Guenther Fritz Erwin Podola (8 February 1929 – 5 November 1959, alias Mike Colato) was a German-born petty thief, and the last man to be hanged in the UK for killing a police officer. His trial was controversial because of his defence of amnesia and the use of expert witnesses to determine whether his illness was real.The Modern Law Review, Vol. 24, No. 3, May 1961, pp. 413-415
Life Podola was born in Berlin, Germany. He was a fanatical member of the Hitler Youth movement. Podola moved to Canada in August 1952. On 1 March 1957 he was sentenced to 10 days' imprisonment following a conviction for burglary in Montreal. Then on 26 March he was sentenced for another 11 counts of theft and burglary and imprisoned for 2 years. On 25 July 1958 Podola was released and deported back to West Germany.
London Podola moved to London on 21 May 1959. He assumed the alias of Mike Colato and pretended to be a gangster.Google books - Villain's Paradise: A History of Britain's Underworld, p452 He broke into the house of an American model,Infamous Murders: Murdered on Duty - Crime And Investigation Network Verne Schiffmann in Roland Gardens, and stole jewellery and furs worth £2,000. He offered to return her possessions for £500, but she notified the police who attempted to arrest Podola on 12 July 1959 in Kensington. Podola shot one of the officers, Detective Sergeant Raymond Purdy, through the heart with a Radom 9mm semi-automatic pistol, after he ran into a house at 105 Onslow Square. He was later apprehended. He claimed that he was beaten up by the police,Royal College of Physicians and, as a result, lost his memory of events. The police claimed that he was merely hit on the head when they broke down the door to his hotel room.
Trial The start of the trial was delayed for nine days while a jury heard evidence of whether Podola was medically fit to stand trial. After hours of deliberation, they decided he was. A fresh jury was called to hear the trial itself which commenced on 18 July 1959. When asked for his plea, he replied: "I do not remember the crime for which I stand accused ... I am unable to answer the charges." He was defended by Frederick Lawton QC. Neurologist Michael Ashby gave evidence as an expert medical witness at his trial, as did psychiatrist Archibald Leigh, who claimed Podola was feigning his illness.
The jury took 38 minutes to find Podola guilty of murder, and he was sentenced to death by the trial judge, Mr Justice Edmund Davies. He later confessed his guilt. The Home Secretary, Rab Butler, under a little-known and little-used power, referred the case to the Court of Criminal Appeal, which upheld the conviction. The Attorney-General's refusal of leave to appeal to the House of Lords brought the case to a close in a fresh outburst of public controversy. Podola was hanged at Wandsworth Prison at 9:45 a.m. on 5 November 1959. He was buried in the prison graveyard (grave 59). His execution took place five years before the last execution of any criminal and six years before the suspension and later abolition of the death penalty.
References
External links Photo of Podola including bruised eye, which he claimed occurred due to excessive police force during his arrest A discussion of the legal ramifications of the case for English law (p. 487-488)