Bio

Herbert Leonard Mills was born in 1932 in England. He was a 19-year-old former dispatch clerk from Sherwood, Nottingham. He also described himself as an artist and poet. Before the murder, Mills had a strong interest in crime. He became focused on the idea of committing what he believed would be the “perfect murder.”

Mills met Mabel Tattershaw shortly before the killing and arranged to meet her again. He chose Sherwood Vale because it was quiet and secluded. His later statements showed that he killed Tattershaw as an experiment, not because of a personal dispute or financial motive.

Murder Story

On August 3, 1951, Herbert Leonard Mills met 48-year-old Mabel Tattershaw in Nottingham. He took her for a walk to a secluded area in Sherwood Vale. There, Mills attacked her. Reports state that he hit her with a blunt object and then strangled her. After the murder, he left her body in the isolated area and went home.

For several days, no one found the body. On August 9, 1951, Mills contacted the News of the World and claimed he had discovered a woman’s body. The newspaper called police, and Mills led officers to the scene. Police became suspicious because Mills knew details that were not obvious, including that the victim had been strangled. He also gave the newspaper a written account and asked to be paid for it. The account contained details that linked him to the crime.

Forensic evidence also connected Mills to the murder. Hairs found on the victim matched Mills, and a thread found under her fingernail matched his suit. Mills was arrested on August 25, 1951. He was later tried and found guilty of murder in November 1951.

On December 11, 1951, Herbert Leonard Mills was executed by hanging at Lincoln Prison. He was 19 years old.