The milk bar murderer

Frederick Foster lurked in a quiet seat across the Auckland milk bar from the woman he wanted to be with. He had a drink in front of him and spoke to no one.
But he also had a gun with him.
Foster was desperately in love with Sharon Skiffington. The pair had met in 1954 - Sharon was 19 and working as an usherette. Foster was 26. And married.
But when he confessed this to Sharon - and told her a divorce was coming through - she broke it off with him.
Foster had been born in England where he had married a girl called Sylvia in but they had separated and he had emigrated to Australia in 1953, then come on to New Zealand.
He had also told Sharon about other girls - called Rita and Pauline.
He even invented a girl called Shirley - all with the intention of making Sharon jealous.
But when Sharon turned him away, Foster came up with another plan. He would fire a gun to frighten her
On March 28, 1955, Sharon was at a milk bar in Auckland sitting at a table with a drink. Foster had followed her and sat at a table near the door. When she got up to leave he raised a shotgun he was carrying in a paper bag and shot her.
A brave commercial traveller Walter Brown grabbed Foster by the neck and took the gun, holding him until police arrived.
Sharon died in hospital shortly after.
At his trial Foster revealed his mad plan to shoot the gun near Sharon - for publicity - and hoped it would rekindle her feelings for him. He denied wanting to kill her.
He said he was guilty of being in love.
But the Crown painted a picture of a man obsessed with sex and unscrupulous with women.
It took the jury one hour and 17 minutes to find him guilty.
Shortly before his execution his mother Alice flew out from England to ask for clemency but it failed.
Foster was hanged on July 7, 1955. Oddly he had his appendix removed only a few days before he was executed - the wound had not even healed.
Unlike a great many murderers, Foster has a headstone clearly marked - many have nothing to mark the spot where they lie.
Foster is buried at Waikumete Cemetery in Auckland, not too far from where Sharon lies.​