Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In one of the most bizarre legal cases of the past 200 years, a man shot a ghost, and suffered the consequences.
"The Hammersmith Ghost murder case of 1804 set a legal precedent in the UK regarding self-defence: that someone could be held liable for their actions even if they were the consequence of a mistaken belief.
Near the end of 1803, many people claimed to have seen or even been attacked by a ghost in the Hammersmith area of London, a ghost believed by locals to be the spirit of a suicide victim. On January 3, 1804, a 29-year-old excise officer named Francis Smith, a member of one of the armed patrols set up in the wake of the reports, shot and killed a bricklayer, Thomas Millwood, mistaking the white clothes of Millwood's trade for the shroud of a ghostly apparition. Smith was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death, later commuted to one year's hard labour.
The issues surrounding the case were not settled for 180 years, until a Court of Appeal decision in 1984."
More on Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammersmith_Ghost_murder_case
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In one of the most bizarre legal cases of the past 200 years, a man shot a ghost, and suffered the consequences.
"The Hammersmith Ghost murder case of 1804 set a legal precedent in the UK regarding self-defence: that someone could be held liable for their actions even if they were the consequence of a mistaken belief.
Near the end of 1803, many people claimed to have seen or even been attacked by a ghost in the Hammersmith area of London, a ghost believed by locals to be the spirit of a suicide victim. On January 3, 1804, a 29-year-old excise officer named Francis Smith, a member of one of the armed patrols set up in the wake of the reports, shot and killed a bricklayer, Thomas Millwood, mistaking the white clothes of Millwood's trade for the shroud of a ghostly apparition. Smith was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death, later commuted to one year's hard labour.
The issues surrounding the case were not settled for 180 years, until a Court of Appeal decision in 1984."
More on Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammersmith_Ghost_murder_case
Join membership: youtube.com/channel/UCGHDQtN_vzFYJaq_Fx1eikg/join
Second Channel: youtube.com/channel/UCt93hxFmjppL5nLRAX94UrA
Merch: qxir.creator-spring.com
Patreon: patreon.com/qxir
Twitter: twitter.com/QxirYT
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091768766293
Instagram: instagram.com/qxiryt
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@qxiryt
Discord: discord.gg/jZzvvwJ
Twitch: twitch.tv/qxiryt
Subreddit: reddit.com/r/Qxir
