[1][2][3] The case was controversial at the time due to Teed's claims of mental illness, and may have hastened the abolition of capital punishment in the United Kingdom.
[3] On the night of 15 November 1957, Teed broke into the Fforestfach post office, where he had previously done some construction work,[6] with intent to rob it.
While there, he confessed to a man named Ronald Williams[5] (no relation to the victim) that "I’ve done that Fforestfach job.
[5] Teed's lawyers argued that he was "suffering from abnormality of the mind which impaired substantially his mental responsibility".
[4] The jury's deliberations were long and arduous; twice they failed to reach a verdict, but on the third occasion Teed was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
[3] While awaiting execution, Teed was deemed sane by Home Office psychiatrists sent to assess his condition.