Latest news with #JoannaDennehy
The Sun
04-07-2025
- The Sun
Serial killer Joanna Dennehy was my evil stepmum… she was a sex-maniac who wanted us to ‘perform' & rinsed my dad's cash
JOANNA Dennehy is one of the most dangerous women in the UK and 13 years ago, she was Dani Hitchcock's evil stepmother. Now, Dani, who is from Peterborough and works in childcare, has bravely opened up on what it was really like to have a triple murderer in her life. 4 4 4 4 Dani was just 13-years-old when she first met her father's girlfriend at the time, Joanna Dennehy, 42, who then went on to murder three men and dump their bodies in ditches in Cambridgeshire in 2013. Dani described Joanna as an 'evil stepmum,' who was far worse than ones you see 'in films.' She claimed that when she first met Joanna, the family went on a trip to the cinema, but Dani acknowledged that her new stepmum barely said a word to her or her brothers. Dani stressed she had a 'gut feeling straight away' that Joanna was 'not a very nice person,' as she voiced: 'That good impression was never set - [she was a] very cold person, didn't speak to us, didn't smile.' Shortly after her breakup with Dani's dad in 2012, Joanna, from St Albans, Herts., murdered three men - Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, John Chapman, 56, and Kevin Lee, 48 - and stabbed two more before going on the run and posting pictures of herself holding a huge knife. She was convicted of three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in November that year. The court was told she was a diagnosed 'psychopath' with a 'lust for blood' who had been on probation for other offences when she went on her killing spree. A judge called her "cruel, calculating, selfish, and manipulative" after a court heard of her murderous antics, which involved mutilating a corpse and squeezing the body into a sequined black dress. Reflecting on the time Joanna was in her life, Dani described the killer as 'really awful' and 'so cold', with 'no motherly type of way about her.' Not only this, but Dani believes that Joanna 'resented' her, as she shared: 'I don't think she liked me, she wanted to steal the spotlight that was meant to be on us, she wanted that for herself.' And not only did Dani get bad vibes from Joanna, who once described killing as "moreish and fun" and has become one of four women in the country to be sentenced to a whole life behind bars, but she also claimed that she would 'rinse' her dad, who was diagnosed with MS aged 30, for cash too. Dani admitted: 'She would make sure that my dad would spend good money on her, and she would absolutely rinse him of his money - she liked that.' Not only did Joanna spend her father's 'well-earned' cash on herself, but she would also make 'very inappropriate comments' too, as Dani confessed: 'She once said something along the lines of 'I'm just going to give this to your dad because I just want to make him like horny' - you don't say that to a 13-year-old.' Not only this, but shortly after her clip went viral, Dani uploaded a follow-up video, whereby she got candid on her 'bonding time' with Joanna. Dani explained that Joanna, who she described as an ' alcoholic ' who would often be 'up drinking till early hours of the morning', wanted to have 'bonding time' with her, but it was really 'for her own benefit.' Dani recognised that not only was Joanna 'malicious,' with a 'wicked mind', but she was also 'very sex -orientated,' and somewhat a 'sex-maniac.' Teaching her 'pole dancing' And when Dani was just 13-years-old, she recalled moments where Joanna would teach her provocative dance moves to Do It Like a Dude by Jessie J. Dani described it as 'pole dancing without the pole', as she bravely expressed: 'We practiced these moves for hours upon hours - she kept being like 'we've got to perform it, we're going to perform it together.'' Joanna Dennehy's victims Twisted Joanna Dennehy's murder spree has been labelled the 'most dangerous person' crimologist Christopher Berry-Dee has 'ever, ever come into contact with' - here we look at her chilling crimes. Dennehy's first victim was her housemate Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, on March 19, 2013. She convinced the Polish national that she wanted to meet him for sex before stabbing him in the heart and dumping his body in a wheelie bin, Falklands War veteran John Chapman, 56, who was also believed to have lived with Dennehy, was murdered by her a week later. Property developer Kevin Lee became Dennehy's final victim on March 29. He was her landlord and lover before she ended his life. In a letter to a former lover, Dennehy revealed she dressed Lee in a black sequinned to 'humiliate him' and dumped his body in Newborough. Dennehy also tried to kill two others during her 10-day spree. She recruited accomplice Gary Stretch, 47, and the pair drove to Hereford where she stabbed John Rogers, 64, and Robin Bereza, 57. Fortunately, both of them survived. Dennehy received a life term for the killings and attempted murders. Stretch was jailed for life after being found guilty of attempted murder. Not only has Dani been candid online about moments alongside Joanna, who even plotted to kill Rost West and chop off a guard's finger to escape 'Monster Mansion' jail, but she previously opened up on this to Fabulous, as she expressed: 'I was so uncomfortable. I'd never liked Joanna and I couldn't understand why she had come into my room urging me to pole dance with her. 