Nationality British Criminal charge Accessory to murder Name Ethel Neve Children Nina Smith, Bob Smith | Occupation Typist Criminal penalty Acquitted Date apprehended July 31, 1910 | |
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Full Name Ethel Clara Neave Born 22 January 1883 ( 1883-01-22 ) Diss, Norfolk Known for Mistress of Dr. Crippen Died August 9, 1967, Croydon, United Kingdom | ||
Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen. Scrapbook.
Ethel Clara Neave (22 January 1883 – 9 August 1967) was the mistress of Dr. Crippen.
She was born in Diss, Norfolk, the eldest child of Walter William Neave and Charlotte Anne Neave (nee Jones), Ethel was hired as a typist by Crippen in 1900 and was his mistress by 1905.
After the murder of Crippen's wife, Cora, they fled the country on the SS Montrose on which the couple aroused the suspicion of the ship's master, who telegraphed their location to Scotland Yard. Scotland Yard sent Chief Inspector Dew to arrest them upon their arrival in Canada. Extradited back to England, she was exonerated of the charge of complicity to murder.
After the trial Le Neve travelled to Toronto, working as a typist there for three years before returning to London under the name "Ethel Harvey". While working at Hampton's furniture store off Trafalgar Square, she met, and in January 1915 married, Stanley Smith, by whom she had two children. They lived in Croydon, where Ethel died in 1967.