SKULLDUGGERY
Daily Star|January 20, 2022
Nicked head is back with haunted inn
ASHLEY PEMBERTON
SKULLDUGGERY

THE stolen "skull" of a female prisoner hanged for forging a £1 note in 1800 has been returned to a haunted pub.

The Golden Fleece appealed to track down the replica of Elizabeth Johnson's head after it was pinched by a ghoulish thief earlier this month.

After he was caught, a police spokesman said: “When staff in the pub noticed Elizabeth was missing they launched their own investigation on social media.

"This appeal was unsuccessful but the pub staff had a clear CCTV image of the suspect and contacted us.

"We used the pub CCTV as well as CCTV in the city to identify the suspect."

The skull had been on display in a case at the 518-year-old pub in York, two miles from where Elizabeth was executed.

A man in his 20s admitted taking the skull and putting it on his fireplace.

He was dealt with via out-of-court disposal and has since written a letter of apology.

Pc Bill Davies said: "I am chuffed we were successful in identifying the offender and returning the stolen property."

This story is from the January 20, 2022 edition of Daily Star.

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This story is from the January 20, 2022 edition of Daily Star.

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