The Tragic case of the Bristol Babes in the Wood
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- čas přidán 24. 04. 2024
- The tragic murder of June and Royston Sheasby sent shockwaves across the country. The initial search for the youngsters drew thousands of volunteers but as the hunt continued without the pair being found, coverage of the event slowed. That was until a police officer stumbled across their shallow grave.
Despite the subsequent investigation being intensive and widespread, the killer was never found.
Years later a psychologist revealed that one of his patients had confessed to the slaying, however the Dr refused to tell authorities the man's identity as he had died in prison shortly afterwards.
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As a UK-trained medical doctor, our duty of confidentiality does not extend to situations where others are at risk, e.g. murder/rape.
Which leads me to believe that that doctor did it and through projecting it onto someone else, possibly an imaginary person, he eased his own mind before he passed away.
Yeah, what happened to “First, do no harm”? Seems that shrink harmed the hell out of those poor parents. Jerk.
I believe the logic is, if you think they might do something in future you have to tell but if you are convinced something is in the past, can’t be fixed, and won’t be repeated, then you have to keep it confidential. Or at least that’s the way confidentiality stuff works in the US.
@@TheKuptis Entirely possible. June was my age, Dad wore a suit to work well into the seventies, as did every Doctor our family knew. If a man in a blue suit hadn't come forward as a witness to even the children, who reported seeing anyone else nearby at the time? Trench coat, coveralls?
Yes. My instinct is, the patient's confession may never even have happened, and Dr Arthur Hyatt Williams simply invented it for "colour" when presenting his case study. He would not be the first psychoanalyst to do such a thing in order to bolster a thesis. When put on the spot by the police, he was simply unable to produce evidence that it had ever happened.
“Died of a guilty conscience” sounds like code for suicide to me. Why did the doctor bother announcing he knew the killer’s identity if he had no intention of sharing it? Just to be cruel? Something doesn’t line up with this doctor and his motives.
Makes me wonder if it was a family member or friend
"“Died of a guilty conscience” sounds like code for suicide to me"
It's not even code, it's just a polite way of saying that a person committed suicide when you suspect the person to be a murderer.
"Why did the doctor bother announcing he knew the killer’s identity if he had no intention of sharing it? "
And why did the police not have the power to force him to give up the details?
Perhaps it was the doctor?
I can't help noticing that the doctor wore horn-rimmed glasses...
Paul, one of my cats really likes your voice. As soon as you started talking, her little ears perked up. Then she started rubbing her face on my phone, purring loudly. I've never seen her react to anything on my phone like that before. Apparently, you've got two fans at my house!
Brilliant kitty!
Mine shows up to lie down on the phone while I'm watching. This channel only. I don't even know what that means.
It’s the accent.
@@RickyMaveetyOch Aye! 🏴
I have the same reaction to this channel. You should see the looks I get rubbing up against my phone and purring when I watch it on the bus… 😆
How insulting of that psychiatrist to find out the truth of a man who had 'died' and still not divulge the truth to ease the pain of the parents. He's as evil as the perpetrator!
He was probably the perp himself.
No he is not. He likely promised the killer to keep it confidential.
@@bluewizzard8843 Who cares what he promised a deceased killer? It's a shame there were no mandatory reporter laws for this kind of thing back then like there are now. If there had been, the moment that guy confessed to murder, regardless of the circumstances, he would've been legally required to report it.
@@herecomesaregular8418 There ARE mandated reporter laws for this, and they state that it’s illegal for a doctor to report past crimes if they can’t prove that they think someone else is in danger.
@@bluewizzard8843 But he didn't. He didn't have to blab anything.
That doctor was cruel to even mention his patients confession, if he was not going to reveal what he said. I don't believe him.
Whatever happened to “First, do no harm”? That psychiatrist harmed the hell out of those poor parents and investigators. What a jerk.
