Global InformationEdward Paisnel information
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Edward Paisnel | |
|---|---|
 Edward Paisnel's mugshot | |
| Born | Edward John Louis Paisnel 1925 |
| Died | 1994 (aged 68–69) Isle of Wight |
| Other names | Beast of Jersey |
| Occupation | Builder |
| Spouse | Joan Paisnel |
| Conviction(s) | 13 counts of assault, rape and sodomy |
| Criminal penalty | 30 years imprisonment |
Edward John Louis Paisnel[1] (1925 – 1994), dubbed the Beast of Jersey, was a notorious sex offender who terrorised the Channel Island of Jersey between 1957 and 1971. He entered homes at night dressed in a rubber mask and nail-studded wristlets, attacking women and children.
Suspicion for the attacks initially fell on eccentric agricultural worker and fisherman Alphonse Le Gastelois, who was arrested but released through lack of evidence. Public suspicion remained so strong, however, that Le Gastelois' cottage was burnt down in an act of arson.[2] Le Gastelois, fearing for his life, fled to Les Écréhous where he spent 14 years in self-imposed exile on La Marmotière as the second self-styled king of the Écréhous[3] despite being cleared of suspicion when the attacks of the Beast of Jersey continued unabated.
- ^ "Headlines in History". Channel Television. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ Histoire des Minquiers et des Ecréhou, Robert Sinsoilliez, St Malo 1995, ISBN 2-905970-97-9
- ^ Jersey Witches, Ghosts & Traditions, Hillsdon, Norwich 1987, ISBN 0-7117-0371-X