Robert McGladdery - wikipedia Robert McGladdery Robert Andrew McGladdery 18 October 1935 20 December 1961 ( aged 26 ) Crumlin Road Gaol, Belfast, Northern Ireland Criminal charge Murder Criminal penalty Death ( by hanging ) Criminal status Executed Conviction ( s ) 16 October 1961 Robert Andrew McGladdery ( 18 October 1935 -- 20 December 1961 ) was the last person to be executed in Northern Ireland. He was convicted of the murder of Pearl Gamble, aged 19, whom he had battered, strangled and stabbed to death on 28 January 1961 and whose body was discovered at Upper Damolly, near Newry, County Down. It transpired the murderer and victim were distant cousins. Pearl Gamble had gone to a dance at the Henry Thomson Memorial Orange Hall in Newry with three girlfriends. She had been seen dancing with her boyfriend and Robert McGladdery. The murder investigations led to McGladdery. When interviewed he stated to have worn a dark blue suit but other people at the dance said he wore a light - coloured one. He was put under surveillance and was discreetly seen to go to some undergrowth on 10 February 1961. The following day, the police discovered, inside a pillow case in a septic tank, an overcoat, a waistcoat and a handkerchief, all of which were heavily bloodstained. McGladdery was arrested on the same day. At his trial in Downpatrick, McGladdery pleaded his innocence but was found guilty and sentenced to death on 16 October 1961. The evening before his execution he allegedly made a full confession to the murder. He was hanged, aged 26, at Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast on 20 December 1961, by executioner Harry Allen. A BBC Northern Ireland dramatisation of the case, Last Man Hanging, was broadcast on 8 September 2008. McGladdery was portrayed by Michael Condron. The murder and subsequent execution is the theme of Eoin McNamee 's 2010 novel, Orchid Blue. References ^ Jump up to : Eddleston, John J. ( 2004 ). The Encyclopaedia of Executions. London : John Blake Publishing Ltd. p. 905. ISBN 1 - 84454 - 058 - 8. Jump up ^ `` Last Man Hanging ''. BBC. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 22. ^ Jump up to : Burnside, John ( 20 November 2010 ). `` Orchid Blue ''. The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2010. External links Newry Journal article about the case VIAF : 171198459 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_McGladdery&oldid=791029415 '' Categories : 1935 births 1961 deaths Murder in 1961 Executed people from Northern Ireland 20th - century executions by the United Kingdom Criminals from Northern Ireland People executed by Northern Ireland People convicted of murder by Northern Ireland Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from September 2014 Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 17 July 2017, at 17 : 41. About Wikipedia

Question: who was the last person to be hanged in northern ireland
Answer: Robert Andrew McGladdery