Crime Scene London

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Chronicles London's 1500-year history of crime, from poverty-driven acts to notorious figures and scandals shaping the city's dark legacy. London has a history that emerges from the mist of time some 1500 years ago and is one that evolves yet never ends. It has always been a breeding ground for crime as people from around the world are drawn by its numerous attractions and opportunities. Each generation has produced its own colourful cast of robbers, murderers and fraudsters. Much of the crime was prompted by poverty and foul living conditions, but the main driver has always been the desire or need for money by whatever means and the risks involved. Until the eighteenth century this often involved a trip to perform ‘the Tyburn jig’ in front of a baying crowd of thousands. For a time Londoners staggered around in a gin-induced haze. Mothers often abandoned or even sold their children, just for a chance to block out the horrors of a seething London. The