At it's foundation psychiatry is not a science, it's all subjective opinions that cannot be proven and so shouldn't even be considered a medical doctorate to begin with!
Psychiatry doesn’t have the Hippocratic oath, and “first, do no harm” only applies to physical harm.
@@caittails They are medical doctors. So if their school has an oath of some kind, they take it.
@@caittails???? That's not a loophole that exists, mental harm is still harm, where did you learn this?
His duty of confidentiality died with his patient. WTAFF?!?
Absolutely!
@@donaldgriner3767 Thank you, it doesn't have to be in the public domain. The family is owed a duty of care, but not to the exclusion of the family of the children. Having two plucked away like this, heart breaking.
You cant judge the past with modern standards, only learn from it.
@murder13love I think we can and SHOULD judge the past with modern lenses. Otherwise, you get people who idolize the past and find ways to repeat it in the future. Child marriages is the first thing that comes to mind. It's what we did back then and was normalized. Most people have been appalled by it. And it's something that still happens to this day even though we've learned why it's wrong. Using the same logic and laws from back then. I always hear "those who don't learn history, will repeat it" but I think "those who don't judge times in history, are doomed to bring it back". Look at reproductive health in the US as the best example of this.
@@fandomfreak1210 Ok, then you should wipe all history, remove all statues and abolish the learning of cultural history then... Grow up. That is censorship. That is how things were and we evolve as a society, we should NOT hold the past to current standards at all.
The doctor who announced that he knew someone who died with a guilty conscience should have guilt, too. He muddied the waters while helping no one. Asserting yourself into the investigation years later without showing any proof demonstrates that he had as many mental issues as his patients.
How could Barbara and Jese Sheasby ever get over the loss of their two precious children.. 😢 especially when dealing with hoaxes, false leads, and a psychiatrist who refused to give details of a dead man's confession, citing *confidentiality..* 🤦🏻♀️ _Whaaat?_ The man was dead! Something very odd about all that!
Poor little June and Royston.. such a sad and tragic case.. 😥
Always good to see you out and about on location, Paul.. thanks for another fascinating tale..
How very, very cruel, when small children are murdered. Their poor parents!
Imagine the guilt for not watching them properly .....
Ahole@@Dawna-gp1zk
That psychiatrist was cruel to bring that up, only to refuse to disclose any more info. You would think he'd know better, considering that he's supposed to be a professional in his field.
What's worse is that "dr." is remembered for: "His lifelong interest in helping with mourning was reflected in papers based on Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner and Keats’s La Belle Dame Sans Merci." Instead the good "Dr." should be remembered for his lifetime participation in hiding a murderer and his taunting cruelty towards relatives of murder victims in some sick twisted attempt for him to gain more fame without caring who's necks he steps on...
I don't understand why the doctor wouldn't release any further information. His patient who confessed was dead. There was no reason to withhold information
Maybe he was lying for attention or something. If it was true he should have revealed who said it. Otherwise he should have kept his big fat mouth shut. What a cruel thing to do to parents who are suffering with unspeakable grief.
Unless there was no patient and he was involved in the children’s deaths.
@marylewis167 I thought of that, or that he might have been involved somehow. Whatever the reason was, he should have been held to account for making that statement and then not clarifying it. It was criminal to leave the parents hanging like that. "I know, but I'm not going to tell you." Grounds for jailing him for withholding evidence or accessory after the fact or something, it seems to me
I really enjoy the pictures when you go onsite. May the children be with God everlasting.
Right. He might as well have not brought it up at all if this was going to be the response. My thought would be he did it himself.
After all or nearly all the principals are dead, couldn't records be unsealed? Whoever may still be living deserves to know. The descendents in the family deserve to know. June and Royston deserve to have their tormenter named.
The sheer heartache of losing not one but two of your children. How do you carry on from that? So so sad.
