William Duell had little education. The son of a shoemaker, from Acton in Middlesex, who was willing to teach his son the trade, but William was careless and negligent, and not willing to be confined to a workshop all day.

 Instead, William loved the outside, looking after horses and riding them, who sometimes found work with the farmers, or at the local gentleman's houses, to maintained himself.

 On the 7^th of September 1740, William was not yet seventeen-years-old, when he met Sarah Griffin, a young woman on her way to Worcestershire, between 8 and 9 o’clock on Sunday evening.

 Sarah asked young William to show her a lodging. He took her to Mr. Life's barn, at Horn Lane Acton in the County of Middlesex, where he opened a truss of hay for her to lie on, before he left her, the woman had said not to tell anybody she was there.

 Duell had left her and met up with Henry Richards, John Wolfe and Jack at the Captain's. Duell told Jack at the Captain's about the woman in Mr. Life's barn. They were all going home when they met John Davis and Tug-mutton, they all whispered together apart from Duell, when Tug-mutton had said, I'll show you a girl in a barn.

 George Curtis (Tug-mutton) was the first, he put his hands up the woman's clothes, and swore if she did not hold her tongue, he would kill her. The woman said she was disease. Diseased or not I'll have my way, said Tug-mutton.

 Sarah screamed out murder, as she was being hit by Curtis, crying, please don't kill me. Duell had held her down while Curtis raped her.

 John Davis was next in line to rape young Sarah. Davis had said if she does not give herself up to him, he would kill her.

 She cried out murder several times and said for God's sake don't kill me. he had thrust a pin a 1 ½ long into her backside and beat her with his fist.

 Henry Richards was third in line. He was apprehended at Harrow on the Hill and taken to Newgate on the 8^th of October 1740.

 John James (Jack at the Captain's,) came in fourth, he was apprehended on the 19^th October 1740.

John Wolfe, being next in line and young William Duell was last,

 After all of them had had their way with her, Curtis jump upon her and demanded her money, Sarah being too slow to give him her money, Curtis beat the poor woman with his fists. He robbed her of two-pence, three farthings and a pass, she had to travel with.

 Just before they all left, Curtis got hold of a broomstick and thrust it up the poor woman's vagina.

 After the terrible deed was done, they all went to the Star at Acton, but Duell was told to go home for he had no money.

 Sarah lived a few days in terrible pain. Her inquest was held on the 19^th of September, but not agreeing on a verdict, it was adjourned until the 10^th of October when the jury brought in a verdict that she died a “Natural Death.”

 Curtis was apprehended first along with Duell, Curtis had died inside Newgate Gaol on the 15^th of October 1740, the day his trial was to take place.

 Only William Duell was to be hanged for the rape of Sarah Griffin he was sixteen years' old, when he was executed, on Monday the 24^th of November 1740, at Tyburn in London. He was afterwards sent to the surgeons for dissection; he revived on the surgeon's table whilst awaiting dissection.

 He was later reprieved and released.