JR

On May 10, 1927, the attendants noticed a foul odour emanating from the left-baggage department at the Charing Cross Station.
They discovered the smell coming from a large, black trunk. The staff became suspicious and notified police. When the trunk was
opened, the police discovered five brown paper packages that were tied with string. The packages were opened to reveal the
arms, legs and torso of a female.

Sir Bernard Spilsbury performed the post-mortem and determined that the female was in her 30's and she had died of suffocation.
She was eventually identified as Minnie Alice Bonati and the trunk she was found in was traced back to a John Robinson.

When he was taken to Scotland Yard for questioning John Robinson confessed to the murder. During the trial his defence was
that he had been attacked by Minnie Bonati when she demanded money from him and he refused. He stated that during the attack
he pushed her as she tried to to strike him and she fell and hit her head on a coal-scuttle. According to him, he panicked when he
realized she was dead and he decided to get rid of the body by dismembering it, stuffing the body in a trunk and leaving it at the
Charing Cross Station.

John Robinson was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was hanged at Pentonville Prison on August 12, 1927.

Whilst in prison he wrote 2 letters claiming his innocence, one to his wife and one to his solicitor.

Both these letters were suppressed by the prison authorities, as it was not allowed to make allegations against the police.

Details can be found in the Australian Trove Newspsper Archive.