'It made no sense, and I felt sick as she encouraged me to wiggle my hips - and then suggested we perform a routine for my dad. It was so inappropriate, encouraging a child to be 'sexy'. 'She lived with my dad for two-and-a-half years, and I never warmed to her. In fact, I got very dodgy vibes off her - she was so cold. It made me feel really uneasy, a feeling which has stayed with me to this day.' Dennehy robbed a significant part of my childhood and the memories of it linger into adulthood Dani Hitchcock Dani confessed to being 'emotionally traumatised by her behaviour and presence' which created a 'toxic atmosphere' in her household. She added: 'Boundaries were always blurred with her. I dreaded being at dad's house, but I wanted to see him. 'Dennehy robbed a significant part of my childhood and the memories of it linger into adulthood. 'Her emotional abuse has impacted me. As a result of her behaviour, I cut people off really easily, but thankfully I also forgive easily.' 'Lucky escape' Dani's TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ daniemilyx, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has racked up 176,600 views. It's also amassed 5,489 likes and 85 comments. Social media users were gobsmacked to hear Dani's story and claimed that she and her siblings had a 'very lucky escape.' One person said: 'Seems your dad and you had a VERY VERY lucky escape.' Another added: 'My god you all had a very lucky escape. She is pure evil.'
Daily Mail
08-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Joanna Dennehy's twisted henchmen: Female serial killer had two 'nodding dog' devoted followers plan murders, dump bodies and hide her in their homes… but where are they now?
A tall but overweight man wearing scruffy clothes lifts up his shirt provocatively and stares gormlessly into the camera as he poses on the balcony of a suburban council block. At a glance it looks like a cringeworthy picture posted on social media - but the truth is chilling. The man in this grainy photo is Gary Stretch, a 'nodding dog' follower to one of Britain's most notorious female serial killers - Joanna Dennehy. Dennehy took the picture in 2013 while she was on the run from the police after butchering three men and just hours before she set off to stab two more innocent victims. Stretch, formerly known as Gary Richards, was Dennehy's key accomplice and called himself her 'Hubby 4 Lifey' in jail-house love letters. But he was not the only acolyte under the killer's spell. Leslie Layton was also one of Dennehy's henchmen and helped her dispose of the bodies of two of her victims. Like Stretch, he was said to be under the 'psychological' control of the killer, though was described as 'willing' by a judge. Dennehy was handed a whole life tariff after her trial heard she had a 'fetish' and 'taste' for murder. But far from reformed, last week it was revealed she had chopped off the finger of a prison guard in an audacious, but failed, attempt to escape from Britain's high security female prison, HMP Bronzefield. While Dennehy will die behind bars for her heinous crimes - MailOnline reveals what has become of the men that fell under her spell. Mother-of-two Dennehy, from Peterborough, had bragged to her friends while on the run that herself and Stretch - also a father to three children - were a modern day 'Bonnie and Clyde'. The 59-year-old had helped her hide the bodies of her three victims, 31-year-old lover Lukasz Slaboszewski, housemate John Chapman, and landlord and lover Kevin Lee. The pair then drove 140 miles west in a Vauxhall Astra registered under the false company name Undertaker and Sons to Hereford where he aided her in randomly picking out two dog-walkers to attack. But while Dennehy viewed the 7ft3 'giant' as her partner in crime, his defence claimed at trial that he had been 'manipulated' and 'bent' by Dennehy to act as she wished. Stretch's defence lawyer, Karim Khalil QC, had likened Dennehy to a 'Shakesperean' or 'Jacobean' villain, and said she surrounded herself with people she 'knew to be weak' and could 'bend to her will'. He described Stretch, 59, as her 'nodding dog', even addressing the subject of Stretch's size stating: 'Fear is a terrible thing. It crushes the human spirit. Fear makes a mockery of size.' Dennehy - who psychiatrist Dr Frank Farnham found had the condition paraphilia sadomasochism, a disorder of preference for sexual activity involving the infliction of pain or humiliation