Robert John Maudsley (born 26 June 1953)[1] is an English serial killer. Maudsley killed four people, with one of the killings taking place in a psychiatric hospital and two in prison after receiving a life sentence for a murder.[2] Initial reports falsely stated he ate part of the brain of one of the men he killed in prison, which earned him the nickname Hannibal the Cannibal among the British press[3] and "The Brain Eater" amongst other prisoners. However, the Press Complaints Commission records that national newspapers were subsequently advised that the allegations were untrue, according to the autopsy report.[4][5] Maudsley is the longest-serving British prisoner in solitary confinement.[6]
Robert Maudsley was one of 12 children, born in Speke, Liverpool, spending his early years in a Catholic orphanage in Crosby.[7] At the age of eight, Maudsley was retrieved by his parents and subjected to routine physical abuse until he was eventually removed from their care by social services.[3] Maudsley later stated that he was raped as a child by his father, and such early abuse had left deep psychological scars.
As a teenager during the late 1960s, Maudsley was a sex worker in London, using his income to support his drug addiction. He was 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.[3] He is quoted as saying "If I had killed my parents in 1970, none of these people would have died."[3][8]
Murders
In 1974,[9] Maudsley garrotted John Farrell in Wood Green, London. Farrell picked up Maudsley for sex and allegedly showed him pictures of children he had sexually abused.[3] Maudsley surrendered himself to police, saying he needed psychiatric care. Maudsley was found unfit to stand trial and instead was sent to Broadmoor Hospital.
In 1977, he and another resident, David Cheeseman, who at the time was serving a prison sentence for rape and sexual assault of a sixteen-year-old girl,[10] locked themselves in a cell with a third patient named David Francis, a convicted child molester.[3] The attack was claimed to be in revenge for a "homosexual attack" on one of the friends of the two men.[10] They tortured him to death over a period of nine hours.[3] 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.[3] Maudsley was later sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he never be released.
In 1978, Maudsley killed two fellow prisoners at Wakefield Prison in one day; he had originally set out to kill seven.[3] His first victim was Salney Darwood, imprisoned for killing his wife.[3] At the time Darwood had been giving Maudsley French lessons.[11] Maudsley had invited Darwood to his cell, where he garrotted and stabbed him before hiding his body under his bed. He then attempted to lure other prisoners into his cell, but all refused.[3] Maudsley then prowled the wing hunting for a second victim, eventually cornering and stabbing prisoner William Roberts to death as he was laying in his bed. He hacked at Roberts' skull with a makeshift dagger and then struck his head against the wall multiple times. Maudsley calmly walked into the wing office, placed the dagger on the table and told the officer that the next roll call would be two short.[3]
Maudsley states his victims were rapists, paedophiles or sex offenders[12] and that he is only a threat to sex offenders.[9]
Victims
John Farrell, age 30, on 14 March 1974.
David Francis, age 26, on 26 February 1977. Francis was a convicted child molester, sentenced to Broadmoor.[3]
Salney Darwood, age 46, on 29 July 1978. Darwood was imprisoned for sexual-assault[11] and the killing of his wife.[3]
In 1983, Maudsley was deemed too dangerous for a normal cell. Prison authorities built a two-cell unit in the basement of Wakefield Prison. Due to his history of violence, when outside his cell he is escorted by at least four prison officers.[3]
At around 18 by 15 feet (5.5 by 4.6 m), the two cells are slightly larger than average and have large bulletproof windows through which he can be observed. The only furnishings are a table and chair, both made of compressed cardboard. The lavatory and basin are bolted to the floor while the bed is a concrete slab. A solid steel door opens into a small cage within the cell, encased in thick transparent acrylic panels, with a small slot at the bottom through which officers pass him food and other items. He remains in the cell for all but an hour daily. During his daily hour of exercise, he is escorted to the yard by six prison officers. He is not allowed contact with any other inmates.[3]
^Prentice, Eve-Ann (24 February 2003). "'I feel I've been buried alive'". The Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Ford, Richard (29 June 2017). "Serial killer Robert Maudsley held in solitary for 39 years". The Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ abcdefghijklmnopThompson, Tony (27 April 2003). "The caged misery of Britain's real 'Hannibal the Cannibal'". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
^Wade, Bethany (2 April 2020). "Robert Maudsley: The cannibal killer who inspired Hannibal Lecter". Film Daily. from the original on 6 August 2020.
^. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
^. glouchesterlive.co.uk. 1 January 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
^Dunn, Connor (15 July 2018). "'Brain-Eater' killer is now 40 YEARS into solitary confinement stretch". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
^"Tragic life that led to Hannibal killings". Liverpool Echo. 7 May 2003. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
^ abc"Killer begs for budgie or suicide". BBC News. 23 March 2000. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
^ abBalls, Richard (6 July 2006). "Killer on day release cleared of rape". Eastern Daily Press.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ abAppleyard, Nick (2009). Life Means Life: Jailed Forever: True Stories of Britain's Most Evil Killers. John Blake. ISBN9781843589617.
