Joan Marion Thomas was a 27-year-old widow living in Bridgend. Since her husband’s death she’d had a brief association with a local Sikh, Ajit Singh, 27, but her family had objected to the relationship and she had dropped him. Ajit Singh, however, was not prepared to accept rejection.

On DECEMBER 30th, 1951, Joan set out to visit her sister, who was in hospital. A woman friend accompanied her, and they were waiting at a bus stop when Ajit Singh approached them and asked Joan what she was doing that evening. She told him to mind his own business and resumed her conversation with her friend.

Ajit Singh boarded the same bus and alighted with them at the hospital. More words were exchanged, and then Joan’s friend heard her cry, “He’s got a gun!”

As Joan began to run towards the hospital Ajit Singh pursued her, firing his pistol. She was hit twice in the back and once in the heart.

Convicted of murder and sentenced to death at his trial in March 1952, Ajit Singh was hanged at Cardiff Prison six weeks later.