Mona Tinsley 1937: The Murder That Changed British Law
They Walk Among Us - UK True Crime
They Walk Among Us
4.5 • 6.8K Ratings
🗓️ 4 February 2026
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In January 1937, ten-year-old Mona Tinsley vanished in Nottinghamshire. Her body was found six months later in a river. This vintage true crime case changed British law, making murder convictions possible without a body. Discover the historic investigation and forensic evidence that redefined criminal justice…
*** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED ***
This episode was researched and written by Rosanna Fitton.
Edited by Joel Porter at Dot Dot Dot Productions.
Illustrations and production direction also by Rosanna Fitton.
Narration, additional audio editing and mixing, and script editing by Benjamin Fitton.
To get early ad-free access, including Season 1, sign up for They Walk Among PLUS, available from Patreon or Apple Podcasts.
More information and episode references can be found on our website https://theywalkamonguspodcast.com
SOCIAL MEDIA: https://linktr.ee/TheyWalkAmongUs
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This episode contains distressing themes and descriptions of violence. |
| 0:07.8 | This podcast is intended for a mature audience. |
| 0:12.5 | Listener caution is advised. |
| 0:18.6 | On a cold January afternoon in 1937, 10-year-old Mona Tinsley left school then vanished. |
| 0:27.6 | What followed was a painstaking investigation that would expose not just one crime, |
| 0:32.8 | but a web of deception by one man spanning years. |
| 0:37.0 | The case would ultimately influence a change in the |
| 0:39.8 | no-body-no-murder law. Welcome to Season 11, Episode 3 of They Walk Among Us, a podcast dedicated |
| 0:50.0 | to UK true crime. |
| 1:04.9 | Mona Lily and Tinsley was setting off for school after eating lunch at home. |
| 1:08.4 | This was part of her usual weekday routine. |
| 1:16.3 | She was 10 years old when she kissed both of her parents goodbye on Tuesday, January 5th, 1937, |
| 1:18.9 | and 10 years old she would remain. |
| 1:25.4 | The girl who was small for her age and bright as a button never returned to Thorsby Avenue in Newark-Nottrent Nottinghamshire, where her parents and half a dozen |
| 1:29.6 | siblings waited for a child who would not return. |
| 1:37.4 | Lillian Ada Tinsley watches her child leave for school after an uncharacteristic display of affection. |
| 1:46.6 | The journey should take about 20 minutes on foot. Mona reached the school on Guildhall Street safely, as confirmed by her teacher |
| 1:53.9 | Miss Daisy Hawley. The bell rings at 4pm. It is already getting dark. Mona leaves the grounds along with a flurry of other |
| 2:04.8 | children hurrying home. A few minutes later, a child named Jean Hage, who was a year older than |
| 2:11.7 | Mona, said that she saw Mona two minutes walk away from the school in the Bolderton Gate area. |
| 2:18.8 | Jean noticed Mona wasn't alone. She was with a man Jean didn't know, whom she later |
| 2:24.7 | described as strange. Gene made a mental note of what the stranger was wearing, a Trilby |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from They Walk Among Us, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of They Walk Among Us and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.