At midnight on 1 August 1876, PC Nicholas Cock was patrolling his beat in the leafy suburbs of Manchester. Two shots rang out in the dark and the young constable fell to the ground. Irish labourer William Habron was convicted of his murder. Later, in an unexpected twist of events, a startling confession by notorious burglar Charlie Peace, turned this extraordinary case around.

The second in her historical true crime series, Victorian Supersleuth Investigates, Angela Buckley sheds new light on this fascinating real-life murder mystery.