Ivy McCann

Ivy McCann died from neglect in Sunderland on 25 January 1917.

She died from pneumonia. Her body was found on the river bank at Deptford in a soldier's kit bag, in which there were two pieces of iron. It was found by a shipwright lying on the Corporation tip by the river on the Saturday morning at about 9.20am.

Two people were tried for her manslaughter at the Durham Assizes on 2 March 1917, but acquitted. They were a soldier and a factory worker and had been living together in Sunderland.

The prosecution said that Ivy McCann's death was brought about by exposure to cold and its general treatment.

They were also charged with neglect and cruelty likely to cause suffering and injury to health and with disposing of the body with intent to avoid or prevent the holding of an inquest.

They were unmarried but had lived together at 19 William Street in Sunderland, and had adopted Ivy McCann.

Ivy McCann's mother had apparently to earn her own living, and thus to leave Ivy McCann during the day. Between Christmas and New Years' Day, the soldier and factory worker offered to take Ivy McCann and keep her.  Ivy McCann had been born in the workhouse.

It was heard that the reason the factory worker gave for wanting to adopt Ivy McCann was that she would be better able to look after her, whilst the soldier said that he thought that she would be company for the factory worker.

Ivy McCann's mother allowed Ivy McCann to go, but saw her almost daily, at which time she had been in good health as far as her mother knew, and it was stated that the charges related to the treatment of Ivy McCann whilst she was in the custody of the soldier and the factory worker.

Ivy McCann's body was later found in a kit bank in the river at Deptford. It was said that an attempt had been made to dispose of the body by throwing it into the river but that it had not gone into the water.

At the trial it was heard that by adopting that method to dispose of Ivy McCann's body, that they had been conscious of something that was not right in regard to her death. They had also  later given false statements as to her whereabouts.

A woman that had lived at 19 William Street said that on 23 January 1917 that she had seen the soldier in the yard holding Ivy McCann's hands and arms under the cold water coming from a tap, adding that the factory worker had been looking on. She said that she also saw the factory worker on one occasion walking Ivy McCann up and down the yard, even though it had been a cold day, as well as having heard them beating her at night.

She added that whilst she had never seen the soldier hitting Ivy McCann, that she had seen the factory worker hitting her plenty.

Another neighbour said that she also saw the factory worker in the yard with Ivy McCann, and said that she had told her that she was 'trying to make it hard with the cold'. She added that she had heard Ivy McCann crying one night for an hour and a half.

A lance corporal said that he had seen the factory worker bumping Ivy McCann up and down on its feet in the New Arcade.

A doctor that examined Ivy McCann's body said that she had been dead for about three or four days and that she was rather emaciated and had been bruised all over. He said that there were no signs of fracture and that her death had been due to bronchial pneumonia. He said that the exposure might have caused the pneumonia, and would certainly have aggravated it. He added that the slight injuries and bruises about her body had nothing to do with the cause of death.

The police later went to their house and took the soldier to the police station as an army deserter. They also took the factory worker who made a statement to the effect that at about 6.30pm on 25 January 1917 that Ivy McCann had become unwell and that she had given her some castor oil and hot milk, but that she later got worse and died about 9pm the same night.

The soldier in his statement said that he then disposed of the body himself at 7pm on 26 January 1917.

He denied that he had ever turned the tap on Ivy McCann's arms and hands or ill-used her in any way, but admitted to disposing of her body, saying that the reason that he had not informed the authorities of her death was because he was an army deserter, having been 17 months absent from France.

He added that it had not been necessary to call in a doctor during Ivy McCann's lifetime, and that he had only slapped her once, and that that was for drinking water out of the sink in the yard, but on no other occasion.

The factory worker in her evidence said that Ivy McCann had been very thin and weak, but denied that she had ever had her in the yard above a quarter of an hour. She also denied the allegations of ill-treatment. She further denied that the neighbours had ever complained to her about the treatment of Ivy McCann, and said that she had fully intended to take her to the doctor's if she was no better on the Friday.

She admitted telling untruths regarding the disposition of Ivy McCann's body, but said that her body had been taken away without her consent or knowledge whilst she was out.

When the judge summed up at the trial, he said that with regard to the charge of manslaughter, that the jury had to be satisfied that there had been criminal neglect and that such neglect had caused her death, or accelerated it.  He noted that her cause of death had been pneumonia, and not any of the marks or bruises that had been referred to.  He said that it was for the jury to say whether or not the pneumonia had been set up by deliberate exposure to the cold and the water, and further reminded the jury that the soldier and factory worker had volunteered to take care of Ivy McCann, and without payment.

However, following the summing up the jury found the soldier and factory worker not guilty of manslaughter, but guilty on the charge of cruelty. The soldier was sentenced to six months whilst the factory worker was sentenced to five months.