or bondage - is believed to have met Stretch several years before the killing spree. In a letter to ex-partner Julie Gibbons after trial, Stretch told of how he had met Dennehy after a spell in prison and had been staying on a sofa at her home. Speaking to The Mirror back in 2014, Ms Gibbons had told of how she feared her family could have been Dennehy's next target after Stretch suggested he had only helped her to 'keep her away from his family'. Ms Gibbons, who described Stretch as a 'gentle giant', had said Dennehy must have had him under her 'spell' and that he had 'fallen in love with her'. In twisted letters written to Dennehy from his cell while they both awaited sentencing, Stretch had written that she was his 'devil in the flesh' and described sex with her as 'a dream never to come true'. He had also praised her 'bloodthirsty' leanings and 'dirty and dark mind' and even signed off the letters with 'Your biggest supporter!' 'Undertaker' and 'Hubby 4 Lifey'. Despite attempts by the defence to argue Stretch had been under Dennehy's influence, he was sentenced to life with a minimum of 19 years after being found guilty of three counts of preventing the lawful burial of a body and one of attempted murder at Cambridge Crown Court. Now, over ten years later, it is understood Stretch is still serving his sentence at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes. The infatuated accomplice of the serial killer had launched two appeals against his life sentence, both of which were rejected by an Appeal Court judge in 2014. At the Court of Appeal hearing in October 2014, Lord Justice Pitchford said the life sentence handed out to Stretch was appropriate to his crimes. 'The applicant, knowing that Dennehy was a serial killer and for that reason likely to kill again, assisted her to evade justice by concealing the bodies of her three victims. 'We agree with the judge first that the applicant presented a most serious danger to the public and second, that the sentence for the attempted murders must be condemnatory,' he said. He added: 'We conclude that it is not arguable that any part of the sentence imposed was inappropriate and for this reason the renewed application for leave to appeal is dismissed.' Dennehy's crimes were so inhumane that she is one of only four women in the UK to have ever been handed a whole life order. The twisted serial killer told police officers and psychiatrists of how she found killing 'moreish' and 'fun', and had tried it to see if she was 'as cold' as she thought. She went from killing her first victim Lukasz Slaboszewski with a single stab wound to the heart, to launching a frenzied attack of more than 30 stab wounds on her final victim John Rogers - who miraculously survived. Dennehy had met her first victim Slaboszewski just days before the murder. She had befriended him and he had messaged a friend to the effect that 'life was beautiful' now he had Dennehy as his 'girlfriend'. She then lured him to her home in Rolleston Garth, Peterborough, and stabbed him through the heart. She had then dumped the body in a wheelie bin and even brought over a 14-year-old girl she had befriended to view the body. Dennehy and Stretch then using money borrowed from landlord Lee - who later became her third victim - dumped Slaboszewski's body in a ditch. It was during her second murder that her second accomplice Layton became involved. While a judge acknowledged Layton had 'played a subordinate role to Gary Stretch', he still found he was a 'willing' participant. He was said to be another 'nodding dog' of Dennehy's, helping to hide the bodies of two of her victims and cover their tracks. Cambridge Crown Court had heard how he and Stretch had acted out of fear that they could be her next victims. Layton, who had left home and cut ties with his family as a teenager, had been living in a flat above Dennehy. The judge described how he had become 'caught up in the excitement and fascination of the appalling murders'. Dennehy's second victim, John Chapman, a 56-year-old man who was 'kindly and harmless' and had served in the Royal Navy but fallen to alcoholism, was a housemate to Layton. Stretch and Layton had met and drank with Chapman just days before Dennehy murdered him by stabbing him in his own bed sitting room. In a horrifying discovery, a photograph of Chapman's dead body was found on Layton's mobile phone. The judge found that Layton's reaction to finding Chapman's dead body was not to call for help but to photograph the body for his 'own purposes as a morbid souvenir.' Dennehy's third victim Lee, her landlord and lover, was lured to her flat and stabbed five times in the chest. Layton was found to have been involved in getting rid of the bodies and setting fire to Lee's Mondeo car. Lee's body was dressed in a black sequined dress when dumped as a final act of humiliation. Layton was sentenced to 14 years after he was found guilty of preventing the lawful and decent burial of two men and perverting the course of justice. He is understood to have been released on licence after seven years, and is believed to be living in Lincoln. Speaking to Layton's mum outside her home in Peterborough, Susan Layton, 72, told of how she did not recognise her son when she saw him in court. While she had not been in contact with her son for almost two decades, the news of the trial still came as a huge shock to her, prompting her to attend court. She said: 'My son was involved but I don't know what went on. I was shocked. I was literally shocked. 