ALBERT GOZEE AND HIS SHOCKING CRIMES IN LEICESTER AND THE NEW FOREST
Albert Gozee, a notorious child-killer and paedophile whose violent past includes the murder of a landlady and her daughter in the New Forest region, has died while residing in an old peoples' home in Leicester.The 86-year-old, whose long history of crimes spans several decades, was initially sentenced to death for the brutal killing that took place more than 50 years ago, but his sentence was commuted to life after intervention from the Home Secretary.
Gozee's early crime involved the murder of Lydia Leakey, aged 53, and her 20-year-old daughter Norma, near Cadnam in the New Forest.
The tragedy was uncovered on June 17, 1956, when passersby discovered the aftermath of violence along a forest road.
They found Albert Gozee, visibly wounded with multiple stab wounds, leaning over the bonnet of a car.
A trail of blood led investigators directly to the bodies of the two victims.
Lydia Leakey was identified as Gozee's landlady, and it later emerged that she had been his lover.
Testimony during his trial revealed that Gozee had a troubled psychiatric history, diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic.
Despite his mental health struggles, he was convicted of both murders by a jury that deliberated for less than four hours.
During the proceedings, prosecutors presented evidence that Gozee believed his only escape was to kill Lydia and her daughter.
In his defense, he claimed that Norma had gone to pick bluebells and upon her return, found him in a compromising situation with her mother.
He insisted that Norma then attacked her mother with an axe, leading to the tragic deaths.
The case drew considerable media attention at the time, especially after the 1996 release of the film 'Intimate Relations,' which dramatized the events and starred Julie Walters and Rupert Graves.
The film highlighted the controversial and dark aspects of the crime, stirring public debate.
Following his conviction, Albert Gozee was sent to Broadmoor Hospital, a high-security psychiatric institution, where he remained until his release in the 1970s.
Afterward, he was subjected to further criminal proceedings related to sexual assault offences, including assaults on girls aged 12 and 13.
In recent years, it was reported that Gozee had been living quietly at Cedar Court care home in Wigston, Leicestershire.
Unknown to his caretakers and fellow residents, he concealed a violent and criminal past.
Recent reports indicated that he had been refusing food and was observed lying in his bed clutching rosary beads—an image that raised concerns about his health and state of mind.
It is believed that Albert Gozee passed away on a Wednesday, with his death going unnoticed until the care home staff found him unresponsive.
His dark past remains a grim chapter in the history of violent crime and mental health, casting long shadows over the respected institutions that had once cared for him.
