UK's most dangerous prisoner kept in glass box 'will kill again' if given chance (2024)

Table of Contents
Read More Read More FAQs

One of Britain's' most dangerous serial killers has issued a chilling warning vowing to kill again if given the chance.

Robert Maudsley has been in solitary confinement in a glass cell since 1979 and is Britain's longest serving prisoner, having been caged for 47 years for the murder of four men in the 1970s.

He carried out his own wave of vigilante justice, even killing three of his victims while in prison.

In a hard-hitting documentary 'HMP Wakefield: Evil Behind Bars', Maudsley's nephew Gavin reveals how his softly spoken, well-read uncle is content to be kept in solitary confinement locked away from the rest of the world.

The serial killer says how he is "happy and content in solitary" and warned that he will kill again if ever released.

Previously known as 'Hannibal the Cannibal,' Maudsley was once rumoured to have eaten part of the brain of one of his victims in prison.

While there is not thought to be any truth to the rumour, he has earnt himself a reputation as one of Britain's most dangerous criminals.

Maudsley, 68, was locked up for the murder of John Farrell, age 30, in March 1974.

Whilst serving a life sentence, he then embarked on a sickening wave of vigilante violence murdering three men.

  • David Francis, a convicted child molester
  • Salney Darwood, who was serving life for the manslaughter of his wife Blanche
  • William Roberts, who was serving 7 years for sexual assault of a seven-year-old girl.

In a letter to his nephew, Gavin, aged 40 and from Liverpool but now living in London, the serial killer says how he is happy and content in solitary confinement and warned that he will kill again if ever released.

The caged killer has been repeatedly turned down for requests to spend time with other human beings and has to live out his days in a cell especially built for him.

Measuring 18 foot by 15 foot, the cell is constructed from bullet proof perspex and has compressed cardboard furniture.

He spends 23 hours of each day in the cell, sleeping on a concrete slab and using a toilet and sink which are bolted to the floor.

Maudsley, known as 'Uncle Bob', from Toxteth, Liverpool, committed his first murder in 1974, aged just 21.

After running away to London, Maudsley started working as a male prostitute. He then brutally murdered paedophile John Farrell in Wood Green London, after he showed pictures of children he had sexually abused.

Following the slaying, he handed himself in to police and immediately confessed his crime.

He was deemed unfit to stand trial and was sent to Broadmoor Hospital, home to some of Britain's most violent inmates.

At first, he was a model prisoner and stayed out of trouble, but in 1977 he and fellow prisoner David Cheeseman locked themselves in a cell with child molester David Francis in 1977.

After a nine-hour torture ordeal, they dangled the lifeless body of Francis for prison guards to see.

Maudsley was convicted of manslaughter and sent to HMP Wakefield.

In 1978, Maudsley strangled and stabbed Salney Darwood, 46, who had been jailed for killing his wife.

He hid Darwood's body under bed before sneaking into the cell of paedophile Bill Roberts, 56, who had sexually abused a girl aged seven.

He stabbed Roberts, hacked his skull with a makeshift dagger and smashed his head against a wall.

He was later sentenced to life imprisonment.

In 2000, he launched a legal bid to the courts requesting to be allowed to die.

Get the stories you want straight to your inbox. Sign up to one of the Mirror's newsletters

In a letter he wrote at the time, he said: "What purpose is served by keeping me locked up 23 hours a day?

"Why even bother to feed me and to give me one hour's exercise a day? Who actually am I a risk to?

"As a consequence of my current treatment and confinement, I feel that all I have to look forward to is indeed psychological breakdown, mental illness and probable suicide.

"Why can't I have a budgie instead of flies, co*ckroaches and spiders which I currently have. I promise to love it and not eat it?

"Why can't I have a television in my cell to see the world and learn? Why can't I have any music tapes and listen to beautiful classical music?

"If the Prison Service says no then I ask for a simple cyanide capsule which I shall willingly take and the problem of Robert John Maudsley can easily and swiftly be resolved."

Elliot Reed, director of HMP Wakefield: Evil Behind Bars, said: "West Yorkshire's notorious HMP Wakefield Prison is known in the prison system as the Monster Mansion. It's a dustbin, a warehouse for the worst Category A prisoners. Home to some of the most terrible men in British criminal history, like Roy Whiting, Jeremy Bamber, Charles Bronson, and Robert Maudsley.

"Through interviews with ex-inmates, retired screws, and relatives of Britain's most infamous inmates, we unlock the cell doors and uncover the secrets of life inside the UK's toughest jail.

"We learn about life on the mixed wings where hated sex offenders and child killers are abused and attacked, and even killed, as they fight for their lives. We hear about the tough regime and difficult conditions of Wakefield's notorious punishment block, F-Wing, the segregation unit, solitary confinement for the worst of the worst. And we find out from exclusive personal letters written to his nephew Gavin how the most dangerous prisoner in Britain, Robert Maudsley, is coping alone in his specially glass cage in the basem*nt of the prison.

"Exclusive phone-calls from one of the UK's longest serving inmates Charles Bronson reveal first-hand what life is really like as inmate in Wakefield Prison.

"Bronson's son George recounts how his life changed forever when he was summoned to the prison to meet the Dad, he never knew he had. And we hear never before told stories from inside the walls of Wakefield about Jeremy Bamber, arguably as famous for his fight to get out of prison than for the crimes he committed to be sent there.

"Many of HMP Wakefield inmates are in for life, some will never be released and will die as pensioners behind bars. So, should we be treating the worst of the worst more humanely in jail? Or does society prefer to lock them up, throw away the key and forget about them?"

  • HMP Wakefield: Evil Behind Bars airs tonight (Monday) on Channel 5 at 9pm.

