Whole Lifers - Part One

Life means life, is a term handed down only in the most exceptional cases. In the UK there are 70 prisioners so far that have been handed this sentance.

1. John Straffen (1930-2007) - Serial Killer

In the early 50s in Bath, Straffen murdered three young girls, 6 year old Brenda Goddard, 9 year old Cicely Batstone and 5 year old Linda Bowyer. Originally Staffen was quite rightly sentence to death by hanging, however on the grounds of insanity this was reduced to life imprisonment. Straffen died in 2007 at the age of 77, he was the longest serving British prisioner at 55 years, Ian Brady now has that record.

2. Ian Brady (1938-2017) - Serial Killer

In the 1960s Ian Brady along with his accomplice Myra Hindly, murdered 5 young children, Pauline Reade age 16, John Kilbride aged 12, Keith Bennett aged 12, Lesley Ann Downey aged 10 and Edward Evans aged 17. Brady was imprisoned in Ashworth Hospital where he died aged 79 of lung disease. He was inside 52 years.

3. Myra Hindley (1942-2002) - Serial Killer

Myra along with her accomplice and boyfriend Ian Brady murdered 5 children in the 1960s and were known as the Moors Murders. Myra claimed to be coerced into the murders by Brady though it is accepted that she played a equal part in the murders. She died at the age of 60 at West Suffolk Hospital of Pneumonia. She served 37 years.

4. Donald Neilson (1936-2011) - Robbery, Kidnap, Murder

Donald, known as The Black Panther, murdered three men during his robberies of Post Offices in the early 70s as well as kidnapping and murdering a 17 year old girl. Donald Skepper aged 50 , Derick Astin aged 44, Sidney Grayland aged 58 were the three postmasters shot to death by him. Lesley Whittle was a 17 year old girl whom Donald kidnapped and later hanged after a failed ransom. Donald died aged 75 of breathing difficuties. He had served 35 years.

5. Trevor Hardy (1945-2012) - Serial Killer

Trevor also known as The Beast of Manchester murdered 3 teenage girls in the 1970s. Janet Lesley Stewart aged 15, Wanda Skala aged 17 and Sharon Mosoph aged 17 were his victims. Trevor died of a heart attack in his cell at Wakefield Prison. He had served 35 years.

6. Robert Maudsley (1953) - Serial Killer

Robert Maudsley also known as Hannibal the Cannibal, murdered four people, three of his murders were committed while he was imprisoned. John Farrell aged 30, a man he had picked up for sex, David Francis aged 26, a convicted child molester, Salney Darwood aged 46' a man convicted of manslaughter and William Roberts 56, convicted of sexual assault on a 7 year old girl. Robert is currently in jail in Liverpool and is now Britain's longest serving jailer.

7. Archibald Hall (1924-2002) - Serial Killer

Archibald also known as The Killer Butler, had five victims. David Wright, his former lover, Dorothy Scott Elliot, the wife of his former employer an MP, Walter Scott Elliot MP, his former employer, Mary Coggle, an accomplice, and Donald Hall his brother. Hall died in jail of a stroke aged 78. He had served 24 years.

8. John Childs (1939) - Assassin For Hire

John Childs an assassin for hire had 6 victims, whose bodies had never been located. Terence Eve, dismembered then burned, Robert Brown killed with an axe, knife and sword, George Brett and his son Terry Brett (only 10) shot in the head, Freddy Sherwood also shot in the head and lastly Ronald Andrews, who was shot in the head. He has been inside 38 years.

9. Dennis Nilsen (1945-2018) - Serial Killer

Dennis Nilsen murdered 12-15 people, mainly homeless or gay men. One of his victims was just 14. Dennis suffered a massive hemorrhage dying at the age of 72 in York. He'd been inside 35 years

10. Arthur Hutchinson (1941) - Murderer

Arthur crashed a wedding reception and murdered 3 people, Basil Latiner, 59 his wife Avril Latiner 55 and their son Richard Latiner 28. He also raped their daughter at knifepoint. He has been inside 34 years.

Part 2 coming in a future post.

see more about the moors murders here https://sarahgibson1988.wixsite.com/stepintoescapism/post/ian-brady-and-myra-hindley-the-moors-murderers