused. Dad was gone all the time. How would he know what went on in his household? I don’t think the comics factored into anything except how to hide the smell when the deed was done. But once caught, he didn’t lie about what he had done. He was straightforward. The lawyer had to coax him into changing his plea. He never blamed the adult, and while he said the idea was his brother’s, he fully admitted to being the one to do the deed. He was okay with his own death at that point. In my inexpert opinion, I think he snapped, killed her, and was left with what he had done. The laughing and the mocking could’ve been done to try to irritate the police and make them kill him or to seal his fate in court.
Old-fashioned attitudes might’ve also led the adults to describe simple questions as “mockery.”
The book says the mother starved them and beat them. That was why Robert was so focused on food.
I never heard of this story before. You wonder how Robert was able to deal with what he had done and proceeded to live out a “normal” life. It’s quite an incredible tale.
probably because didn't really care, I have dealt with children that are completely emotionally detached,
Robert supposedly suffered from scars on his head from his mother's abuse and thought his brother was going to end up the same way.
His frontal cortex would have had time to form by the time he got out.
I mean if the parent is abusive a number of kids in that household survive by not considering them good parents. That thought process justifies a lot of what he did to escape such a toxic life. Heck may even count as self defense. We don’t really know what went down between them.
I assure you it's formed prior to birth. But it develops further, it's not "done cooking" until young men are in their early to mid 20s, a bit earlier in young women. That's why high school girls tend to be so much more mature than boys. @@davidmoore2308
I’ve read the book about Robert Coombs, it’s called The Wicked Boy, by Kate Summerscale. It’s a great book and despite the horrible crime, it’s also about redemption and forgiveness. I would thoroughly recommend the book 📖
I come here for the amazing, intriguing stories. I stay to gather fashion ideas from the outstanding host. Long live this channel.
Hear hear!!
My Grandfather grew up in East London at this very time. Roughly that same age as Robert!
This is one of my favourite moving, complex stories of the Victorian period -- of course, this is an excellent representation of it. As noted in the video, I recommend checking out: The Wicked Boy: An Infamous Murder in Victorian London by Kate Summerscale. Such a tragic story -- and yet, Robert was shown mercy and understanding that ultimately led to the saving of several lives.
In the book, Summerscale notes that the younger brother was manipulated into turning on Robert. Summerscale makes the point the boys were complicit in the murder though the deed was committed by Robert. Separated for years, they briefly reunited in Australia when they were both serving in the war.
I am no shrink, but I think Robert has a psychotic break due to the brutality suffered from his mother. According to the book, it's evident the mum was mentally ill - she beat and starved the boys when the father was at sea. Not justifying murder, but If Robert were a TRUE psychopath, he would never have managed the empathy and compassion he exhibited later in life. I believe he killed his mum in a desperate effort to protect his little brother from her.
While researching the story, Summerscale actually found Robert's adopted son, Harry, who was then living in senior care. Harry paid for the commemorative tombstone on Robert's grave. He had no knowledge of Robert's dark past - he only knew the kind, adoptive father who saved him from his own cruel father.
Wow. I feel that leaving out how horribly their mother abused them did Robert a huge disservice. He had an excellent motive, then, and one that had probably been building.
Him suffering a psychotic break also makes sense, although I'm still surprised that Broadmoore apparently helped him recover to grow up to be a good and stable man.
Very interesting that he was a loving adoptive father, I definitely believe that he and his brother where horribly abuse, perhaps he was just protecting his bother or he had a mental breakdown too, specially if his mother was suffering from bad mental health. Good to hear that he became a much better parent himself despite everything. It is terrifying though that a child can murder but it makes more sence if they where beat up by a crazy person.
Actually made me tear up in the end that he saved another abused boy and became his father, I have heard this story but not this important part before, proof that people can get and do better.
@@Religion0 I don’t recall all the details from the book, but I know he got special care as the youngest patient there. I may be wrong but i believe he was transferred from Broadmore after a few years to a less severe facility. He was given a full education and learned work skills so he’d be employable when released (having grown up incarcerated). He lucked into the beginning of a progressive attitude about criminal reform
Ironically, being locked up probably led him to a better life than he might have otherwise had.