'Me and my youngest daughter, we went to court. 'It wasn't my son. It didn't look like him if you know what I mean. 'I couldn't even recognise him. 'In his teens when he was like 17 he said 'oh I can go and get a place of my own, £7 a week', I said 'go and do it', so he went and after that nothing. 'He doesn't speak to any of the family.' Representing Layton during trial, Christopher Morgan said: 'The only person who glorifies in death and who trades on it and gets satisfaction from thinking about it and doing it is Joanna Dennehy. 'Leslie Layton has nothing to do with those exceptional circumstances, he's now caught up in it.' Layton supposedly now lives in Lincoln, having built a new life and finding a partner. Layton's mother told MailOnline: 'I know that he lives in Lincoln somewhere but where I don't know. 'He didn't even speak to me before and he won't even speak to me now. 'I haven't tried reaching out because I mean it probably would be disheartening for him and for me. 'But he's got his life now and I've got mine. And I think he's got a girlfriend apparently. 'I know he got 14 years but when he came out I do not know. He's got seven years to do and I think he's got a tag on. 'Apparently, according to what I got told, he [Stretch] is going to go for him [Leslie] when he's out. 'Because apparently he thought it was him that turned and split on them two, that it was him that turned and informed the police. 'Because he got less than what them two got. 'But she [Dennehy] is still inside. And she'll stay until the rest of her life.' While Stretch could one day have hopes of being released, Dennehy will spend her entire life behind bars. As MailOnline visited one of the flats Dennehy had lived in when she carried out the murders, a neighbour who had lived in the block at the time shouted: 'Sod her! 'She can rot in jail!'
Scottish Sun
04-06-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
From Rose West & Myra Hindley's ‘affair' to child killers at war… why infamous monsters ALWAYS become rivals behind bars
Top criminologist reveals the two crucial psychological factors that turn despicable killers and rapists against each other MONSTERS' BRAWL From Rose West & Myra Hindley's 'affair' to child killers at war… why infamous monsters ALWAYS become rivals behind bars Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THEIR deadly urges might appear to make them kindred spirits, but behind bars, the world's most despised serial killers have often turned against each other in explosive fashion. From loathsome love affairs to murder plots and gruesome jail attacks, these warped rivalries also expose a dark psychology that drives these infamous monsters, according to a top criminologist. 9 Rose West, pictured with killer husband Fred, was reportedly targeted in jail Credit: Shutterstock 9 Spree killer Joanna Dennehy had plotted to take down West Credit: PA:Press Association This week, it was reported that spree killer Joanna Dennehy threatened to kill Rose West behind bars just minutes after she arrived in the same prison as the House of Horrors murderer. The twisted pair were both caged at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey. West was allegedly taken into solitary confinement before she was transferred to another prison the following day, as prison guards feared the worst. Dennehy is currently serving a life term in prison for stabbing five men, three who died, is known as one of the country's most notorious female killers. Criminologist Professor David Wilson is not at all surprised that Dennehy would want to target West, explaining she is desperate to cement her own self-styled reputation as Britain's most evil woman. 'Quite clearly Rose West is a convicted serial killer, then you have Joanna Dennehy who isn't a serial killer, but is a spree killer,' he explains. 'But Joanna Dennehy has carefully constructed for herself a persona where she wants to be seen as the most dangerous woman that Britain has ever produced. 'And therefore having Rose West in the same prison... she undermines that sense. "A plot for the spree killer to kill the serial killer embellishes and improves her reputation as being that dangerous female murderer. She would be the ultimate top dog. 