大象传媒

Top criminal barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein explore the case of a murdered landlady who died, it was believed, at the hands of her lodger, who had only been living at the house for a matter of weeks.

Leeds, 1926. On a quiet evening in March, neighbours heard suspicious noises coming from a terraced house. There was no sign of the homeowner, 41-year-old Lily Waterhouse. The shutters were down and banging could be heard coming from the upstairs bedroom. The following day police went to the house to find Lily Waterhouse dead. She had been bludgeoned and strangled.

Investigators noticed one strange anomaly at the crime scene: Lily Waterhouse's boots had been removed and were nowhere to be seen. But who would want to kill this woman in such a violent fashion to steal her footwear?

Witnesses reported a woman leaving the house after the noises had subsided. These accounts brought the police to the home of 31-year-old mother Louie Calvert. When Louie opened the door, the police officers noticed she had the boots and belongings of Lily Waterhouse. Louie Calvert was arrested, tried and sentenced to death, but always maintained her innocence. Could Louie have killed Lily Waterhouse or was the possession of her boots an unfortunate coincidence?

Now, over 90 years on, Louie Calvert's great niece Sue and her brother Mick are convinced of Louie's innocence and have brought the case to the Sasha and Jeremy. They will explore the psychology of Louie Calvert and examine the forensic science behind the crime. Could their findings help to assert that Louie Calvert's execution was a miscarriage of justice?