@@teijaflink2226 the book is a very moving illustration of that - especially when the author actually FINDS the (now elderly) boy Robert saved from his abusive father. He had no clue about Robert’s dark past - she did not tell him about it - all that mattered was the kind man who adopted him.
Hope you read the book!
A great storyteller, a true gentleman and a man of fashion!
I imagine he tried to make amends, in his own way, by offering a stable life to another boy and serving his adopted country.
Maybe he saved another child from abuse. We'll never know if what he said about his mother is true.
An interesting thought.
I'm glad he got to live because he saved a boy and probably many other lives, even though he has taken one. Doesn't make what he did right but I'm still glad something good came out of it.
I dont think he tried to make amends, he was so broken that he did not care if he would hang, he probably had good reasons for what he did
The only thing that ever gets me befuddled about what people are capable of is, living in the house with a rotting human corpse. The smell is unmistakable, strong and horrible.
If being able to do that doesn't prove insanity...anyway, Good morning Paul and crew, thanks for another doozy. ☕🌻 And good morning WINnies. 🤍
Especially in the heat of summer with no ventilation or AC! Mind you, the general stink of daily life was different then - the streets were full of horse crap!
What have you two been up to?
My BFF was a Mountie here in Canada. She said the first time you smell a rotting corpse you will never ever forget the smell. She was asked to attend a hotel because the staff couldn't open the door. It was on the fourth floor. She said the moment she stepped in the lobby she knew the person was dead. The smell was unmistakable.
As a general rule, humans noses get acclimated to almost any smell after 3 hours.
Wow what a story, I live in NSW so I found this very interesting. Terrible crime at such a young age, but sounds like he found redemption in helping others, which is admirable.
I think from his life after the hospital we can give some credence to the abuse allegation he leaves at his mother. His focus on the breakfast before hanging and being suicidal ads credence to the claims the brother may have been beaten for “stealing food”. Also he didn’t try to blame the mentally disabled adult which would be the go to for a truly evil child. It’s a good case for rehabilitative Justice even if the crime was without warrant.
@@trevorjennings721 and Trevor-bot again.
Yes I agree with this completely! I think the boys were abused by their mother.
Children rarely act in such a way without there having been some abuse beforehand💔
That would definitely make sense, and explain why he adopted an abused child himself, likely wanting to save the kid before he turned out the same way...
Oh for goodness' sake. Don't any of you people (commenters above this) realise the reason so many teens and even younger, are out of control - now, not then - is because of a LACK of discipline; a fear of clipping your child around the ear for stealing etc., because the Dept., of Children then "gets" you. I'm not writing of beating children up; that's a LOT different to turning a child over your knee and spanking them. There's a massive difference between abuse and warranted spankings. No wonder the world has gone nuts!
I'm glad his stay at Broadmoor helped him. Especially since what's said about the horrors that happened in psychiatric hospital then.
And even later with Jimmy Savile creeping in the corridors yikes. Amazing that he managed to get better though specially back then with not much understanding about mental illness. He must have met some actual good people who actually cared about him and wanted him to get better.
@@teijaflink2226 You might want to read up on what the Victorian Era Brits actually knew about mental illness before saying such things.
Then it was Penny Dreadfuls to blame, 100 years later it was a Child’s Play VHS in the Bulger case. People are always desperate to point to an aspect of contemporary media which has perverted young minds, when it’s obvious that this sort of crime has the chance of cropping up at any point in history.
On Robert’s AIF Attestation papers he was asked have you ever been an apprentice. He answered yes, 5 years Crowthorne Berkshire…. the location of Broadmoor.
Hmmmm.....it makes you wonder what his mother did, to make him hate her so. A psychopath doesnt just kill once and then live an exemplary life.
I know I'm playing devil's advocate here but given the scope of this story I'm genuinely curious if he was being abused by his mother. No that doesn't make it okay or even less horrific that he killed her but it might explain some things.
Indeed how did he get the bump on the head, that triggered such a tragedy 🤔🎭
The book goes into more detail about how crazy the mum was - genuinely cruel and abusive. Robert's motive was to protect his little brother from her. In the book, Summerscale notes that the younger brother was manipulated into turning on Robert in court. Summerscale makes the point the boys were complicit in the murder though the deed was committed by Robert. Separated for years, they briefly reunited in Australia when they were both serving in the war.
