Dennis Nilsen
Encyclopedia
Dennis Andrew Nilsen also known as the Muswell Hill Murderer and the Kindly Killer is a British
serial killer
who lived in London
.
Nilsen killed at least fifteen men and boys in gruesome circumstances between 1978 and 1983, and was known to retain corpses for sex acts. He was eventually caught after his disposal of dismembered human entrails blocked his household drains: the drain cleaning company found that the drains were congested with human flesh and contacted the police.
Owing to the similarities between their crimes, sexuality and lifestyle, Nilsen has been referred to as the "British Jeffrey Dahmer
."
, Aberdeenshire
to a Scottish mother, Betty Whyte, and a Norwegian
father, Olav Magnus Moksheim, who adopted the surname Nilsen
. His father was an alcoholic
and his parents divorce
d when he was four years old. His mother remarried and sent her son to his grandparents, but after a couple of years he was sent back to his mother again. Nilsen claimed the first traumatic event to shape his life came about when he was a small child, when his beloved grandfather died of a heart attack in October 1951. His strict Catholic mother reportedly insisted that he view the body before burial. During his childhood, she and his stepfather frequently lectured him about the "impurities of the flesh".
where he became a cook
in South Yemen, Cyprus
, Berlin, Germany and the Shetland Islands
. He served in the army for 11 years, earning a General Service Medal before being discharged, at his own request, in November 1972. In December 1972, he joined the Metropolitan Police, and was posted to Willesden, London in 1973. Nilsen served eight months as a police officer before resigning.
From 1974, Nilsen worked as a civil servant
in a jobcentre
in London's Kentish Town. He was also active in the trade union
movement, even going on other people's picket line
s in solidarity. In November, 1975, Nilsen moved into Melrose Avenue in the Cricklewood district of London.
his victims during the night. He used his butchering skills, which he gained from his time as a cook in the army, to help him dispose of the bodies. The bodies were not immediately dismembered, but were kept, sometimes for several months, in different locations in his home, usually under the floorboards. Nilsen was known to engage in sex acts with the corpses.
Nilsen had access to a large garden when living at 195 Melrose Avenue, Cricklewood
, North West London
. He was able to burn many of the remains in a bonfire. Entrails were dumped over the garden fence to be eaten by wildlife.
In October 1981, Nilsen moved several miles eastwards to an attic flat at 23 Cranley Gardens, Muswell Hill
. Nilsen did not have access to a garden at his new address and the flat itself did not have floorboards. This meant that as his murders continued, he found it difficult to dispose of the remains and had bin bags full of human organs stored in his wardrobe. Neighbours had begun to notice the smell. Three people were murdered at this address, and all were stored in cupboards and chests. Nilsen attempted to dispose of the bodies by boiling the heads, hands and feet to remove the flesh and by chopping the entrails into small pieces and flushing them down the toilet. When he tried to dispose of the bodies by flushing them down the toilet, he blocked the sewers of the flats.
Nilsen's murders were first discovered by Dyno-Rod, a drain cleaning company responding to a blocked drain. The company found the drain was packed with a flesh-like substance. The drain inspector then called his supervisor, but no assessment was made until the next day, by which time the drain had been cleared. This aroused the suspicions of the drain inspector and his supervisor, who immediately called the police. Upon closer inspection, some small bones and what looked like chicken
flesh were found in a pipe leading off from the drain, with rat
s feeding on them; the remains were passed to pathologist Professor David Bowen who advised that they were human. Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay was called to the scene with two colleagues and waited outside until Nilsen returned home from work. As they entered the building DCI Jay introduced himself to Nilsen and explained that he had come about his drains. Nilsen asked why would the police be interested in his drains and also if the two officers were health inspectors. He was told they were police colleagues and given their names. They then climbed the stairs together and as they entered the flat DCI Jay immediately smelled rotting flesh. Nilsen queried why the police would be interested in his drains, so the officer told him they were filled with human remains. "Good grief, how awful!" exclaimed Nilsen. "Don't mess about, where's the rest of the body?" replied Jay. Nilsen responded calmly, admitting that they were in two plastic bags in his wardrobe. He was then arrested and cautioned on suspicion of murder and taken to the police station. On the way back to the station, Nilsen was asked how many bodies they were talking about and replied "15 or 16, since 1978".
