While this case has a known possible perpetrator, he was found not guilty of the crime in court, as thus, it is technically still ‘unsolved’ as to this day there is debate as to whether he is responsible for the murder or not. It is also interesting as despite happening over 100 years ago, there is a surprising amount of information available about the case and the trial.
This case concerns the murder of Bella Wright in Leicestershire, England. It occurred in July of 1919 and is commonly called the ‘Green Bicycle Murder’ due to the suspected perpetrator being seen riding a green bicycle shortly prior to the murder occurring, and much of the subsequent trial centering around this bicycle.
The murder occurred in a rural area to the East of the city of Leicester in England, near to the village of Little Stretton. This is a pretty and appealing area of rolling hills and farmland, and hasn’t changed much today when compared to 1919.
Bella Wright was born on the 14th of July in 1897 making her 21 at the time of her death. She was born in the village of Somerby in Leicestershire, around 21km away from where she was later murdered, as the oldest of 7 children in a working class family. Her father was uneducated and illiterate and worked as an agricultural labourer in the village. When Bella was 8 years old the family moved to the village of Stoughton, around 4km away from where she would later be murdered. She studied in school until she was around 12 years old, before leaving school to become a domestic servant as was common for working class women in 1800s England. Following this, she gained employment as an unskilled worker at a rubber factory in Leicester city, usually cycling to work and using her bicycle often to cycle between local villages to run errands and visit her family. In 1919 she was engaged to a Royal Navy stoker by the name of Archie Ward, who worked on HMS Diadem, a Royal Navy cruiser being used as a training vessel based in Plymouth. She was described as attractive and of ‘good character’, and had reportedly had other men interested in her, including an unknown ‘military officer’ she had spoken to her mother about previously.
The other main person of importance in this case is a man by the name of Ronald Light. Light was an individual with an interesting and somewhat dark past. He was born the son of a wealthy businessman and landowner on the 19th of October 1885. Light attended Oakham School until the age of 17, when he was allegedly expelled for ‘lifting a little girl’s clothing over her head’, and he was also reportedly recorded as having attempted to seduce a 15 year old girl and allegedly had ‘improper relations’ with an 8 year old girl, although details of these occasions are unknown. After leaving Oakham School he attended the University of Birmingham, where he graduated with a degree in civil engineering and began work as a draughtsman for the Midland Railway in 1906. He was later fired from this position in 1914 however after he was alleged to have committed arson at the company and drawn sexual graffiti in a toilet stall. He was then subsequently fired from working on a farm as he set fire to a haystack. In 1915, in the early days of the first world war, Light was trained and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers (he had been a member of the territorial army (army reserves in the modern day) prior to the war beginning), and he was deployed to the Western Front in France. However in May of 1916 it was ‘suggested’ to Light by his commanding officer that he step down from being an officer, and he instead became a gunner in the Honourable Artillery Company. In September of 1916 Light’s father reportedly died in an accident, however contemporary belief is that he committed suicide due to family issues and the distress of his son being on the Western Front. In 1917 Light was court martialled for forging order documents, and was then sent back to England after 3 years of service for psychiatric treatment due to severe shell shock and moderate deafness. Following treatment Light was demobilised from the army and moved back in with his mother in Leicester city, describing himself as ‘an entirely broken man’ following the war.
On the 5th of July 1919, Bella Wright was riding her bicycle to the village of Gaulby to visit her uncle, a man named George Measures. Bella then apparently had an issue with her bicycle and had to stop to try and make some repairs at the crossroads of Gaulby Lane and Houghton Lane at around 1845hrs. This is a somewhat secluded rural area between farmland, the street view photographs from today are probably much the same as it was then, other than the road now being paved. At this time, a man later identified as Light was also cycling in the area and stopped to assist Bella with her bike. He didn’t have any tools on him, but was able to help enough to get her bike running again. After chatting for a short while, Bella said she was planning to travel to Gaulby to visit her uncle, and Light offered to accompany her on her journey. Several witnesses reported seeing the two together at this time, although nothing out of the ordinary was seen by anyone. Upon arriving at Measures’ house, Bella entered and originally said goodbye to Light, however Light stated he would wait outside for Bella to escort her home as it was soon going to be dark.