'These people want to reinvent their brand, sometimes they are polishing that sense of what the public think of them, because these confrontations get reported on. They can enhance and keep their brand in the limelight.' But Dennehy isn't the only notorious prisoner to start a bitter feud behind bars with an infamous rival. Pathetic last days of Rose West revealed as serial killer monster can barely walk, has no friends & has new fake identity And Professor Wilson, also a former prison governor, says there are two key reasons for this - personality and the prison environment. 'Ultimately what characterises them all is narcissism. These people like to be the centre of attention, and as long as they can be the centre of attention that fits their psychological needs," he says. 'Sometimes a friendship or alliance with another prisoner who has a reputation outside or inside can enhance their narcissistic personality trait. "But other times if they feel that they are under threat from that person, they will change their behaviour accordingly and they will fall out. 'Then the key sociological aspect is that they are all incarcerated in a maximum security prison or a secure hospital. And there is a prison hierarchy and they have a reputation that they want to retain. 'Sometimes the fact that there is a hierarchy means that they want to position themselves as higher up than another prisoner. "Or it may be that they see a kindred spirit so that they can combine forces and act jointly to maintain their place in the hierarchy. "Sometimes there are genuine friendships that develop within secure hospitals and maximum security prisons.' But often these friendships can twist into deadly and bitter rivalry... as we reveal here. Rose West and Myra Hindley 9 Rose West and Myra Hindley are rumoured to have had a short-lived affair Mass murderers Rose West and Myra Hindley were as 'thick as thieves' until a sudden split after they quarrelled over who was more famous, a fellow lag claims. Moors Murderer Myra and Cromwell Street killer Rose first met in HMP Durham in the mid 1990s. It was claimed they had a 'short-lived lesbian relationship' before the fallout. West's former solicitor Leo Goatley said: "Rose's first paramour was the Moors murderer, Myra Hindley, who happened to be on the hospital wing at HMP Durham at the same time in 1995 and early 1996." However, Mr Goatley claims their relationship didn't last long with West saying Hindley could be "very manipulative'. He told the Daily Mail: "When I visited a few months later, Rose's opinion of Hindley had changed dramatically. "She was saying, 'You have to watch Hindley, mind. She is very manipulative. "'You don't realise it, but she gets you doing stuff for her. Oh, she's clever, all right. She's flippin' dangerous, that one. She ain't going to take me for a c*** again.' "And so heralded the end of the romance.' Fellow prisoner Linda Calvey, who served 18 years inside, later claimed the relationship didn't last long, saying: "As fast as it happened, it ended. "There was talk that because Rose was more famous than Myra it had put her nose out of joint.' Yorkshire Ripper and Ronnie Kray 9 Ronnie Kray and the Yorkshire Ripper fell out over the former's sexual advances Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and gangland killer Ronnie Kray were both banged up in maximum security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor in the early 90s. Serial killer Sutcliffe and mobster Kray were once on friendly terms inside, with Sutcliffe being trusted to cut Kray's hair. But Sutcliffe told a pal just months before his death that he threatened to kill Kray after the gangster made advances towards him. In one letter, he wrote: 'I did not give Ronnie a beating although I did threaten him when he tried to make advances on me.' Ronnie Kray died, aged 61, in 1995, while Sutcliffe, who murdered 13 women, died at HMP Frankland from a combination of Covid-19 and heart disease in November 2020, aged 74. Ian Brady and Raymond Morris 9 The infamous child killers scalded each other in a fierce feud The country's most notorious child killers, Raymond Morris and Ian Brady, were embroiled in a savage, behind-bars rivalry. While serving their life sentences the pair often had violent clashes as they argued about who had the greater notoriety. The Cannock Chase Killer and the Moors Murderer attacked each other in Durham Prison, throwing hot water over each other – and both received treatment for scalds following the violence. Historian Richard Pursehouse said of one of the attacks: 'Assuming the phrase was around then, apparently Brady, who had chosen 'tea, no milk, plenty of sugar', had 'napalmed' Morris. 