Operation Anagram
Encyclopedia
Operation Anagram is a British police investigation into the movements and life of serial killer
Peter Tobin
, convicted of three murders of young women since 2006. The investigation was started in 2006, after Tobin's first murder conviction, by Detective Superintendent (DSI) David Swindle, of Strathclyde Police
and increased in intensity in December 2009 after Tobin's third conviction for murder. Through the HOLMES 2 database, police forces across the United Kingdom are involved in the operation, investigating the possibility of Tobin's connection to dozens of murders and disappearances of teenage girls and young women.
DSI Swindle, speaking after Tobin's 2006 conviction for the murder of Angelika Kluk, said that Tobin's age and the method of the murder sparked the suggestion that he may be a serial killer, as did interviews with Tobin. Anagram lead to the discovery of the bodies of Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol, 15 and 18 respectively at the time of their disappearances in 1991, buried in the garden of Tobin's previous home in Margate
. It is believed that as of December 2009, detectives across the UK were following up on up to 1400 lines of inquiry. As part of their renewed enquiries, police are especially interested in tracing the owners of jewellery items found at his homes. In July 2010 it was reported that officers working on Operation Anagram had narrowed their review down to 9 unsolved cases of murder and disappearance.
The 4 May 2007 conviction of Peter Tobin
for the similar murder of student Angelika Kluk led to speculation that he is Bible John
. In an interview with a police psychiatrist, Tobin admitted that he had killed up to 48 other women. When questioned about this, he replied "Prove it."
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...
Peter Tobin
Peter Tobin
Peter Britton Tobin is a convicted Scottish serial killer and sex offender now serving a sentence of life imprisonment for the murders of three young women....
, convicted of three murders of young women since 2006. The investigation was started in 2006, after Tobin's first murder conviction, by Detective Superintendent (DSI) David Swindle, of Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West...
and increased in intensity in December 2009 after Tobin's third conviction for murder. Through the HOLMES 2 database, police forces across the United Kingdom are involved in the operation, investigating the possibility of Tobin's connection to dozens of murders and disappearances of teenage girls and young women.
DSI Swindle, speaking after Tobin's 2006 conviction for the murder of Angelika Kluk, said that Tobin's age and the method of the murder sparked the suggestion that he may be a serial killer, as did interviews with Tobin. Anagram lead to the discovery of the bodies of Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol, 15 and 18 respectively at the time of their disappearances in 1991, buried in the garden of Tobin's previous home in Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
. It is believed that as of December 2009, detectives across the UK were following up on up to 1400 lines of inquiry. As part of their renewed enquiries, police are especially interested in tracing the owners of jewellery items found at his homes. In July 2010 it was reported that officers working on Operation Anagram had narrowed their review down to 9 unsolved cases of murder and disappearance.
The 4 May 2007 conviction of Peter Tobin
Peter Tobin
Peter Britton Tobin is a convicted Scottish serial killer and sex offender now serving a sentence of life imprisonment for the murders of three young women....
for the similar murder of student Angelika Kluk led to speculation that he is Bible John
Bible John
Bible John is the nickname of a serial killer who is thought to have operated in Glasgow, Scotland, in the late 1960s. Three murders were attributed to him, but it is not clear if they were the work of the same person.-Murders:...
. In an interview with a police psychiatrist, Tobin admitted that he had killed up to 48 other women. When questioned about this, he replied "Prove it."