Donald Findlay QC

Last year, Mr Findlay asked, “Madeleine Smith – did she or did she not?” and his one-man show about the 1857 trial made £2,370 for The Merchants House of Glasgow.

Now, his attention has turned to “Peter Thomas Anthony Manuel - Killer With Saintly Names and Satan’s Heart” and a talk about the 1958 trial at which the serial killer sacked his lawyers and conducted his own defence.

Supported by the Faculty and the Scottish Criminal Bar Association, tickets are £20, plus booking fee, for the event on Friday, 5 April, in The Grand Merchants Hall, West George Street, Glasgow.

Mr Findlay said: “The Manuel story has fascinated me since I was a child. Indeed, he was partly responsible for me becoming a criminal lawyer. I will share with the audience my take on Scotland’s only true serial killer, his life and crimes. In addition, Peter Manuel will help raise money for a very worthy cause. Now, I wonder if he would have approved?”

The Merchants House of Glasgow was established in 1605 and awards more than £700,000 a year to deserving charities and individuals in the city and beyond.

Details of the Manuel event are on Eventbrite 

Mr Findlay narrates an audiobook about Manuel, written by fellow advocate, Allan Nicol. It is called Manuel: Portrait of a Serial Killer and is available on Amazon.