'The lack of milk means it would be hot, while lots of sugar means the tea would stick to Morris's face.' Walsall monster Morris, who died in 2014, was only ever convicted of the murder of seven-year-old Christine Darby but remains chief suspect in the killings of Margaret and Diana Tift. Brady, along with his girlfriend Myra Hindley, was convicted of the murders of five children. He died in prison in 2017. Charles Bronson and Robert Maudsley 9 The pair are said to have 'hated' each other inside the notorious 'Monster Mansion' One of Britain's most feared killers is reportedly embroiled in a bitter feud with infamous prisoner Charles Bronson. Robert Maudsley, who earned the nickname 'Hannibal the Cannibal' after allegations he ate one of his victims' brains, has been locked up for more than 40 years. His dangerous reputation has led to him being kept in isolation inside a glass box underground. The pair reportedly "hated" each other inside HMP Wakefield, also known as "Monster Mansion". In the book, Inside Wakefield Prison, authors Jonathan Levi and Emma French recount how one prison guard, named Jo, described how the pair would torment one another. "Robert Maudsley, Bob as he is known, hates Bronson. They simply do not get on," they explained. "When I was on the unit, Maudsley would play rock music loud to annoy Bronson.' The music would echo through the cell walls and provoke Bronson to "shout" at the killer who refused to respond. In a particularly twisted form of revenge, Bronson was allegedly known to whistle outside Maudsley's cell, supposedly because the latter's mother would lock him in a cupboard and whistle outside the door. Bronson has claimed he and Maudsley fell out over a rejected gift - and he wants revenge. He revealed that he sent Maudsley a watch as a gift, only for it to be rejected by the killer, who instructed the prison guard trying to deliver it to throw the watch in a bin. After the incident he called Maudsley 'an ungrateful b*****d and threatened: 'I pray to one day bump into him at 300mph and, unlike him, I don't need a blade." Levi Bellfield and John Warboys 9 Bellfield and Warboys were pals before falling out over a 'betrayal' Black cab rapist John Worboys bonded with killer Levi Bellfield over their love of football and food - before falling out when Bellfield found out Worboys admitted he was guilty. Bellfield became 'best friends' with rapist Warboys and even offered legal advice, said insiders. When Worboys was moved to a different prison he kept in touch with Bellfield, one of the UK's most notorious child killers, by letter. Despite their friendship Bellfield later wrote to a pen pal claiming they were only pals because he believed Warboys was innocent. He wrote: "He told me he was innocent when I was there. And if he's admitted his guilt now I'm a little bit disappointed because I looked to him as being innocent. "Like a mug I was, but that's what he told me. That's what he told everyone.' Bellfield was jailed for life in 2008 for the hammer murders of Amelie Delagrange, 22, and 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, 18. Three years later he was convicted of killing schoolgirl Milly Dowler, 13, who was abducted on her way home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey in 2002. Roy Whiting and Gary Vinter 9 Double killer Gary Vinter, right, said Roy Whiting was a 'dirty little nonce' Double killer Gary Vinter set his sights on Roy Whiting because of his notoriety. Convicted sex offender Whiting had been jailed for life 2001 for the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, who disappeared while playing near her grandparents' home in Kingston Gorse, West Sussex, in July 2000. Vinter stabbed Whiting in the eyes with a sharpened toilet brush handle in 2011. He attacked Whiting in an attempt to get his own jail conditions changed, Newcastle Crown Court heard. Vinter told the court: "He [Whiting] was a dirty little nonce. That's why I did it." Vinter admitted the attack and was given an indefinite sentence with a notional five-year minimum jail term. But that wasn't the end of his prison violence and Vinter has since become known as one of the most feared prisoners in the British justice system. In 2016 he was handed another life sentence for trying to kill double killer Lee Newell, a fellow lifer at HMP Woodhill. Newell was kicked repeatedly in the head. A prison officer said they were the worst injuries he had seen. Passing sentence, Judge Richard Foster told Vinter: "You must be one of the most dangerous individuals within the prison system today. Your record is truly shocking." Edmund Kemper and Herbert Mullin 9 California killers Kemper and Mullin tormented each other In 1970s California, there was not one but two serial killers on the loose at the same time. Eventually cops arrested Herbert Mullin and Edmund Kemper after the deaths of 21 people, and the pair ended up in adjoining cells in prison. But that despite their grisly common ground, the men did not get along, with Kemper trying to torment Mullin. Kemper recalled: "Well, [Mullin] had a habit of singing and bothering people when somebody tried to watch TV. "So I threw water on him to shut him up. Then, when he was a good boy, I'd give him some peanuts. Herbie liked peanuts. "That was effective because pretty soon he asked permission to sing. That's called behaviour modification treatment.'