Nathaniel’s evidence did say Robert had slept in her room the night of the murder.
Thousands of kids were reading Penny Dreadful and 100 other publishers of such materials. Only a small few of them committed murders themselves.
So, to blame the magazines for the murders, is absurd.
100 years ago, was from the magazines, currently, from videogames. 😅
Both cases are absurd
Odd really, because from his behaviour regarding his mother's murder it is simple to diagnose him as a sociopath. But that is not something that can be cured, no matter how long he was in a mental hospital. And yet as an adult he seems to have shown no signs of that and led an exemplary life. (I know that most spciopaths are NOT murderers, but they are also people with recognisable personality traits that don't seem to fit with his helping others in later life.
So his behaviour as an adolescent suggests some ongoing trauma at the time that was never uncovered?
Well he probably murdered quite a few while at war.
That is incorrect. Plenty of sociopaths will absolutely help others all the bloody time. Of course they will, if they see a benefit to themselves. He knows he needs to clear up his image, so adopting an orphan, even going to war is absolutely something sociopaths would do. Self-serving doesn't mean never helping, as weird as it sounds. (In fact, the military is THE place to meet all kinds of sociopaths, striving to rise in the ranks, make a name for themselves (and sometimes kill without repercussions)).
I mean, there's plenty here we may not know. He could've easily killed others as a child, killed animals, or gone on to kill as an adult. Heck, he may have abused his adopted son. So much is lost to time in stories this old. I doubt very much he just straightened out and committed one crime.
Children can't be diagnosed as having antisocial personality disorder (sociopaths) because they are still developing their personalities. Conduct disorder possibly.
@@alimay8344 Can't be diagnosed, but probably do still have it? I wasn't diagnosed as having Aspergers until my mid 40s but I didn't suddenly develop it at that age...
This is like 5 minutes walking from my home I never knew of this story. I’ve walked past this place countless times and you’d never know it was any sort of historical site
Perhaps he was badly abused himself by his mother and that’s why he adopted the boy perhaps he understood his plight
Hello Clare, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
Having abusive parents myself I feel bad for Robert. My parents were not only physically abusive but emotional as well. I grew up hating my parents, especially my mom and I dream of murdering her.
Wrote in my diary in detail how I plan to murder her when I was 11 and left it on my nightstand knowing she will read it, and she did. It was so satisfying knowing it freak her out.
But I never did have the guts to commit murder, although I thought about it for years. Things got better after I moved out and went low contact with my parents. They're both in their 70s now with no remorse how they treated their children. Awful people.
I'm sorry. I realized I did not love my father when I was a teenager. It wasn't being hurt--it was the contempt outside of that. I was very religious when I was young, so in accordance with the Commandment to honor your parents, determined to remain obedient and polite til I was 18. I eventually shared my plan with my mother, who asked me to not cut my father off until my little brother also turned 18. It was difficult to tell my father I did not want further contact. I'm 55 now, a little sad about it, but we can't make people different.
I don't see the part that mentions his parents as abusive
I was adopted by fundamentalist speaking in tongues Pentecostal cultists who were brutal. I lived through this too. Was homeless at 15.
It happened to me also . Sad . Mom is 97 years old , never apologized to us . I promise that I will never go that young my children . Never did . Love my children and grandchildren and they love grandma . Enjoy Avery minute with them .
@@JatPhenshllemright? If anything dude said the mother was thought to be too lenient…some people are just born evil
I read the book about this ,, had never heard of it before then. He ended up in Australia!! My family were from Plaistow in the 1940s. Im glad you covered this largely unknown story
What was the book called?
@@shaneogden3622 It's probably 'The Wicked Boy' by Kate Summerscale, as referenced in this video. Highly recommended.
@@joannaw5913 Thanks. I've heard of the book but wasn't all that interested until I saw this video.
@@joannaw5913 Yes - a great book! I found the audio version was great, but you forego the illustrations and photos.
He should never have been allowed to emigrate to another country. Keep your murderers at home under lock and key in your own country!
So good to see you, Paul, thank you for making my day better :-) Can't wait to watch the video after work.
