On Christmas Eve 1919 the lifeless corpse of Kathleen Breaks (also known as Kitty) was found among the sand dunes near Lytham Road, not far from Blackpool. Early indications showed Kitty had been shot three times at point blank range with a revolver. Kitty had been seeing a local man answering to the name of Frederick Rothwell Holt and by all accounts their relationship was a rough and ready one. A fight or an argument must have ensued during their last night together but no one knows for certain what did occur other than that it resulted in the brutal murder of a young woman.
Its said that Holt’s bloodstained gloves, along with his service revolver (the one used to fire the fatal shots) and a footprint that matched his footwear, was discovered not far from where Kitty was discovered. This incriminating evidence led to the arrest of Holt and ultimately his execution shortly after. He was charged with the murder and tried at Manchester Assizes between the 23rd and 27th February 1920 before Mr. Justice Greer. Holt appealed his death sentence claiming that having earlier contracted syphilis in 1920 in Malaya it had unbalanced his mind. He was examined by Home Office psychiatrists who rejected the appeal. Frederick Holt was hanged by public hangman John Ellis on the 13th April.
Over the years since many holidaymakers and Blackpool locals have claimed to see the miserable spectre of this young woman, usually on Christmas Eve, the anniversary of the discovery of her body. She is said to meander along the sand dunes in a dazed and bewildered fashion. Her bullet wounds drip with fresh blood that stains her dirty clothes, sending chills down the spines of those who encounter her.
Sources:
Paranormal Magazine February 2011: Ghosts at Christmas written by Darren W. Ritson;
http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/celebs/murderers-manchester.html
Pic Source:
Paranormal Magazine February 2011 page 15
Its said that Holt’s bloodstained gloves, along with his service revolver (the one used to fire the fatal shots) and a footprint that matched his footwear, was discovered not far from where Kitty was discovered. This incriminating evidence led to the arrest of Holt and ultimately his execution shortly after. He was charged with the murder and tried at Manchester Assizes between the 23rd and 27th February 1920 before Mr. Justice Greer. Holt appealed his death sentence claiming that having earlier contracted syphilis in 1920 in Malaya it had unbalanced his mind. He was examined by Home Office psychiatrists who rejected the appeal. Frederick Holt was hanged by public hangman John Ellis on the 13th April.
Over the years since many holidaymakers and Blackpool locals have claimed to see the miserable spectre of this young woman, usually on Christmas Eve, the anniversary of the discovery of her body. She is said to meander along the sand dunes in a dazed and bewildered fashion. Her bullet wounds drip with fresh blood that stains her dirty clothes, sending chills down the spines of those who encounter her.
Sources:
Paranormal Magazine February 2011: Ghosts at Christmas written by Darren W. Ritson;
http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/celebs/murderers-manchester.html
Pic Source:
Paranormal Magazine February 2011 page 15
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