A mother of 6 killed her husband with an axe at their Norton Green home, shocking the West Wight community, on 21st April 1946 – 80 years ago today.
The quiet of post-war Freshwater was shattered when Stanley Lewis Ellis Lane, aged 36, was found dead at No. 7 The Terrace, Norton Green. The ex-soldier and father of 6, who had served in the Pioneer Corps and later worked at Newport Gasworks, had suffered severe head injuries.
His wife, Eva Gladys Lane, aged 31, was taken into custody and later charged with murder. The case gripped the Isle of Wight, not only for its brutality, but for the disturbing domestic details laid bare in court.
At the hearing, Mrs Lane was described as calm and composed, following the proceedings closely as evidence was given.
Detectives told the magistrates that when they visited the house they found Mr Lane lying on his back on the kitchen floor in a pool of clotted blood, with blood splashed about the walls. Mrs Lane was said to have been sitting in a corner of the kitchen table sewing a pair of boy’s trousers.
When cautioned by police, she said:
“Naturally I hit him with an axe. He has not done his duty to his kiddies and his home. It happened about tea time, between 4 and 5. I have nothing to hide.”
Evidence suggested Mr Lane had last been seen alive between 15:30 and 16:00. A doctor who arrived at 19:20 found he had been dead for about 3 hours.
The court heard that the killing followed a row after Mr Lane asked his wife for money to buy cigarettes. When she refused, he attempted to take her handbag, leading to a struggle.
Mrs Lane’s mother said she had overheard her daughter say:
“Don’t write to your mistresses in front of me.”
Mr Lane was said to have replied:
“What if I did?”
A later report stated that Mrs Lane broke free, picked up an axe and struck her husband, hitting him again while he was on the floor.
One of the most chilling details reported afterwards was that she gave the children tea, put them to bed, then phoned for a doctor.
Medical evidence showed that Mr Lane had suffered severe injuries to the head, jaw and neck, and death was attributed to shock and severe haemorrhage.
At Hampshire Assizes, Mrs Lane was found guilty but insane. The court heard she was said to suffer from what was then described as “aggressive psychopathy”, and she was ordered to be detained during the King’s pleasure.