What a tragic story. It is a fact that a very high percentage of all criminals have suffered some type of head injury in their lives. This fact rings true of Robert and shame on his mother, shame, shame, shame! That his doctor had to tell the mother to stop hitting his head is testament to him having a head injury which manifested as headaches. How hard does one have to hit a child to incur these headaches he had. Issues with food as well when Robert remarked that as long as he had a good supper beforehand, that he cared not if he was suicided or was hanged. So beaten across the head and little food for a growing child not to mention the father away, appeared to make the perfect storm. He undoubtedly had a head injury of a type that perhaps made him cold to what he did but we would never know. Who really would even now. So many years in prison, just a horrid life. Shame on the mother again. Then to become a stretcher bearer in Gallipoli my goodness. The stretcher bearers being the bravest of all over there. I myself am from NSW in Australia and indeed there were many farmers that had come back from Gallipoli and dairied here. They were given plots of land or pioneer settlements. My great uncle had served underage in Gallipoli and received a Pioneer's Settlement. Also dairied. His dear daughter who only died a few years ago at 93 had told me that her mother said he was never the same from the war. Those soldiers were another special breed indeed. Getting back to Robert though, I think it took a special breed to be able to fight over there and to be a stretcher bearer, well just maybe his head injury left a kind of emptiness on some level in his brain where he just didn't see/feel/care of danger. We will never know. I hope he is resting in peace. I am just so saddened for him.
Hello Tracy, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
Historical true crime is my favorite; I always look forward to a new upload from your channel. Thank you!
Wow, what a post. Straight into the story without the usual long winded intro.
Well done for an informative post. ❤
Great horrifying story telling and the location moving definitely adds to grasping the viewer into watching. Awesome high effort you all do.
This is truly one of my favorite CZcams channel, another great story told by a great gentleman
The fact that he went from a remorseless murderer to a decent, mature man who helped people baffles me. Very unrealistic transition for me. That kid seems pretty crafty, though.
How have i never stumbled upon your channel earlier? This is the kind of storytelling that is gruesome, but also very much suitable for school. Very nice style, sir. You've got yourself another subscriber!
And thank you for making this video 😊
People are more complicated than most of us want to acknowledge. All I can say is I hope his redemption was an honest attempt to atone for his crime.
You are so bloody cool. I’m loving the stories. Thank you so much for making these videos! 🖤
I'm astounded that he could grow up into a responsible member of society, not to mention a war hero! Broadmoor was a horrifying place in early 1900's, especially for a young boy.
Against all odds he turned his life around!
Actually Broadmoor was quite progressive in Robert's time. For more information on this case, an excellent book - The Wicked Boy.
🙄 Seriously are you people still living in the dark ages??? Don't you know anything about psychopaths??? There is no bravery here. Psychopaths are the boogeymen in the shadows. They are the apex human predators. War & horror is breakfast, lunch & diner for them. He didn't turn his life around. He just got better at what he did. Those people know the system & the human psychology. Why do you think, there are so many complaints about bosses & supervisors in the work force? Where do you think the Jimmy Saville or Harvey Weinsteen came from? And as for the boy he adopted, you would not want to know the lives of the girls & women who fell in love with that one either... Please start thinking a little bit more & connect the dots. A responsible member of society WTF!? Have you seen how think are going bad around the world??? Do you think it is by happen stance??? 😤
Broadmoor still is a horrifying place if recent channel 4 documentaries are anything to go by.
Robert had access to books and music and learned skills he never would have if he hasn’t gone to Broadmoor. He was in an upper tier at the asylum and it sounded like a gentleman’s club.
This is the first of your videos I have seen. And I must say it's clear your content is well researched and a lot of effort goes into making them. Good script and well presented. A like and a sub well earned!
Love this channel so much! ❤ Please never stop
Between the school bombings, ammonium nitrate explosions, or throwing yourself off Niagara Falls for clout or being murdered by your young child I'm proud to say 135 years later everything-
Wait. That's not quite right...
The more things change, the more things stay the same.
Oh dear 😄
Beautiful storytelling, locations and presentation. Thanks Paul.
Thanks for another awesome video ❤
Hi John just a quick not to say thank you so much for all your efforts in producing these insightful and thoroughly enjoyable videos - I look forward to watching new videos when I get into bed at night 😴. You are a really wonderful narrator and you are, unknowingly educating and entertaining a lot of people, sincere thanks from us all.
