Robert Maudsley
Encyclopedia
Robert John Maudsley is a British
serial killer
responsible for the murders
of four people. He committed three of these murders in prison after receiving a life sentence
for a single murder. He was alleged to have eaten part of the brain of one of three men he killed in prison, which earned him the nickname "Hannibal the Cannibal"
among the British press.
area of Liverpool
, and spent most of his early years in Nazareth House (an orphanage
run by nun
s) in Crosby
, Liverpool. At the age of eight, he was retrieved by his parents and beaten regularly until he was eventually removed from their care by social services.
During the late 1960s, as a teenager, Maudsley was a rent boy in London
to support his drug addiction. He was finally forced to seek psychiatric help after several suicide
attempts. It was during his talk with doctors that he claimed to hear voices telling him to kill his parents. Maudsley claimed that he was raped as a child, and such early abuse would have left deep psychological scars, is also quoted as saying 'If I had killed my parents in 1970, none of these people need have died.'
a man who picked him up for sex after the man showed Maudsley pictures of children he had sexually abused
. Maudsley was arrested and later sentenced to life imprisonment
with a recommendation that he should never be released
. He was sent to Broadmoor Hospital
for the criminally insane. In 1977, Maudsley and another inmate took a third patient (a convicted paedophile) hostage
and locked themselves in a cell with their captive, before torturing
him to death.
After this incident, Maudsley was convicted of manslaughter
and sent to Wakefield Prison. He disliked the transfer and made it clear he wanted to return to Broadmoor.
One afternoon in 1978 he killed two more fellow prisoners. Maudsley's first victim of the day was sex offender
Salney Darwood. Maudsley had invited Darwood to his cell, where he garroted and stabbed him before hiding his body under his bed. He then attempted to lure fellow prisoners into his cell, but all refused.
Maudsley then went on the prowl around the wing hunting for a second victim, eventually cornering and stabbing prisoner Bill Roberts to death. He hacked at his skull with a makeshift dagger
and smashed his head against the wall. Maudsley then calmly walked into the prison officer's room, placed the dagger on the table and told him that the next roll call would be two short.
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...
responsible for the murders
Murder in English law
Murder is an offence under the common law of England and Wales. It is considered the most serious form of homicide, in which one person kills another either intending to cause death or intending to cause serious injury .-Actus reus:The definition of the actus reus Murder is an offence under the...
of four people. He committed three of these murders in prison after receiving a life sentence
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...
for a single murder. He was alleged to have eaten part of the brain of one of three men he killed in prison, which earned him the nickname "Hannibal the Cannibal"
Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter M.D. is a fictional character in a series of horror novels by Thomas Harris and in the films adapted from them.Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer...
among the British press.
Early life
He was one of 12 children, born in the ToxtethToxteth
Toxteth is an inner city area of Liverpool, England. Located to the south of the city, Toxteth is bordered by Liverpool City Centre, Dingle, Edge Hill, Wavertree and Aigburth.-Description:...
area of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, and spent most of his early years in Nazareth House (an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
run by nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s) in Crosby
Crosby, Merseyside
Crosby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Lancashire it is situated north of Bootle, south of Southport, Formby and west of Netherton-History:...
, Liverpool. At the age of eight, he was retrieved by his parents and beaten regularly until he was eventually removed from their care by social services.
During the late 1960s, as a teenager, Maudsley was a rent boy 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...
to support his drug addiction. He was finally forced to seek psychiatric help after several suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
attempts. It was during his talk with doctors that he claimed to hear voices telling him to kill his parents. Maudsley claimed that he was raped as a child, and such early abuse would have left deep psychological scars, is also quoted as saying 'If I had killed my parents in 1970, none of these people need have died.'
Murders
In 1974, Maudsley garrottedGarrote
A garrote or garrote vil is a handheld weapon, most often referring to a ligature of chain, rope, scarf, wire or fishing line used to strangle someone....
a man who picked him up for sex after the man showed Maudsley pictures of children he had sexually abused
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
. Maudsley was arrested and later 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...
with a recommendation that he should never be released
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...
. He was sent to Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It is the best known of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth and Rampton...
for the criminally insane. In 1977, Maudsley and another inmate took a third patient (a convicted paedophile) hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
and locked themselves in a cell with their captive, before torturing
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
him to death.
After this incident, Maudsley was convicted of 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...
and sent to Wakefield Prison. He disliked the transfer and made it clear he wanted to return to Broadmoor.
One afternoon in 1978 he killed two more fellow prisoners. Maudsley's first victim of the day was sex offender
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
Salney Darwood. Maudsley had invited Darwood to his cell, where he garroted and stabbed him before hiding his body under his bed. He then attempted to lure fellow prisoners into his cell, but all refused.
Maudsley then went on the prowl around the wing hunting for a second victim, eventually cornering and stabbing prisoner Bill Roberts to death. He hacked at his skull with a makeshift dagger
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
and smashed his head against the wall. Maudsley then calmly walked into the prison officer's room, placed the dagger on the table and told him that the next roll call would be two short.