John Henry George Lee (1864 – c. 19 March 1945), better known as
John "Babbacombe" Lee or "The Man They Couldn't Hang", was an Englishman famous for surviving three attempts to hang him for murder. Born in
Abbotskerswell, Devon, Lee served in the
Royal Navy, and was a known thief. In 1885, he was convicted of the brutal murder of his employer, Emma Keyse, at her home at
Babbacombe Bay near
Torquay on 15 November 1884 with a knife. The evidence was weak and circumstantial, amounting to little more than Lee having been the only male in the house at the time of the murder, his previous criminal record, and being found with an unexplained cut on his arm. Despite this and his claim of innocence, he was sentenced to hang. At times, he was thought to be "the man you
shouldn't hang" due to suspected divine intervention.