Thank you! So many horrifying stories from back in the day. Take care sir🙏💔🏴
My favourite thing about this channel is how good this tall Victorian ghost is at using camera equipment. Way to go, man!
Aside from the great narration done by Paul - I just love this channel's artistic direction !
It was self evident, upon first seeing the seated indoor background narration.
And chef's kiss, to this video's intro and outro shots ! 😍
It's greatly appreciated.
Just come across this story which is very well told. I love reading and hearing of tales like this, you have me hooked as a new subscriber.
Such an underrated channel! Subscribed. Your annunciation is remarkable! 10/10 would recommend
Enunciation.
Great channel. Love the presentation style and the whole aesthetic. Thanks!
Wowowow. This was suggested and I love all of this. The switching to different places. When you come back I’m like where he now. I love all of your attires, very brilliant and sharp. Your voice add so much to the story like its own character. I will be watching. Great work
I love these “field-trip” episodes.
Awesome channel
Hi, first timer, hearing your stories- love it😊!!
you do these so well mate i look forward to them take care and have a nice weekend
Great video. Love your format. Great job. I love the older stories. ❤
Imagine the pain emotionally and physically, mentally that he indeed survived and having had enough ended that life for all to live a better life. Just because they’re parents doesn’t make the life of the child’s safe. Horrible humans have children to abuse and sell for parts or houses of evil.
Hello Gloria, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
What sad start to life.
I like to think he adopted the child to give him the childhood he himself never had.
RIP
Hello Amy, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
I'm sure that was what motivated Robert. No doubt he strongly identified with the abused boy Harry, and saw himself, and gis younger brother, in Harry. Only this time, as an adult, he could do something about the situation. He could be the parent that he'd wished he'd had, growing up.
I thoroughly enjoy the setting and manner in which you tell these stories.
Keep up the very good work sir and blessings from Scotland.
🙏🏼
Thanks for the upload! Enjoy your weekend.
I adore the presenter's sartorial style, along with the set design for his study. Snazzy!
When I younger I was the listening person for a former member of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. He was going thru cancer treatments as a teenager (everyone was working that summer) I listened to a man telling bone chilling tales of assassination, murder, and escape from overwhelming odds. Based on my recollections, I'd say he probably could have depopulated a small town killing NKVD, Political Commissars, German soldiers, and SS killers.
Dude your videos deserve so many more views, you do an awesome job. I love watching every video.
Excellent and far from ordinary story. Thanks for posting.
These stories and always well written and presented.
However, I always seem to be eating when I read about them. And I seem to come across the part about the maggots just as I sit down to eat my meal.
I really do find maggots to be especially disgusting! 🤮 😮
Gday Mr Brodie another great episode hope you keep them coming and you too stay safe and l will wait till your next one😊
Hello Tracey, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
Good one! Thank you for posting!!
Very well presented, this story. Extraordinary redemption. Thank you for posting it.
Just love your storytelling!
Hello Nette, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
I absolutely love your story telling.
Hello Marie, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
You are such a good storyteller. You and Mr. Ballen are the greatest on CZcams. Thank you your videos!
This story really was quite an emotion stirring one. This young man murders his mother in cold blood, then goes on later in life to serve in the military and get honored for bravery, I do think he was trying to atone for what he did also by taking in the young boy and live a better life. I hope he was at peace with himself and truly meant the things he did that were good when he passed away. Thank you Paul for yet another good video.
Hello Shilo, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
The book about this case, "The Wicked Boy" by Kate Summerscale, goes into detail about the abusive behavior of their mother. She was apparently starving them for periods of time as well as beating them.
Summerscale met and talked to the by then elderly adopted son, and he only had good things to say about his adoptive father. The son, Harry, also paid for a memorial headstone for Robert's grave.
@@SY-ok2dq I am interested in what evidence this Kate Summerscale gives about the boys being abused. Everybody quotes this book here. But if the only evidence is Robert's word, then I am a little suspicious of its credence as it is human nature to describe one's actions as holy natural and the other person's as complete lunacy. In other words, Robert's account alone would qualify as hearsay.
@@balletshoes From a psychological perspective, it seems to me that Robert saw himself in the role pf protector to his brother Nattie. It ws Nattie getting the worst of the beatings and threats.