The Sun
04-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
From Rose West & Myra Hindley's ‘affair' to child killers at war… why infamous monsters ALWAYS become rivals behind bars
THEIR deadly urges might appear to make them kindred spirits, but behind bars, the world's most despised serial killers have often turned against each other in explosive fashion. From loathsome love affairs to murder plots and gruesome jail attacks, these warped rivalries also expose a dark psychology that drives these infamous monsters, according to a top criminologist. 9 9 This week, it was reported that spree killer Joanna Dennehy threatened to kill Rose West behind bars just minutes after she arrived in the same prison as the House of Horrors murderer. The twisted pair were both caged at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey. West was allegedly taken into solitary confinement before she was transferred to another prison the following day, as prison guards feared the worst. Dennehy is currently serving a life term in prison for stabbing five men, three who died, is known as one of the country's most notorious female killers. Criminologist Professor David Wilson is not at all surprised that Dennehy would want to target West, explaining she is desperate to cement her own self-styled reputation as Britain's most evil woman. 'Quite clearly Rose West is a convicted serial killer, then you have Joanna Dennehy who isn't a serial killer, but is a spree killer,' he explains. 'But Joanna Dennehy has carefully constructed for herself a persona where she wants to be seen as the most dangerous woman that Britain has ever produced. 'And therefore having Rose West in the same prison... she undermines that sense. "A plot for the spree killer to kill the serial killer embellishes and improves her reputation as being that dangerous female murderer. She would be the ultimate top dog. 'These people want to reinvent their brand, sometimes they are polishing that sense of what the public think of them, because these confrontations get reported on. They can enhance and keep their brand in the limelight.' But Dennehy isn't the only notorious prisoner to start a bitter feud behind bars with an infamous rival. And Professor Wilson, also a former prison governor, says there are two key reasons for this - personality and the prison environment. 'Ultimately what characterises them all is narcissism. These people like to be the centre of attention, and as long as they can be the centre of attention that fits their psychological needs," he says. 'Sometimes a friendship or alliance with another prisoner who has a reputation outside or inside can enhance their narcissistic personality trait. "But other times if they feel that they are under threat from that person, they will change their behaviour accordingly and they will fall out. 'Then the key sociological aspect is that they are all incarcerated in a maximum security prison or a secure hospital. And there is a prison hierarchy and they have a reputation that they want to retain. 'Sometimes the fact that there is a hierarchy means that they want to position themselves as higher up than another prisoner. "Or it may be that they see a kindred spirit so that they can combine forces and act jointly to maintain their place in the hierarchy. "Sometimes there are genuine friendships that develop within secure hospitals and maximum security prisons.' But often these friendships can twist into deadly and bitter rivalry... as we reveal here. Rose West and Myra Hindley 9 Mass murderers Rose West and Myra Hindley were as 'thick as thieves' until a sudden split after they quarrelled over who was more famous, a fellow lag claims. Moors Murderer Myra and Cromwell Street killer Rose first met in HMP Durham in the mid 1990s. It was claimed they had a 'short-lived lesbian relationship' before the fallout. West's former solicitor Leo Goatley said: "Rose's first paramour was the Moors murderer, Myra Hindley, who happened to be on the hospital wing at HMP Durham at the same time in 1995 and early 1996." However, Mr Goatley claims their relationship didn't last long with West saying Hindley could be "very manipulative'. He told the Daily Mail: "When I visited a few months later, Rose's opinion of Hindley had changed dramatically. "She was saying, 'You have to watch Hindley, mind. She is very manipulative. "'You don't realise it, but she gets you doing stuff for her. Oh, she's clever, all right. She's flippin' dangerous, that one. She ain't going to take me for a c*** again.' "And so heralded the end of the romance.' Fellow prisoner Linda Calvey, who served 18 years inside, later claimed the relationship didn't last long, saying: "As fast as it happened, it ended. "There was talk that because Rose was more famous than Myra it had put her nose out of joint.' Yorkshire Ripper and Ronnie Kray 9 Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and gangland killer Ronnie Kray were both banged up in maximum security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor in the early 90s. Serial killer Sutcliffe and mobster Kray were once on friendly terms inside, with Sutcliffe being trusted to cut Kray's hair. But Sutcliffe told a pal just months before his death that he threatened to kill Kray after the gangster made advances towards him. In one letter, he wrote: 'I did not give Ronnie a beating although I did threaten him when