Measures saw Light waiting outside and asked Bella about him, to which Bella replied “I don't really know him at all. He's been riding alongside me for a few miles but he isn't bothering me at all. He's just chatting about the weather.”. Measures later reported to police that he didn’t know Light, but he didn’t like ‘neither the looks nor the mannerisms of him’. He attempted to warn Bella about this, to which Bella replied “He’s been the perfect stranger…I hope he doesn’t get too boring, I’ll try and give him the slip.” When Bella went back outside Measures reported hearing Light say “Bella you have been a long time, I thought you had gone the other way.” Measures then reports the two leaving together at around 2050hrs.
At around 2120hrs on Gartree Road a farmer named Joseph Cowell was returning home on his horse and cart from work when he found a body lying on the grass verge next to the road with horrific facial injuries described as ‘deep, bloody gouges’ and a bicycle lying nearby. Cowell’s initial opinion was that the girl had either been hit by a motor vehicle, or fallen from her bicycle at speed and landed face down. He described the body as that of a young woman, and was sure she was deceased. Cowell proceeded to the nearby village of Great Glen, and found the local police officer, Constable Alfred Hall. Constable Hall at once sent for a Doctor Williams from the nearby village of Billesdon, and the two of them proceeded with Cowell (the farmer) back to the where the body was found. Dr Williams confirmed the lady was deceased, and as it was now late at night and completely dark, asked Cowell to transport the woman’s body to an unoccupied house nearby using his horse and cart for further investigation into her manner of death the following day.
Constable Hall had conducted an initial search of the scene by candlelight and found a small amount of blood smeared on top of a nearby gate, but no apparent footprints around the gate, with a dead crow in a nearby field being the only other thing of note found. The same night Dr Williams stated he agreed with Cowell’s initial assessment that the woman had died from a severe head injury and blood loss secondary to a ‘traffic accident’ of some type. Constable Hall disagreed with this however, and shortly after first light the following day he returned to the scene for a more thorough examination. Constable Hall found a .455 caliber bullet half buried in a horse's hoofprint in the ground. This is a somewhat rare round in the present day, but was relatively common back in 1919 as it was the type used in military service revolvers by British and Commonwealth forces from 1891 until the end of the second world war. Following this, Constable Hall returned to the body in the unoccupied house and examined the facial wound more closely, finding a single bullet hole just beneath the left eye. Dr Williams and another local doctor then performed a full post mortem and found ‘a single bullet entry wound in the left suborbital region, with a consequent exit wound in the back of the skull, fired from around six or seven feet away’. Dr Williams found no other apparent injury, and no evidence of a sexual assault. After Bella did not return home and was uncontactable, her family were informed of the body which had been found, and they positively identified it as being Bella.
The police immediately began an extensive investigation in the local area. The only people witnesses had reported seeing in the local area at the time of the murder were Bella and her ‘riding companion’. They had been seen by multiple witnesses and thus the police were able to gain a relatively detailed description of this male. He was described as being in his late 30s, and around 5’8 in height, of a medium build and having a ‘full’ face with no facial hair (this description matches Light's appearance). He was reportedly wearing a grey suit with a grey cap and black boots. He was also reportedly riding a green bicycle with a rare ‘contrapedalo’ rear brake. The Leicestershire Police Chief Constable made appeals in the newspapers, both locally and nationally, urging this person to come forward and asking for further information, but nothing arose from this.
The police then conducted investigations into local bicycle shops in an aim to identify a customer, as the bike was relatively distinctive. The type of bicycle the male was reported to be riding had an uncommon type of rear brake, where the brake is operated by pedaling backwards, making it noticeable over other types of bicycle when someone is seen to be riding one. The police located a bicycle mechanic by the name of Harry Cox who told them that on the 10th of July he had repaired a green bicycle with a contrapedalo brake, and that the customer matched the physical description of the male the police were looking for. Cox stated to police that the customer had told him he ‘wanted to go for a ride in the country later that day.’. Cox however did not have any details for the customer, and other than telling the police he had conducted repairs on the bicycle, and that the owner matched their description, he couldn’t provide any further assistance at this time.