Nilsen later apologised to the police for not being able to tell them the exact number of people he had killed. When his flat was searched they found human remains inside a tea-chest in a wardrobe. His former address was also searched, and numerous small bone fragments were found in the garden of his former address.
In October 1981, Nilsen moved to a new house in Muswell Hill
.
on 24 October 1983. He pleaded diminished responsibility
as a defense, in order to seek a verdict of guilty to manslaughter
, but was convicted of six murders and two attempted murders. He was sentenced to life imprisonment
on 4 November 1983. In 1993, he was given permission to give a televised interview from prison.
Nilsen's minimum term was set at 25 years by the trial judge, but the Home Secretary
later imposed a whole life tariff
, which meant he would never be released. In 2006, he was denied any further requests for parole.
maximum security prison in the East Riding of Yorkshire
.
In 2001, while in Whitemoor Prison
, he brought judicial review
proceedings over the governor's decision not to allow him access to the gay pornography
magazine "Vulcan". This application was refused by the single judge at the permission stage. He did not establish that there was any arguable case that a breach of his human rights
had occurred, nor that the prison’s rules were discriminatory. He also failed to receive any greater access to such materials as a result.
In 2003, he brought a further judicial review over a decision not to allow him to publish his autobiography
, entitled The History of a Drowning Boy
. Nilsen is awaiting an appeal on this decision at the European Court of Human Rights
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who lived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Nilsen killed at least fifteen men and boys in gruesome circumstances between 1978 and 1983, and was known to retain corpses for sex acts. He was eventually caught after his disposal of dismembered human entrails blocked his household drains: the drain cleaning company found that the drains were congested with human flesh and contacted the police.
Owing to the similarities between their crimes, sexuality and lifestyle, Nilsen has been referred to as the "British Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders involved rape, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism...
."
Early life
Nilsen was born at 10 High Street, Strichen, FraserburghFraserburgh
Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2001 Census at 12,454 and estimated at 12,630 in 2006. It lies at the extreme northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, around north of Aberdeen, and north of Peterhead...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
to a Scottish mother, Betty Whyte, and a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
father, Olav Magnus Moksheim, who adopted the surname Nilsen
Nilsen
Nilsen is a surname of Norwegian origin, meaning "son of Nils". It refers to:*Adolf Nilsen , Norwegian Olympic rower*Alfred Nilsen , Norwegian politician; served one term in the Storting 1950–54...
. His father was an alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and his parents divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d when he was four years old. His mother remarried and sent her son to his grandparents, but after a couple of years he was sent back to his mother again. Nilsen claimed the first traumatic event to shape his life came about when he was a small child, when his beloved grandfather died of a heart attack in October 1951. His strict Catholic mother reportedly insisted that he view the body before burial. During his childhood, she and his stepfather frequently lectured him about the "impurities of the flesh".
Army service and move to London
In 1961, Nilsen left school and enlisted in the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
where he became a cook
Cook (profession)
A cook is a person who prepares food for consumption. In Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Canada this profession requires government approval ....
in South Yemen, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Berlin, Germany and the Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
. He served in the army for 11 years, earning a General Service Medal before being discharged, at his own request, in November 1972. In December 1972, he joined the Metropolitan Police, and was posted to Willesden, London in 1973. Nilsen served eight months as a police officer before resigning.
From 1974, Nilsen worked as a civil servant
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
in a jobcentre
Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus was a government agency for working-age people in Great Britain. The agency was formed when the Employment Service, which operated Jobcentres, merged with the Benefits Agency, which ran social security offices, and was re-named Jobcentre Plus on 1 April 2002...
in London's Kentish Town. He was also active in the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
movement, even going on other people's picket line
Picket line
A picket line is a horizontal rope, along which horses are tied at intervals. The rope can be on the ground, at chest height , or overhead. The overhead form usually is called a high line....
s in solidarity. In November, 1975, Nilsen moved into Melrose Avenue in the Cricklewood district of London.
Murders and arrest
Nilsen is known to have killed 15 men and boys. Most of his victims were students or homeless men. He picked them up in bars or on the streets and brought them to his house. He strangled and drownedDrowning
Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
his victims during the night. He used his butchering skills, which he gained from his time as a cook in the army, to help him dispose of the bodies. The bodies were not immediately dismembered, but were kept, sometimes for several months, in different locations in his home, usually under the floorboards. Nilsen was known to engage in sex acts with the corpses.
