Landlady brought serial killer to justice after she found murdered bride in hotel bath

A new true crime docu-drama short delves into a gruesome murder that took place in the early 1900s. In the show, Lucinda Herbert revisits the story of George Smith - a bigamous serial killer who preyed on well-off women, and the tenacious guest house landlady who helped to get justice for his victims.

Watch True Crime Chronicles: Bride In The Bath at https://www.shotstv.com/watch/vod/52753627/true-crime-chronicles-brides-in-the-bath

Known as bride in the bath, Alice Burnham was a young newlywed on her honeymoon by the seaside, when she was murdered. In the 12 minute documentary, Deborah Contessa - a Blackpool crime historian and a graveyard tour guide at Layton Cemetery - where Alice is buried, explains how Alice had been ‘swept off her feet’ by the predatory George Smith - who wasn’t the ‘handsome early Edwardian gentleman’ he portrayed himself as.

Brought to life with actors, the show looks back at how Alice’s body was found wedged in the bathtub, several days after her new husband had taken out a life-insurance policy in her name. While the doctor ruled her death as ‘accidental’, it wasn’t long before the owner of the Regent Road bed and breakfast became very suspicious. Ms Contessa explains: “Mrs Crossley was reading the paper one day when she came across an article about a woman who had died in exactly the same way” - which had set her on a mission to find out the truth about George Smith.

George Smith was sent to Manchester prison, where he was later hanged. He was found to have bigamously married 7 times between 1908 and 1914, under various different names.

The case is now regarded as one of the most important crimes in the history of forensic science - as pioneering techniques were used to prove Mr Smith’s guilt.

Watch the full programme True Crime Chronicles: Bride In The Bath at https://www.shotstv.com/watch/vod/52753627/true-crime-chronicles-brides-in-the-bath