Britain's 'most dangerous' prisoner's nephew spots startling 'change' in killer

Irish Daily Mirror

20-06-2025

Robert Maudsley's nephew has opened up about his serial killer uncle, revealing he is "not in a great place" following his transfer from 'Monster Mansion' prison.
The notorious British prisoner, who holds the record for the longest incarceration in the UK, was moved from HMP Wakefield on April 8 to Whitemoor prison, some 125 miles away in Cambridgeshire, UK. He had spent a whopping 40 years straight inside Wakefield. According to Gavin, who shares a close relationship with Maudsley, the relocation hasn't sat well with him.
Gavin detailed to Behind Bars TV: "In Whitemoor, to the best of our knowledge, he hasn't got his stuff. His regime is an hour out of his cell each day, and that is not an hour in the yard, within this hour you have to get your shower and all that. Any time you take a shower, that comes off your yard time.
"He is not in a great place right now. I am still trying to confirm and verify if he has a TV or if he has his books and stuff – but I can't imagine how it will be for him if he hasn't."
Maudsley's family, from Merseyside, are eagerly wanting to visit him – Gavin last met his uncle just weeks before the sudden prison change.
Previously labelled as Britain's most dangerous prisoner, Maudsley had killed two inmates while inside Wakefield, adding to his grim record that began with the killing of John Farrell in 1974 and included the death of another at Broadmoor Hospital before his spree continued behind bars.
He was infamously dubbed Hannibal the Cannibal after rumours spread that he had consumed the brains of one of his victims, and even though this was later debunked, the moniker persisted.
Speaking about his notorious uncle Maudsley, Gavin told ex-con Ricky Killeen: "You will be hard pushed to find someone who can't empathise with what he has been through. I always say, nobody is born a serial killer, there is certain things to happen in one's life for it to end up in that place."
After a spat with staff at Wakefield over "privileges", Maudsley reportedly went on a hunger strike lasting as long as five weeks, before his eventual transfer to a specialist unit in Whitemoor jail, Cambridgeshire.
Now 71 and having spent the majority of his life in relative isolation following his spree of vigilante justice, Maudsley is said to be challenging his recent prison move.
Gavin revealed that his uncle had settled into a "relatively comfortable" routine in Wakefield, noting that he had long come to terms with his whole life sentence and never sought to challenge it.
Delving into the dynamics behind bars, Gavin shared: "Most of them (prison guards) respected him and would play chess with him, they would have conversations with him, and eventually he found himself in a position where he had a TV in his cell.
"He had a PlayStation in his cell, he had his music system, his CDs, he had his books, he would get an hour in the gym, he would get an hour in the yard, and he would get an hour in the kitchen.
"And for him, he said, 'All I ever wanted was my own space, Gavin, I've got it now.' Unfortunately it is in the underbelly of Wakefield, but he has got his own space."
Gavin stated: "He had a phone in his cell in Wakefield, he doesn't now in Whitemoor. He had a phone and he could phone family and stuff like that.
"He had his canteen money, he was only ever on basic because he wouldn't go into psychology programs. He was only on basic but he had what he needed. He was comfortable."
Furthermore, Gavin voiced concerns about his uncle's well-being and mentioned how he's been informed that getting transferred back to Wakefield would be a "difficult" challenge.
The Prison Service declined to comment on individual prisoners.
However, a source told The Mirror that prisoners in Whitemoor prison receive at least one hour out of their cell per day. They also stressed that Maudsley has access to the exercise yard and that he does have his belongings along with a telephone in his cell.