Edward Paisnel
Jersey serial sex offender
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Key Takeaways
- Edward John Louis Paisnel (7 May 1925 – 29 July 1994), dubbed the Beast of Jersey , or the Devil of Jersey , was a notorious sex offender, burglar, and serial assaulter who terrorised the Channel Island of Jersey between 1957 and 1971.
- Suspicion for the attacks initially fell on eccentric agricultural worker and fisherman Alphonse Le Gastelois, who was arrested but released because of a lack of evidence.
- Le Gastelois, fearing for his life, fled to Les Écréhous where he spent 14 years in self-imposed exile on La Marmotière as the second self-styled king of the Écréhous despite being cleared of suspicion when the attacks of the Beast of Jersey continued unabated.
- In the car, which he had stolen earlier that evening, police discovered several pointed sticks and elements of his "Beast" costume.
- Biography His wife, Joan Paisnel, was the founder of a community home in Jersey where, at her request, he once played Santa Claus.
Edward John Louis Paisnel (7 May 1925 – 29 July 1994), dubbed the Beast of Jersey, or the Devil of Jersey, was a notorious sex offender, burglar, and serial assaulter who terrorised the Channel Island of Jersey between 1957 and 1971. He entered homes at night dressed in a rubber mask and nail-studded wristlets, attacking women and children.
Suspicion for the attacks initially fell on eccentric agricultural worker and fisherman Alphonse Le Gastelois, who was arrested but released because of a lack of evidence. Public suspicion remained so strong, however, that Le Gastelois' cottage was burnt down in an act of arson. Le Gastelois, fearing for his life, fled to Les Écréhous where he spent 14 years in self-imposed exile on La Marmotière as the second self-styled king of the Écréhous despite being cleared of suspicion when the attacks of the Beast of Jersey continued unabated.
Capture and conviction
On 17 July 1971 Edward Paisnel was stopped by the police after running a red traffic light and then attempting to evade police pursuit. In the car, which he had stolen earlier that evening, police discovered several pointed sticks and elements of his "Beast" costume. In December 1971 he was convicted of 13 counts of assault, rape and sodomy and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Biography
His wife, Joan Paisnel, was the founder of a community home in Jersey where, at her request, he once played Santa Claus.
In 1972 his wife Joan Paisnel wrote the book The Beast of Jersey (published by NEL Paperbacks, ISBN 978-0450017179).
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