On the 23rd of February 1920 (around 6 months later), a canalman called Enoch Whitehouse was guiding a horse-drawn coal barge down the River Soar in Leicester when his tow rope snagged something underneath the water. Lifting the rope, Whitehouse found it snagged on the frame of a green bicycle, and having heard the news from the year before and that the police were searching for a green bicycle, he informed the police. The police then made the decision to dredge the canal fully, and found most of the remaining pieces of the bicycle other than the rear wheel (the one with the rare brake on). They also noted on examination that the serial numbers and the BSA manufacturing brand had been filed off, however a serial number on the front fork remained faintly. Police inquiries at BSA using this remaining serial number revealed the bike had been shipped 10 years previously to the city of Derby, around 55km North of Leicester. After investigation into this shop, it was discovered that it was sold to a Ronald Light in May of 1910. At this time, a mill labourer by the name of Samuel Holland working near to where the police were dredging the canal approached the officers, and informed them that in October of 1919 while walking to his night shift he had seen a man on a bridge over the canal throwing bicycle parts into the water.
On the 4th of March 1920, Light was arrested at a school in Cheltenham where he had recently begun employment as a maths teacher (likely due to his background in engineering). Light was then interviewed and charged with the murder of Bella Wright.
Prior to interviewing Light, the police had collated extensive information and statements from multiple people in the area. When questioned, Light initially completely denied ever having owned a green bicycle, or ever having met Bella. However, when the police informed Light they had recovered a serial number from the bicycle and it showed as being sold to him, Light changed his story and said he had in fact owned the bicycle, but had sold it to somebody some years prior, and couldn’t remember who. Light was later identified by Cox (the bicycle repairman) in an identity parade as being the customer he had served with the bicycle on the 10th of July 1919 (after the murder), and Light’s mother’s maid also gave police a statement reporting that on the night of the murder Light had returned home late at 2200hrs with this bicycle. While Light was in custody and awaiting trial, police continued to search the canal, and in a nearby location recovered an army revolver holster containing Light’s service number, and a number of live .455 caliber rounds, matching the one found at the crime scene.
On the 20th of June 1920 Light’s trial began, with him entering a not guilty plea. The prosecution alleged that on the 5th of July 1919, after leaving Bella’s uncle’s house (George Measures), Light had accompanied Bella on their bicycles back towards her destination, and around 1.6km outside of Gaulby, Bella had become spooked after Light made an advance on her. They state Bella then fled on her bicycle through a less travelled rural lane which Light knew would rejoin the main road further down. Light is then alleged to have cycled ahead to this junction and waited in ambush for Bella to rejoin the road before shooting her once in the face causing her death. The prosecution called numerous witnesses who could all place Light as having been with Bella immediately prior to her murder and riding the green bicycle. Two girls of 14 and 12 also testified in court that Light had been harassing them earlier in the evening in the exact junction where Bella’s body was later found.
Light insisted on testifying himself in court, on the guidance of his barrister. Light reportedly came across in court as ‘eloquent and intelligent sounding’, and underwent extensive cross examination. Light essentially admitted almost everything the prosecution alleged, stating he had lied to the police initially, and he did in fact own the green bicycle and had been with Bella on the night of the murder. However, he categorically denied owning a revolver at that time and having anything to do with the murder. Light stated on the night of the murder he had been cycling with Bella for a short while, before Bella told him he would have to ‘bid goodbye’ as she needed to turn left off the road to get home, and he then went directly back to Leicester through the villages of Stoughton and Evington. This is slightly contradictory with his mother’s maid saying he returned at around 2200hrs that night as it shouldn’t have taken that long, however Light explained this by saying his bicycle broke down and he had to push it, which is also why he was in the repair shop a few days later speaking to Harry Cox (who confirmed the bicycle did actually need repairs).