Nilsen had access to a large garden when living at 195 Melrose Avenue, Cricklewood
Cricklewood
Cricklewood is a district of North London, England whose northeastern part is in the London Borough of Barnet, western part is the London Borough of Brent and southeastern part is in London Borough of Camden.-History:...
, North West London
NW postcode area
The NW postcode area, also known as the London NW postcode area, is a group of postcode districts covering part of northwest London, England...
. He was able to burn many of the remains in a bonfire. Entrails were dumped over the garden fence to be eaten by wildlife.
In October 1981, Nilsen moved several miles eastwards to an attic flat at 23 Cranley Gardens, Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :The...
. Nilsen did not have access to a garden at his new address and the flat itself did not have floorboards. This meant that as his murders continued, he found it difficult to dispose of the remains and had bin bags full of human organs stored in his wardrobe. Neighbours had begun to notice the smell. Three people were murdered at this address, and all were stored in cupboards and chests. Nilsen attempted to dispose of the bodies by boiling the heads, hands and feet to remove the flesh and by chopping the entrails into small pieces and flushing them down the toilet. When he tried to dispose of the bodies by flushing them down the toilet, he blocked the sewers of the flats.
Nilsen's murders were first discovered by Dyno-Rod, a drain cleaning company responding to a blocked drain. The company found the drain was packed with a flesh-like substance. The drain inspector then called his supervisor, but no assessment was made until the next day, by which time the drain had been cleared. This aroused the suspicions of the drain inspector and his supervisor, who immediately called the police. Upon closer inspection, some small bones and what looked like chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
flesh were found in a pipe leading off from the drain, with rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s feeding on them; the remains were passed to pathologist Professor David Bowen who advised that they were human. Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay was called to the scene with two colleagues and waited outside until Nilsen returned home from work. As they entered the building DCI Jay introduced himself to Nilsen and explained that he had come about his drains. Nilsen asked why would the police be interested in his drains and also if the two officers were health inspectors. He was told they were police colleagues and given their names. They then climbed the stairs together and as they entered the flat DCI Jay immediately smelled rotting flesh. Nilsen queried why the police would be interested in his drains, so the officer told him they were filled with human remains. "Good grief, how awful!" exclaimed Nilsen. "Don't mess about, where's the rest of the body?" replied Jay. Nilsen responded calmly, admitting that they were in two plastic bags in his wardrobe. He was then arrested and cautioned on suspicion of murder and taken to the police station. On the way back to the station, Nilsen was asked how many bodies they were talking about and replied "15 or 16, since 1978".
Nilsen later apologised to the police for not being able to tell them the exact number of people he had killed. When his flat was searched they found human remains inside a tea-chest in a wardrobe. His former address was also searched, and numerous small bone fragments were found in the garden of his former address.
Victims
- Murder 1, Stephen Dean Holmes: Nilsen's first murder took place on 30 December 1978. Nilsen claimed to have met his first victim in a gay barGay barA gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
. Nilsen strangled him with a necktieNecktieA necktie is a long piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck or shoulders, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat. Variants include the ascot tie, bow tie, bolo tie, and the clip-on tie. The modern necktie, ascot, and bow tie are descended from the cravat. Neck...
until he was unconsciousUnconsciousnessUnconsciousness is the condition of being not conscious—in a mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli. Being in a comatose state or coma is a type of unconsciousness. Fainting due to a drop in blood pressure and a...
and then drowned him in a bucket of waterWaterWater is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. On 12 January 2006, it was announced that the victim had been identified as Stephen Dean Holmes, who was born on 22 March 1964 and was therefore only 14 at the time; Holmes had been on his way home from a concert. On 9 November 2006, Nilsen finally confessed to the murder of Holmes in a letter sent from his prison cell to the Evening StandardEvening StandardThe Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
. Nilsen was not charged for the murder as the Crown Prosecution ServiceCrown Prosecution ServiceThe Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
decided that a prosecution would not be in the public interest. - Between the first and second murders, Nilsen attempted to murder Andrew Ho, a student from Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
he had met in The Salisbury public house in St. Martin's Lane. Although afterwards he confessed to the police about the incident no charges were brought and Nilsen was not arrested. - Murder 2, Kenneth Ockendon: The second victim was 23-year-old CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
student Kenneth Ockendon. Nilsen met the tourist in a pub on 3 December 1979 and escorted him on a tour of Central LondonCentral LondonCentral London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
, after which they went back to Nilsen's flat for another drink. Nilsen strangled him with the cord of his headphones whilst Ockendon was listening to a record. Ockendon was one of the few murder victims who was reported as a missing personMissing personA missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
. - Murder 3, Martyn Duffey: Martyn Duffey was a 16-year-old runaway from BirkenheadBirkenheadBirkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
. On 17 May 1980, he accepted Nilsen's invitation to come over to his place. Nilsen strangled and subsequently drowned Duffey in the kitchen sink. - Murder 4, Billy Sutherland: Billy Sutherland was a 26-year-old father-of-one from Scotland who worked as a prostitute. Sutherland met Nilsen in a pub in August, 1980. Nilsen could not remember how he murdered Sutherland; however, it was later revealed that Sutherland had been strangled by bare hands.