It's difficult to comment without context but it really does seem unnecessarily cruel to make this kind of a statement without further information, especially for a psychiatrist with full knowledge of the mental torment he would have added to the parents' grief
Can’t believe the police have not re opened this case that doctor who would not release details of the man who he said confessed should have been arrested and held on charges of disrupting a murder offence. How could any person be allowed to to hold back anything to do with murder especially the horrific murder of two innocent small children
Such a sad, sad story. Nowadays no children go out to play in a park or the woods without an adult nearby. I still can remember playing in the nearby woods where I grew up unmonitored in the 70s.
1958...we were gone on our bicycles from dawn to dusk. Never had any thought about danger. We had the Park..the Wash...the Creek...and our friends houses for lunch. The Saturday matinee was .25 cents...left our bikes at the rack by the bank ..never used a lock..still waiting for us when we came out. 2 movies..cartoons..and a serial. What happened ?
Perhaps the Doctor's reluctance to share the man's name was due to the guilty party being a member of a prominent family ?
Or HIS family? Anyway... As others before me stated. Why would he even mention it if he had no intention of revealing his name?
Or royal family? Wasn't Jack the Ripper supposed to be someone like that?
As horrible as this overall story is. The mention of the "storyteller" patient was a bright spot in such darkness. This local character who seemed to pose no danger to anybody who the police ruled out as a suspect and felt he should be allowed to carry on as he had be doing. It was a nice humanising moment for people with mental illness especially for the era when it was still stigmatized. Whoever he was, i hope he got to keep telling his stories. I wonder if anyone who grew up in the area remembers him.
Interesting that the unnamed patient who had 'confessed' to the doctor was conveniently dead. And one has to ask why the doctor refused to assist the police with their enquiries if the confessor was dead and buried? Did the patient actually exist or was the doctor trying to provide closure for some reason? If so, why? Very odd behaviour. (I notice the doctor wore horn rimmed glasses ....)
I TOTALLY agree with you
Just because an individual confesses to a crime does not mean that an individual actually committed the crime. When there is a possible mental instability involved, it would be especially important for the police to uncover evidence that supports the confession.
Oh God, this is every parent's nightmare.
I'd take a long, hard look at the psychiatrist...
A Doctors duty to keep information about a patient confidential when alive or dead is not limitless. For example if the Doctor has information that a patient has committed or is likely to commit serious crime it is his/her duty to disclose it.
This is a case that haunted the West Country, I was born and bred in Bath and was told of the murders. Perhaps one day, someone will come forward with the passed down information 🙏🏻❤️ Thank you for another interesting case, Paul.
I wonder about the doctor. Do you remember, was he considered suspicious in the murders?
@@addie_is_meAs Paul stated, the doctor implicated a male patient, but wouldn't say more.
I'm just a Jane Austen dork and was excited that you're from Bath.❤❤
I hope this pod cast will prompt someone to find the name of the killer - 66 years is a proposterous amount of time.
Think of poor young John that day at school, eleven years old, everyone hearing about what was going on, knowing everyone was frantically searching for his young siblings...
As a new member seeing my first members only release and I live in Bristol.....Well, I Never
May I please suggest you cover the case of “the Molly McGuires”. If you are not familiar with it, it is case where 20 Pennsylvania coal miners were hanged unjustly. I’ve lived in Pennies all my life and grew up in the coal fields. The injustices done the 20 and their families were eventually exposed. I know you’ve presented many cases of injustice. I think many of us would greatly appreciate such a presentation. These families and their suffering should never be forgotten, lest such suffering happen again.
Like a lot of history, I learned about the Molly Mcguires from a folk song.
I only heard of this right now...thank you @@lisafish1449
I would be interested most definitely in this story. I've never heard of it and should be a crime that all should know about considering the amount of innocent men hanged. Hope you can cover it Paul and let us know when you can post it.
This sounds a very interesting story 😢
@@lisafish1449 it’s a true story
It sounds like the doctor might be the murderer. Did the police ever look into him?