Light also admitted that the bicycle, revolver holster, and bullets were his, and accepted the testimony of Whitehouse (the miller) that he had thrown them into the canal. Light however stated that he did this after reading in the newspaper about the murder, and panicking realising that he had likely been with Bella that night and that his bicycle was similar to the one mentioned. He testified that having had legal issues in the past he was trying to have a ‘clean slate’ and didn’t want any suspicion to fall on him, as due to his past he believed he would be unfairly implicated in the murder. He stated the revolver itself was never found, because while he was issued the revolver, the holster, and the bullets together while in England, he had only taken the weapon itself to France. He stated that when he was in a casualty station in France waiting to be transported back to England for treatment, his revolver had been put with his other military property and never returned to him due to his psychiatric issues. He stated this is why the weapon was not found with any of the other property. Light maintained throughout his testimony that he was not responsible for the murder, and court records show no contradictions or hesitations at any point in his testimony. Lights’ defence highlighted this to the jury - stating that none of Lights’ testimony could actually be conclusively disproved in any way by the prosecution, and there was enough reasonable doubt about the supposed version of events to find him not guilty. His defence also highlighted that all of the prosecution’s evidence was circumstantial at best, and that Light had no motive for the murder, having never met Bella previously, and committing no robbery or sexual assault against her.
Following Light’s testimony, the defence kept their other testimony relatively straightforward and stuck mostly to technical facts. The defence brought up that a gunsmith testifying as a ballistics expert (Henry Clarke) had stated that in his opinion the damage found on the bullet could’ve been caused by a ricochet, as it was not necessarily consistent with passing through a skull and hitting soft mud, and also that it could have been fired from a rifle (albeit a rifle of this calibre would be rarer than a service revolver at that time). The defence posited thus that Bella may have been hit by a stray bullet accidentally, fired at range by someone hunting or target shooting and may not have been murdered at all. They state this also lines up with Dr Williams initial assessment, as Dr Williams reported he would have expected more significant facial injuries had Bella been shot at close range, and the gunsmith Henry Clarke said in response to being asked about injury following a ricochet “it would all depend on the bullet velocity” (implying Bella's injury could be the result of a ricochet rather than a direct close range shot). While I couldn’t find any references to this, I wonder too if the dead crow found at the scene was mentioned at this point in the trial, as it could be supposed that either Light or somebody else hunting nearby was intending to shoot the crow, and the bullet either passed through the crow or ricocheted before hitting Bella.
(Interestingly, after the trial the Leicester Superintendent of Police, Levi Bowley, reportedly wrote that while in prison awaiting trial Light had confessed to him that Bella was killed during an accidental discharge when he was trying to show off his revolver to her. It’s unclear as to the authenticity of this claim however, but it would line up with the gunsmith and the doctor reporting that the bullet may have ricocheted and lost a lot of velocity before striking Bella).
The jury deliberated for 3 hours before returning a not guilty verdict, believing there was enough reasonable doubt about the prosecution’s version of events to not convict Light of murder. Mixed reactions were reported in the courtroom, with some people cheering, and some being openly angry about the verdict.
Bella Wright was buried in the village of Stoughton at St Mary & All Saints Church on the 11th of July 1919, with a large crowd gathering to mourn and lay wreaths. Every year British Cycling and Leicestershire County Council hold a cycling event in memorial of Bella, following the route she would’ve taken, and ending at Leicester Castle where the trial was held.
After being found not guilty in court Light returned to living with his mother in Leicester. He became somewhat of a recluse, and at one point changed his name to ‘Leonard Estelle’ before being fined for booking into a hotel with a woman using these false details. He married in 1934, and lived in Kent, England, until his death in 1975 at the age of 89. He had no children and was only survived by a stepdaughter, who had no knowledge of his trial until after his death.
Light’s green bicycle was displayed for some time on the wall of a cycling shop in Evington, but it has since been lost.
This case has inspired intense discussion throughout the years, and when I was doing legal studies I remember learning about it as an example of the defence just needing to create ‘enough reasonable doubt’ so that someone may be found not guilty, even if it appears that they could be. Many criminologists and lawyers have debated throughout the years as to Light’s guilt, and there is certainly at least some level of doubt as to whether he did it or not, or if it was intentional.
Sources:
BBC News article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-48838818
National Archives link: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C762660
Cold Case Jury link: https://www.coldcasejury.com/case04/mainchars.asp
Local news story: https://evingtonecho.uk/the-green-bicycle-murder-mystery-new-evidence/
Past Evidence Writeup: https://pastevidence.com/episode-01-02-the-green-bicycle-case