Read More

Read More

UK's most dangerous prisoner kept in glass box 'will kill again' if given chance (2024)

FAQs

UK's most dangerous prisoner kept in glass box 'will kill again' if given chance? ›

One of Britain's' most dangerous serial killers has issued a chilling warning vowing to kill again if given the chance. Robert Maudsley has been in solitary confinement in a glass cell since 1979 and is Britain's longest serving prisoner, having been caged for 47 years for the murder of four men in the 1970s.

Why is Robert Maudsley in a glass box? ›

Maudsley, 70, has been in solitary confinement in a bulletproof glass cell since 1983 after killing three people in prison while serving a life sentence for murder. The twisted killer is kept in the bulletproof underground box, measuring 18ft by 14ft, for 23 hours a day, in the basem*nt of Wakefield Prison.

Who is Britain's most guarded prisoner? ›

One of Britain's 'most dangerous prisoners' who is kept in a glass box within a jail should be freed, according to a psychiatrist who has treated him. Robert Maudsley, aged 70, has been incarcerated since he was 21.

Who was the serial killer in the glass box UK? ›

Robert Maudsley has been locked up in a specially-built glass cell since 1983 after being handed a life sentence for killing three people. The cell is in an underground box, which measures 18ft by 14ft, and is in the basem*nt of maximum security Wakefield Prison.

Who is the most guarded prisoner in the world? ›

An autopsy later showed Clutts had been stabbed forty times. Thomas Silverstein has been locked under the tightest conditions in the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in total isolation since he murdered a correctional officer in 1983. The lights are kept on 24 hours a day in his cell.

What is the toughest jail in UK? ›

Belmarsh is also notoriously known as "Hellmarsh" due to the fact that Belmarsh is considered the toughest prison in the UK and due to the high number of physical and authority abuses reported by both the prison's inmates (including former politician and convicted criminal Jeffrey Archer, who coined the name "Hellmarsh ...

Who is Hannibal Lecter based on in real life? ›

Hannibal Lecter was inspired by an actual murderous doctor named Alfredo Ballí Treviño, who was a former surgeon. Lecter and Treviño shared similarities in their impeccable taste, erudite mannerisms, and previous medical professions.

Who is England's hardest prisoner? ›

Charles Arthur "Charlie" Salvador, formerly Charles Ali Ahmed, born Michael Gordon Peterson, Luton, Bedfordshire, England, UK, on 6th December 1952, better known as Charles Bronson, is a villain, who's often been referred to in the British press as the self-styled "most violent prisoner in Britain" and "Britain's most ...

What nationality is most in UK prisons? ›

Albania

Are there any Supermax prisons in the UK? ›

HM Prison Belmarsh is an example of a Category A prison. They are the equivalent of a supermax/maximum security prison in the United States for example. Category B – 'Those who do not require maximum security, but for whom escape still needs to be made very difficult'.

Who is the forgotten serial killer UK? ›

Book overview

Serial killer Patrick Mackay was dubbed the most dangerous man in Britain when he appeared in court in 1975 charged with three killings, including the axe murder of a priest.

Who is the number 1 serial killer in the UK? ›

The most prolific serial killer in British history – by a considerable margin – is Harold Shipman.

Who was Britains biggest female serial killer? ›

1. Mary Ann Cotton. Mary Ann Cotton – also known as the Dark Angel – was born in 1832 and holds the grim title of Britain's first female serial killer. Operating in the mid-19th century in Plymouth, she's suspected of poisoning 21 people, including 11 of her 13 children and three husbands.

What country has the roughest prisons? ›

Top 10 Worst Prisons of All Times
  • La Sabaneta Prison, Venezuela.
  • Black Dolphin Prison, Russia.
  • Gitarama Central Prison, Rwanda.
  • Camp 22, North Korea.
  • Gldani Prison, Georgia.
  • Peru San Juan de Lurigancho, Peru.
  • Nairobi Prison, Kenya.
  • Diyarbakir Prison, Turkey.
Feb 7, 2024

Are there secret prisons in the United States? ›

United States

CIA controlled black sites have been used by the U.S. government in its War on Terror to detain enemy combatants. US President George W. Bush acknowledged the existence of secret prisons operated by the CIA during a speech on September 6, 2006.

Why is Hannibal in a glass cell? ›

It is unknown if Lecter was originally housed in this cell, or only moved there after he savaged a nurse one year into his incarceration, after which his security measures were tightened. Lecter mentions that he has been in the cell for eight years, making it likely he has spent the entirity of his incarceration there.

What is the movie about Robert Maudsley? ›

The Killer in My Family: Robert Maudsley (2020) | MUBI.

Who were the bodies of the tool box killers? ›

Andrea Hall, 18; Jacqueline Gilliam, 15; Jacqueline Leah Lamp, 13; and Shirley Lynette Ledford, 16, were killed over the following five months. The bodies of Schaefer and Hall, unlike the other victims, haven't been found. The killers recorded and took Polaroids of their victims, including Shirley Ledford.

Who lived in a glass box? ›

Robert Maudsley has spent a total of 16,4000 days living in solitary confinement inside a glass cell after killing four men in the 1970s. One of the UK's most threatening serial killers has spent a total of 16,400 days living in solitary confinement inside a glass cell since 1979.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Tyson Zemlak

Last Updated:

Views: 6401

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (43 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Tyson Zemlak

Birthday: 1992-03-17

Address: Apt. 662 96191 Quigley Dam, Kubview, MA 42013

Phone: +441678032891

Job: Community-Services Orchestrator

Hobby: Coffee roasting, Calligraphy, Metalworking, Fashion, Vehicle restoration, Shopping, Photography

Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.