I live in Bristol but I never heard of this murders may they rest in peace
Such a sad sad outcome, poor babies 😢
Just as a therapist has the legal duty to reveal confidential information about self-harm or harming others to the police, therapists also must tell law enforcement about a potential future crime that a patient shares during a therapy session.
What a truly terrible story.
May I point you to the still unsolved murder of a friend's brother. Keith Lyons was killed one endless summer's day, at Happy Valley in Woodingdean, Brighton. I'm sure Peter would welcome the attention, for an update on the state of play. Who knows it may even jog a memory.
Even if the police got a list of patients that died at the facility, it seems they could have gotten legal permission to narrowed it down.
What an absolutely horrific case, compounded by senseless "confidentiality" :(
Thanks again Paul for another great story.
If things went my way, id be asking good ol' doc a few questions along with my medical assistant, Louisville Slugger.
It is heartbreaking that two small children were lost to their family. The psychiatrist should have been pressured more by police. In the very least i hope that when he had retired or passed away that his records could be searched for the patient who may have committed this horrible act. The family has the right to know, even if the only family that is left is an only living sibling. So sad that a patient's confidentiality was more important than a grieving family's right to know what happened to their children.
Honestly, I’m surprised they weren’t able to pressure him more. Couldn’t you be charged with withholding information or something?
A psychiatrist has confidentiality just as lawyers and priests. Would you suggest the police pressure priests to reveal what is said in the confessional just because people want to know what was confessed.? Or should defense attorneys be required to reveal what their clients tell them?
@@jocelynmartin1572 It's up to the professional to make a decision between their duties and their willingness to bend rules or defy the norms of them. IMO, no Lawyer, Doctor, or Clergyman likely would, or should be required to reveal, though each may have different reasons to hold their tongues.
In the very early 70s my baby brother went missing. He had been last seen with 2 little girls about 5 and 6 years old, they were pretending that he was their baby. Putting him on a step pretending to feed him pushing him in a stroller. But in Ontario Canada 🍁 the sun going down early in the fall it was getting dark fast. The entire neighborhood came together for the search for Freddie. The youngest of the entire neighborhood and my family. Panic after 3 hrs of search for him the parents of the 2 girls finally allowed the police to speak with the girls. They just kept saying they put him down to sleep because it was getting dark and had to go in for the night. Screaming came from bushes at the back of another home. He was found under some bushes and was covered by a camping sleeping bag. Those girls were saying still he is in bed don't wake him he has to go to sleep. They still played with him regularly until he was a young teenager and to this day he never remembered that time but the girls and those who were seaching for Freddie still have those hrs of panic in their memories
@@honeylacecookieWow!
It always blows my mind how well researched, presented, and produced your videos are.
Well, I never thought that the doctor would be such an a-hole to announce that he know who was the killer then hold back in
revealing the name of the murderer.
You sir are an extraordinary narrator and impeccably dressed. It is a pleasure to visit your channel.
There must be medical records kept by the Dr., on his patient, who made the confession of murdering the children.
Perhaps the archives can be pulled back up, and find out more for the sake of the lone sibling.
Very sad the parents were denied closure, I'm sure their remaining years were unhappy, and perhaps full of, 'if onlys '
The children were sweet, beautiful and young. I can't imagine who would want to hurt them. Poor babies.
Thanks for the upload. There's a famous case of the Tinkers lane murder, Galway Ireland that might be of interest to
your subscribers / viewers. It could make an interesting future well
I never episode.
What a handsome dapper gentleman you are Sir. I enjoy your videos so much.
I think it's important to remember that deathbed confessions can actually also be false. But I don't get why that doctor bothered with saying A only to refuse to say B. Unless maybe he thought it would be enough to give the parents closure to be told the possible perpetrator was dead. I don't know.
By the way, I'm not sure anything could be worse than murdering innocent children, but part of me feels that maybe sending unfounded blackmail letters in situations like this could come close to being worse. That's like they're deliberately torturing someone who is already tortured. "Oh I see your heart is bleeding, here, let me drive another pole straight through your heart, and twist it around a bit."