I don't think it fits with what is known of Robert's actions that he simply made up the abuse stories.
Robert had the opportunity to push the blamr onto the disabled man who helped them. But he didn't. Because he doesn't seem to be fundamentally a liar. He changed his story about what happened in order to protect Nattie from the consequences. I believe Nattie WAS involved and knew in advance.
@@balletshoes The mother wrote letters to her husband and in some of them she complained that the boys "ate too much." I mean they were at an age where lots of growth is happening. Of course kids have great appetites for food. I think it wss mentioned that the boys were disciplined - maybe it was Nattie - for "stealing food" from I think, the family pantry. You can see from the photos that Robert at least, was clearly not overweight, so this "eating too much" was not because he was gluttonous and overweight from eating more than he needed. This gives credence to tje claims that the mother regularly deprived them of food and they were often hungry and driven to do things like sneak food when their mother was asleep or something.
You have to then ask, what can we infer about a mother who thinks of her children as burdens, and deliberately doesn't feed them and lets them go hungry, regularly?
Wow. What a tale. The truth really is often more strange than fiction. Thank you for this video.
Hello Kathleen, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
I lived in East Ham for most of my life until i married and I'd never heard that story before. Thankyou, it was fascinating and I enjoyed listening to you tell the tale ❤
The best channel, hands down. Another great job by the most dapper dude on the planet! 🇺🇸
Great narration... can't wait for another one .. great job 👏
Hi 👋 I’m a new subscriber to your channel, I watch Fascinating Horror every week and your channel came up on my homepage. I love your videos, the way you narrate them, the care and attention you give to each video. Keep up the great work😊
Hello Marta, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
I somehow find it a little hard to believe that his story turned out as well as it ostensibly did. Psychopaths don't usually 'straighten out' and reform themselves as they become older. Assuming his mother did abuse him and his brother, I highly doubt he would have acted the way he did all throughout the trial if he only killed her to put an end to the abuse - which only confirms that he did in fact have psychopathic tendencies. I wonder if he did other terrible deeds as an adult and managed to hide them. His keenness to enlist might easily be due to a morbid fascination with violence, not to mention reckless and risky behaviour (similar to his going about town, telling all sorts of tall tales to people, while his mother was dead at home) - which is known to excite psychopaths ... I also find the adoption of a young boy rather suspicious - can't help but wonder if he had ulterior motives for that too. And teaching music to children ...
👏👏👏👏👍 yep. I totally CONCUR!
Inevitably he would have done other bad deeds,as you say going unnoticed.
I find it unlikely he was abused as well, when people actually blamed the mom for being too lenient. Also, his brother didn't confirm any of it. Why?
My guess is that he never learned impulse control, so when the boys went too far and the mom tried to rein them in, he snapped.
I'm also leaning towards he either was just the worst brat and grew up or he just was never caught again and adopted the child to further establish his newly clean image. It's not that unbelievable. Plenty of disappearances and murders are never solved.
I feel like all the time at the hospital might be a factor. It is possible to learn healthy coping behavior.
I agree with you on that he showed psychopathic tendencies (the murder, the very deliberate attempt to cover it up through practical means and lies, including through the exploitation of a disabled man, what seem to be lies as to the circumstances that led to it, the oppositional attitude towards authority figures, the callous behavior in court, the fascination with violence, the risk-seeking behavior, the lack of self-preservation instinct…). What I don’t agree with, though your suspicions may very well be warranted, is that that’s incompatible with a normal enough life in adulthood.
Psychopathy is estimated to affect 1-2% of the population. That would include many people that function within society and, while some may fit the stereotype of the surgeon, military man, or cutthroat lawyer or CEO, chances are plenty are just regular people - the equivalent of some farmer/village music teacher. Sure, most of these non-criminal psychopaths will never have been convicted or even got close to committing a violent crime, but I don’t think there’s anything unbelievable in the story of a young psychopath whose childhood environment couldn’t or wouldn’t rein him in, but who learned how to be high functioning after spending most of his formative years in an asylum in which his antisocial behavior addressed. It doesn’t mean he was cured, but he could totally have learned how to manage his symptoms and/or had the incentive to after suffering the practical consequences of getting caught.