- Murder 5, Unidentified: The fifth victim was another man who worked as a prostitute; however, this man was never identified. All that is known is that he was probably from the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
or ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. - Murder 6, Unidentified: Nilsen could recall very little about this and the following two victims. All that Nilsen could remember about the sixth man was that he was a young IrishIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
labourer that Nilsen had met in the Cricklewood Arms. - Murder 7, Unidentified: Nilsen described the seventh victim as a starving "hippy-type" whom Nilsen had found sleeping in a doorway in Charing CrossCharing CrossCharing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
. - Murder 8, Unidentified: Nilsen could recall little about his eighth victim, except that he kept the man's body under the floorboards of his flat, until he removed the corpse and cut it into three pieces then put it back again. He burned the corpse one year later.
- At some point between murders 6 and 8, on 10 November 1980, Nilsen attacked a Scottish barman named Douglas Stewart, whom Nilsen met at the Golden Lion in Dean Street. Stewart woke up while being strangled, and was able to fend off his attacker. Although Stewart called the police almost immediately after the attack, the officers refused to take action; reportedly they considered the incident to be a domestic disagreement.
- Murder 9, Unidentified: The ninth victim was a young Scottish man who Nilsen met in the Golden Lion pub in Soho in January, 1981.
- Murder 10, Unidentified: Another young ScottishScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
man. Nilsen strangled him with a tie and placed the body under the floorboards. - Murder 11, Unidentified: Nilsen picked up his eleventh victim in Piccadilly CircusPiccadilly CircusPiccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly...
. The man was an English skinheadSkinheadA skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
and had a tattooTattooA tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
around his neck reading "cut here". The man had boasted to Nilsen about how tough he was and how he liked to fight. However, once he was drunk, he proved no match for Nilsen, who hung the man's naked torso in his bedroom for a day, before burying the body under the floorboards. - Murder 12, Malcom Barlow: The 12th victim was a 24-year-old named Malcolm Barlow. Nilsen murdered Barlow on 18 September 1981. Nilsen found Barlow in a doorway not far from his own home, took him in, and called an ambulance for him. When Barlow was released the next day, he returned to Nilsen's home to thank him and was pleased to be invited in for a meal and a few drinks. Nilsen murdered Barlow that night. Barlow was the final victim to be murdered at Melrose Avenue.
In October 1981, Nilsen moved to a new house in Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :The...
.
- In November 1981, Nilsen targeted Paul Nobbs, a student, at the Golden Lion in SohoSohoSoho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, and invited Nobbs back to his new home. The student awoke the next morning with little recollection of the previous evening's events, and later went to see his doctor because of some bruising that had appeared on his neck. The doctor revealed that it appeared as if the student had been strangled, and advised him to go to the police. However, Nobbs was concerned about what would happen if his sexual orientationSexual orientationSexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
were to be disclosed, and did not go to the police. - Following this, Nilsen targeted Carl Stotter, a drag queenDrag (clothing)Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
known as Khara Le Fox at The Black Cap, in CamdenCamden Town-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
. After passing out from strangulation, Stotter became conscious while Nilsen was trying to drown him in a bath of cold water. Stotter managed to gasp air four times before losing consciousness. Nilsen's dog then lapped Stotter's face and uncovered signs of life. Nilsen then led Stotter to a railway station, through a forestForestA forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
and the two parted ways. Stotter, due to memory loss from the event and alcohol before, reportedly didn't realise for several years that he had almost been killed. - Murder 13, John Howlett: Howlett had first met Nilsen in a West End pub in December 1981. In March, 1982, John Howlett was the first victim to be murdered in Nilsen's Muswell Hill home. Howlett was one of the few who was able to fight back; however, Nilsen had taken a dislike to him and was determined that he should die. There was a tremendous struggle, in which at one point Howlett even tried to strangle Nilsen back. Eventually, Nilsen drowned Howlett, holding his head under water for five minutes. Nilsen dismembered Howlett's body, hid some of Howlett's body parts around the house and flushed others down the toilet.