It was also incredibly racist. A real sicko behind it.
The Sheasbys had long lives to mourn their children. Jesse died in 2014 aged 96, Barbara was still on the electoral register in 2015 aged 94.
What a sad curious story. The doctor that wouldn't reveal everything he knew should have been guilt ridden for the rest of his life.
Absolutely horrendous, evil murderer to kill two innocent beautiful toddlers, and yet in a horrific bludgeoning ! 💔Ooff to Hell mister !!
Thank you Paul. I feel for the family and their grief for the little ones. 😢❤
A new story, what a great way to wake up. Thanks Paul
Personally I think the Dr was just attention seeking by saying this at a conference then refusing to say any more. After all, how much do YOU respect a doctor who believes a man can simply die 'of a guilty conscience' - unless he meant by suicide?
In which case there should surely be a record of male patients treated by that doctor who killed themselves?
What a horrendous thing for the Sheasby family to experience.
Something in this stood out to me that gave me a little faith in humanity though. After questioning The Storyteller the police seem to have made every possible effort to reassure the public of his being safe, and to humanize him to those who would hear the police statement about him. What a beautiful thing to do, because they must have been very aware that some members of the public might take drastic action against The Storyteller if they had not gone to the effort of reassuring the public. Mentally ill people are unfortunately more often victims of violence than perpetrators, so for the police to make such a strongly worded kind and protective statement showed real awareness of the danger this placed The Storyteller in. A person, and a community, can be judged by how they treat those less fortunate than themselves, and in this case, the police showed themselves to be mindful, compassionate, and protective. Good stuff.
Thank you for sharing this story. i know this area very well. my daughter lived not far away and my grandson went to begbrook school. it's so sad that 2 small children's lives were taken from them. it's such a lovely place. many people of bristol go walking there. I'm 68, I was 2 when this happened, only recently heard of this case.. people say the woods are haunted. horrible crime and someone got away with it all those years. R.I.P Sheasby family ❤
I always enjoy watching your content. You have such a catching way of telling these stories. Greetings from Norway ❤
I was a foreign exchange student in Norway! I came from United States in the 1990’s. I love your country
This is especially chilling because I know the area well and sometimes visit Oldbury Court Estate/Vassals Park, (which leads on to Snuff MIlls), to take photos etc. I also worked at Glenside Hospital for a while in the 80s but I had never heard of this terrible case.
The Dr had absolutely no reason, legal or otherwise, to keep the person's identity secret and should actually have turned him in prior to death, after such a confession. Yes, he may have been on his deathbed at the time, but that's no reason to not turn in a self confessed child murderer, twice over! Should be not have been arrested for obstruction of justice or something?
Yeah shut up.
One could determine the identity of the confessor by comparing death records and the doctor's patients.
Thanks for the upload, Paul. Looking forward to this one.
Hello Paul, great show.i was born in Bristol although I now live in Poland,there was an unsolved case of a child called Philip green,you may find this case very interesting.hello from Poland.
I will never understand why anybody would do this
Possibly a sign of the times, when thousands turn out to search for two missing children. Heartbreaking result with no perpetrator brought to justice.
Thousands of people turn out to search for missing children just the same today. What has changed is that it is no longer common for children of seven and five to be allowed to go out for a walk by themselves. When I was that age in the 1970s, and maybe into the 1980s yes, but not nowadays.
People just turned out in their hundreds to search for a missing child in Germany.
This is not unusual.
Did they find the missing child safe? I hope so.
@@carolannemckenzie3849 I do assume you are asking me? I am sorry, no. He still is missing.
I am sorry to hear that. I hope they are returned safely to their family.
The police did an amazing job back in the day without modern technology.
Thanks Paul, a brilliant video. I've shared it with a Bristolian friend.