^"Killer creature comforts: pet or poison". 22 March 2000.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
January 06, 2023
robert, maudsley, robert, john, maudsley, born, june, 1953, english, serial, killer, maudsley, killed, four, people, with, killings, taking, place, psychiatric, hospital, prison, after, receiving, life, sentence, murder, initial, reports, falsely, stated, part. Robert John Maudsley born 26 June 1953 1 is an English serial killer Maudsley killed four people with one of the killings taking place in a psychiatric hospital and two in prison after receiving a life sentence for a murder 2 Initial reports falsely stated he ate part of the brain of one of the men he killed in prison which earned him the nickname Hannibal the Cannibal among the British press 3 and The Brain Eater amongst other prisoners However the Press Complaints Commission records that national newspapers were subsequently advised that the allegations were untrue according to the autopsy report 4 5 Maudsley is the longest serving British prisoner in solitary confinement 6 Robert MaudsleyBornRobert John Maudsley 1953 06 26 26 June 1953 age 69 Speke Liverpool EnglandOther namesHannibal The Cannibal The Brain EaterConviction s 3 counts of murder 1 count of manslaughterCriminal penaltyLife imprisonment Whole life tariff DetailsVictims4Span of crimes1974 1978CountryEnglandLocation s London Broadmoor Wakefield Prison Contents 1 Early life 2 Murders 3 Victims 4 Solitary confinement 5 See also 6 ReferencesEarly life EditRobert Maudsley was one of 12 children born in Speke Liverpool spending his early years in a Catholic orphanage in Crosby 7 At the age of eight Maudsley was retrieved by his parents and subjected to routine physical abuse until he was eventually removed from their care by social services 3 Maudsley later stated that he was raped as a child by his father and such early abuse had left deep psychological scars As a teenager during the late 1960s Maudsley was a sex worker in London using his income to support his drug addiction He was 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 3 He is quoted as saying If I had killed my parents in 1970 none of these people would have died 3 8 Murders EditIn 1974 9 Maudsley garrotted John Farrell in Wood Green London Farrell picked up Maudsley for sex and allegedly showed him pictures of children he had sexually abused 3 Maudsley surrendered himself to police saying he needed psychiatric care Maudsley was found unfit to stand trial and instead was sent to Broadmoor Hospital In 1977 he and another resident David Cheeseman who at the time was serving a prison sentence for rape and sexual assault of a sixteen year old girl 10 locked themselves in a cell with a third patient named David Francis a convicted child molester 3 The attack was claimed to be in revenge for a homosexual attack on one of the friends of the two men 10 They tortured him to death over a period of nine hours 3 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 3 Maudsley was later sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he never be released In 1978 Maudsley killed two fellow prisoners at Wakefield Prison in one day he had originally set out to kill seven 3 His first victim was Salney Darwood imprisoned for killing his wife 3 At the time Darwood had been giving Maudsley French lessons 11 Maudsley had invited Darwood to his cell where he garrotted and stabbed him before hiding his body under his bed He then attempted to lure other prisoners into his cell but all refused 3 Maudsley then prowled the wing hunting for a second victim eventually cornering and stabbing prisoner William Roberts to death as he was laying in his bed He hacked at Roberts skull with a makeshift dagger and then struck his head against the wall multiple times Maudsley calmly walked into the wing office placed the dagger on the table and told the officer that the next roll call would be two short 3 Maudsley states his victims were rapists paedophiles or sex offenders 12 and that he is only a threat to sex offenders 9 Victims EditJohn Farrell age 30 on 14 March 1974 David Francis age 26 on 26 February 1977 Francis was a convicted child molester sentenced to Broadmoor 3 Salney Darwood age 46 on 29 July 1978 Darwood was imprisoned for sexual assault 11 and the killing of his wife 3 William Roberts age 56 on 29 July 1978 Solitary confinement EditThis article or section contains close paraphrasing of one or more non free copyrighted sources Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please improve this article by re writing it in your own words October 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message In 1983 Maudsley was deemed too dangerous for a normal cell Prison authorities built a two cell unit in the basement of Wakefield Prison Due to his history of violence when outside his cell he is escorted by at least four prison officers 3 At around 18 by 15 feet 5 5 by 4 6 m the two cells are slightly larger than average and have large bulletproof windows through which he can be observed The only furnishings are a table and chair both made of compressed cardboard The lavatory and basin are bolted to the floor while the bed is a concrete slab A solid steel door opens into a small cage within the cell encased in thick transparent acrylic panels with a small slot at the bottom through which officers pass him food and other items He remains in the cell for all but an hour daily During his daily hour of exercise he is escorted to the yard by six prison officers He is not allowed contact with any other inmates 3 In March 2000 Maudsley unsuccessfully pleaded for the terms of his solitary confinement be relaxed or to be allowed to take his own life via a cyanide capsule He also asked for a pet budgerigar which was also denied 9 See also EditList of serial killers by country List of serial killers by number of victimsReferences Edit Prentice Eve Ann 24 February 2003 I feel I ve been buried alive The Times a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Ford Richard 29 June 2017 Serial killer Robert Maudsley held in solitary for 39 years The Times a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Thompson Tony 27 April 2003 The caged misery of Britain s real Hannibal the Cannibal The Guardian Retrieved 30 January 2016 Wade Bethany 2 April 2020 Robert Maudsley The cannibal killer who inspired Hannibal Lecter Film Daily Archived from the original on 6 August 2020 News amp Features Archived from the original on 13 March 2012 Retrieved 17 April 2015 From Rose West to Peter Sutcliffe All the people on whole life sentences in prison right now glouchesterlive co uk 1 January 2021 Archived from the original on 3 February 2022 Retrieved 22 March 2021 Dunn Connor 15 July 2018 Brain Eater killer is now 40 YEARS into solitary confinement stretch Liverpool Echo Retrieved 30 December 2020 Tragic life that led to Hannibal killings Liverpool Echo 7 May 2003 Retrieved 8 November 2016 a b c Killer begs for budgie or suicide BBC News 23 March 2000 Retrieved 8 November 2016 a b Balls Richard 6 July 2006 Killer on day release cleared of rape Eastern Daily Press a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Appleyard Nick 2009 Life Means Life Jailed Forever True Stories of Britain s Most Evil Killers John Blake ISBN 9781843589617 Killer creature comforts pet or poison 22 March 2000 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Maudsley amp oldid 1129358049, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