Psychopathy can present as a variety of combinations of symptoms, each on a spectrum. Not all psychopaths are impossibly impulsive or sadistic, and - just like any neurotypical person - they can have varying degrees of intelligence or ability to adapt and learn from previous experiences.
This my first time watching this channel and I love it❤
Fantastic video, keep up the great work. 💓
I'm quite amazed at how Robert apparently managed to turn his life around, especially after staying at Broadmoor for so long 😅 I hope the family all found peace in the end, may they rest easy 🙏
Hello Teresa, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
The author of The Wicked Boy said in an interview she feels Robert actually had a better life BECAUSE of Broadmoor because he had access to music and books, etc. His little brother lived a more predictable life for that class - difficult blue collar work for low pay like their father.
Fascinating, in a horrific sort of way. As an American, it's sometimes difficult for me to follow along, but you're calm measured voice and, quietly commanding presence, compel me to keep watching. Keep it going, have a great day 😊
Hello Annie, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
You might like Faces Of The Forgotten. This man goes to old cemeteries and tells stories of deaths in the Victorian age and later on. Very respectful and kind delivery.
@Susan
Thanks 😊 I'll check it out!
New subscriber! Love the format, narration, and lesser-known content
Your research is amazing I love it keep them going
Definitely a cautious tale that not all children are innocent. Really sad. Thank you Paul
And not all parents are good, if she was abusive then what?
Thry are not for sure kids show signs early and it just gets pushed aside as they are kids kids will be kids..these needs to stop..there is so many now killing stabbing doing drugs this didn't happen b4..but there is a kid opposite me and ppl know he's wrong but his parents laugh and even egg him on..he torments other kids and even .ade one have a bad accident infront of his mother I saw it and she laughed till kids father came out and told his kid off for being stupid on his bike ..the little vrat was called in very quick by his sick in the head mother when father came out..he was 4 years old he was doing it at 3..I thought he was older ..but he starts school this year and I can imaging the teachers having hell of a time with him..he's bad to the core..he even bullies his 2 tear old brother he yells and roars ..never known anything like him it's not adhd or autistic I've friends with children who have and when visiting have said to me he's wrong ..
@ZeeNastee just bc someone gave you a black eye let's say doesn't make it right to murderer them? Their mum didn't tried to kill them and they planned and killed her in her moment of distraction and weakness, which is NOT legitimate defence at all, as well, I doubt their mum would give them black eyes hence it was never mentioned that , definitely the neighbours would notice that much physical abuse to at least comment
What a cracking story teller you are!
Hello Pretty, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
The illustrations are so nice. Very period accurate and fun
Oh, sorry! Forgot to tell first time on your channel and I love it!
Child killers are absolutely terrifying to me.
A child of that age acting like this either has an emotional disconnection to their surroundings as a trauma response (abuse, emotional neglect, ect.) or there is a pathological problem underlying from birth (sociopoathy, psychopathy) . Good that they were not held accountable as adults cause very likely this murder was caused by something that happened to them beforehand. In times with no child protection services and an ethic, that holds parents in a high standard if they just seem to follow social rules on the outside, i am very cautious when accounts of the parenrs are like: she was orderly and had her house tidy. The more admired a fassade is in victorian England, the more suspicious i am that being a child in such a family might not be the luck it seems to be. Children behaving, taking up no emotional space , always behaving controlled and orderly is not likely a sign of a healthy, psychologicaly sound enviroment, cause that is just not how human children are by nature. I akso saw a comment stating, that some said, the mother was overwhelmed and had anxiety attacks abd using her okdest son as support. That is matter of factly child abuse, especially in that age cause a chikd cannot handle to be responsible for the wellbeing of the caretaker.
Very interesting case and wonderfully narrated as always. ❤
There was some child protection, kids were frequently removed from parents, but I would think this family were better off than most of their charges and more hidden?
@@nicolad8822 It is so sad that we can never know for sure, cause they haven't had the knowledge of child psychology like we have today and the records we have just too little and with too much bias because of the horrendous murder he committed . But i think that they put him into an psychiatric facility rather er than a prison, was already an advanced move and the way he was able to become a positive member of society later shows, that he was able to change his way of reacting and controlling his behavior. This way this case i an example why treating children differently than adults is the correct way of handling
Love the way you narrated the story. It is very clear indeed and the accent.
very interesting and well presented!