8. John Dean, Age 8 – Set Fire To Barns
Described in court documents as “an infant between eight and nine years,” John Dean was executed for arson in 1629 England. Dean was convicted of setting fire to two barns in the town of Windsor and was ultimately hanged. Not only was the young age of the felon significant, also noteworthy was his one-day indictment, arraignment, trial and conviction – even though records make no mention of the fires causing any death or injury. Sadly for John, the judge found the child had acted with “malice, revenge, craft and cunning.” England’s law of the time established the age of criminal responsibility was just 7 years old. Eventually, that age was raised to 8, where it remained until 1963 when it was raised to 10.
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