- Murder 14, Graham Allen: Graham Allen was another troubled man; a father, originally from Scotland, whom Nilsen met in Shaftesbury AvenueShaftesbury AvenueShaftesbury Avenue is a major street in central London, England, named after Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, that runs in a north-easterly direction from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus....
in September, 1982. Nilsen took Allen to his home and prepared an omelette for him. Nilsen crept up on Allen while he was eating and strangled him to death. After murdering Allen, Nilsen left Allen's body in the bath, unsure how to dispose of it. After three days, Nilsen dismembered him, like his previous victim. Parts of Allens' remains were what led to the drains being blocked at the flats where Nilsen lived. - Murder 15, Stephen Sinclair: Nilsen's final victim was a 20-year-old man named Stephen Sinclair who was addictedSubstance dependenceThe section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
to drugs and alcohol. Nilsen targeted Sinclair in Oxford StreetOxford StreetOxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
and bought the youth a hamburger. Nilsen then suggested that they go back to his place. After Sinclair drank alcohol and used heroin at Nilsen's house, Nilsen strangled Sinclair and dismembered Sinclair's body. Nilsen recalled that the youth's wrists were covered in slash marks from where Sinclair had recently tried to kill himself. This murder was on 26 January 1983, less than two weeks before Nilsen was arrested. It was Sinclair's dismembered remains in the drain outside Nilsen's home that first alerted the police to Nilsen's murders.
Trial and sentence
Nilsen was brought to trial at the Old BaileyOld Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
on 24 October 1983. He pleaded diminished responsibility
Diminished responsibility
In criminal law, diminished responsibility is a potential defense by excuse by which defendants argue that although they broke the law, they should not be held fully criminally liable for doing so, as their mental functions were "diminished" or impaired. The defense's acceptance in American...
as a defense, in order to seek a verdict of guilty to manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
, but was convicted of six murders and two attempted murders. He was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
on 4 November 1983. In 1993, he was given permission to give a televised interview from prison.
Nilsen's minimum term was set at 25 years by the trial judge, but the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
later imposed a whole life tariff
Whole life tariff
This is a list of prisoners who have received a whole life tariff through some mechanism in jurisdictions of the United Kingdom.Eight of these prisoners have since died in prison, while three of them have had their sentences reduced on appeal, meaning that there are currently at least 48 prisoners...
, which meant he would never be released. In 2006, he was denied any further requests for parole.
Imprisonment
Nilsen is currently held at HMP Full SuttonFull Sutton (HM Prison)
HM Prison Full Sutton is a Category A men's prison in the village of Full Sutton, near Pocklington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Full Sutton is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service and holds some 600 inmates.-History:...
maximum security prison in the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
.
In 2001, while in Whitemoor Prison
Whitemoor (HM Prison)
HM Prison Whitemoor is a Category A men's prison, located near the town of March in Cambridgeshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
, he brought judicial review
Judicial review
Judicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority...
proceedings over the governor's decision not to allow him access to the gay pornography
Gay pornography
Gay pornography is the representation of sexual intercourse between men with the primary goal of sexual arousal in its audience. There is also a tradition, and continuing considerable output, of lesbian pornography....
magazine "Vulcan". This application was refused by the single judge at the permission stage. He did not establish that there was any arguable case that a breach of his human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
had occurred, nor that the prison’s rules were discriminatory. He also failed to receive any greater access to such materials as a result.
In 2003, he brought a further judicial review over a decision not to allow him to publish his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, entitled The History of a Drowning Boy
The History of a Drowning Boy
The History of a Drowning Boy is the title of the autobiography of Scottish serial killer, Dennis Nilsen.Written over a six year period, the book has never been published as the Home Secretary and HM Prison Service have withheld the manuscript from Nilsen after it was returned to him by post from...
. Nilsen is awaiting an appeal on this decision at the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
.
External links
- "Memoirs of A Serial Killer", a Sunday Times magazine article about and containing extracts from Nilsen's autobiography History of A Drowning Boy.