This is one of the few channels on CZcams that manage to tell stories in a way that really and honesty grips me in every way, it's such a tragic case, and it's also such a shame that we have come to a time where kids playing on their own are no longer considered safe from murder most foul, so I can only imagine what a shock it must had been in a more innocent time where people honestly feared God too much to do such evil things.
Also as always this is a high quality production, with great narration. That Scottish accent is so pleasing to listen to, you should consider reading some classic audio-books, like LibriVox books. I hope to "steal" the 'style' in clothes, it's so elegant, I only have boring clothes myself.
You always tell a great story! Love your accent too! Ty again Paul
I feel, the weird Doctor enjoyed the feeling of power he had. He alone knew who killed the poor children. He alone could have given some sort of sad closure to the tortured parents!
There is no other reason for him not to talk!!! Imo, the Psychologist maybe had mental issues himself and secretly enjoyed the power and knowledge he possessed!!! RIP poor babies, and eternal peace to the parents! 🕯️🪽🤍
👌Great storytelling🙌 Poor kids, and poor mom and dad😔
Another phenomenal presentation!!
Thankyou for this video very sad. Keep up the great work Paul👍
Thanks again for another great story ❤
Thank you!
Hey Paul thankyou for this😊
Youre such a dashing chap. Love your style! Thankyou for another interesting story x
Thank you for another great episode. it stimulates me to go and do my own research on tragic events and enrich my history knowledge. i find myself jumping from your episode to G Maps, to get a feel of the surroundings. maybe one day, the wind will blow me into the northern hemisphere so i can pay homage and respect in person.
Oh poor babies this is such a tragedy 😢 thank you for telling it with duch detail and care Paul
Ooooh. I'm a Bristolian and I'd not heard this story. Born in 1962. Wonder if my mum and dad knew of it.
As always, this story is well told. Thank you.
"Snuff Mills"
What an unfortunate name considering what happened !
Still it may be just be modern slang that Anthony Burgess taught us.
Love your work, excellent sir!
Snuff was a form of tobacco. Bristol was famous for its tobacco industry at one time, with Wills being the best known firm.
So,so very sad. Those poor innocent children deserve justice and one day I hope they get it.❤
This reminded me of the family and 2 little neighbor girls who were murdered by ax in Villisca Iowa in 1912. Have you covered that story before? The murderer has never been found to this day.
😨🤤 Holy Moses...an ax? My God..I can't even imagine.
Thank you for all the stories you have covered.
Poor, beautiful children. Rest In Peace little angels
Very interesting history. Thank you for a great history lesson. ❤😊 Sad that that man said he knew who it was, but wouldn't say the name. That's just torturing the parents and their other son.
I really enjoyed this video. Bristol is very close to where I live and is a story I am all too familiar with. Thank you for covering this tragic story so well.
If only I knew you were there, wouldve been lovely to meet you in the flesh. Thank you for this story especially, you did it great justice ❤
Thank you for your stories, Paul ❤
Hi Mr Paul great show as always 👍
Love this series, keep up the good content!
Thank you for another great story
Thank you.
I could listen to you read the phone book 😅❤ Love your accent.🥰
So sad. Thanks Paul! Bless them all!
Who would have thought that interviewing mental patients would be difficult!? I sure didn't see that coming!
Take best care, friend!
I could listen to your stories all day!! Thank you!
Terrible tragedy no justice was served. Even if the killer's identity is revealed in the future, he or she still got clean away with it.
Have to wonder if the doctor lied about confession
I just love you so much Paul. Be well 💖✨
Well, I Never, This is great! I liked it and subscribed!
WTF, confidentiality doesn't cover murder!! ALSO as a freaking psychiatrist, he must have known that it would destroy the family to know but not know. Maybe he did and told the lie about the confession to get some sort of sick pleasure.
I don't want to believe it could have been a regular townsperson instead of a mental patient, but it really could have been anyone 😢