he tried to make advances on me.' Ronnie Kray died, aged 61, in 1995, while Sutcliffe, who murdered 13 women, died at HMP Frankland from a combination of Covid-19 and heart disease in November 2020, aged 74. Ian Brady and Raymond Morris The country's most notorious child killers, Raymond Morris and Ian Brady, were embroiled in a savage, behind-bars rivalry. While serving their life sentences the pair often had violent clashes as they argued about who had the greater notoriety. The Cannock Chase Killer and the Moors Murderer attacked each other in Durham Prison, throwing hot water over each other – and both received treatment for scalds following the violence. Historian Richard Pursehouse said of one of the attacks: 'Assuming the phrase was around then, apparently Brady, who had chosen 'tea, no milk, plenty of sugar', had 'napalmed' Morris. 'The lack of milk means it would be hot, while lots of sugar means the tea would stick to Morris's face.' Walsall monster Morris, who died in 2014, was only ever convicted of the murder of seven-year-old Christine Darby but remains chief suspect in the killings of Margaret and Diana Tift. Brady, along with his girlfriend Myra Hindley, was convicted of the murders of five children. He died in prison in 2017. Charles Bronson and Robert Maudsley 9 One of Britain's most feared killers is reportedly embroiled in a bitter feud with infamous prisoner Charles Bronson. Robert Maudsley, who earned the nickname 'Hannibal the Cannibal' after allegations he ate one of his victims' brains, has been locked up for more than 40 years. His dangerous reputation has led to him being kept in isolation inside a glass box underground. The pair reportedly "hated" each other inside HMP Wakefield, also known as "Monster Mansion". In the book, Inside Wakefield Prison, authors Jonathan Levi and Emma French recount how one prison guard, named Jo, described how the pair would torment one another. "Robert Maudsley, Bob as he is known, hates Bronson. They simply do not get on," they explained. "When I was on the unit, Maudsley would play rock music loud to annoy Bronson.' The music would echo through the cell walls and provoke Bronson to "shout" at the killer who refused to respond. In a particularly twisted form of revenge, Bronson was allegedly known to whistle outside Maudsley's cell, supposedly because the latter's mother would lock him in a cupboard and whistle outside the door. Bronson has claimed he and Maudsley fell out over a rejected gift - and he wants revenge. He revealed that he sent Maudsley a watch as a gift, only for it to be rejected by the killer, who instructed the prison guard trying to deliver it to throw the watch in a bin. After the incident he called Maudsley 'an ungrateful b*****d and threatened: 'I pray to one day bump into him at 300mph and, unlike him, I don't need a blade." Levi Bellfield and John Warboys Black cab rapist John Worboys bonded with killer Levi Bellfield over their love of football and food - before falling out when Bellfield found out Worboys admitted he was guilty. Bellfield became 'best friends' with rapist Warboys and even offered legal advice, said insiders. When Worboys was moved to a different prison he kept in touch with Bellfield, one of the UK's most notorious child killers, by letter. Despite their friendship Bellfield later wrote to a pen pal claiming they were only pals because he believed Warboys was innocent. He wrote: "He told me he was innocent when I was there. And if he's admitted his guilt now I'm a little bit disappointed because I looked to him as being innocent. "Like a mug I was, but that's what he told me. That's what he told everyone.' Bellfield was jailed for life in 2008 for the hammer murders of Amelie Delagrange, 22, and 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, 18. Three years later he was convicted of killing schoolgirl Milly Dowler, 13, who was abducted on her way home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey in 2002. Roy Whiting and Gary Vinter Double killer Gary Vinter set his sights on Roy Whiting because of his notoriety. Convicted sex offender Whiting had been jailed for life 2001 for the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, who disappeared while playing near her grandparents' home in Kingston Gorse, West Sussex, in July 2000. Vinter stabbed Whiting in the eyes with a sharpened toilet brush handle in 2011. He attacked Whiting in an attempt to get his own jail conditions changed, Newcastle Crown Court heard. Vinter told the court: "He [Whiting] was a dirty little nonce. That's why I did it." Vinter admitted the attack and was given an indefinite sentence with a notional five-year minimum jail term. But that wasn't the end of his prison violence and Vinter has since become known as one of the most feared prisoners in the British justice system. In 2016 he was handed another life sentence for trying to kill double killer Lee Newell, a fellow lifer at HMP Woodhill. Newell was kicked repeatedly in the head. A prison officer said they were the worst injuries he had seen. Passing sentence, Judge Richard Foster told Vinter: "You must be one of the most dangerous individuals within the prison system today. Your record is truly shocking." Edmund Kemper and Herbert Mullin 9 In 1970s California, there was not one but two serial killers on the loose at the same time. Eventually cops arrested Herbert Mullin and Edmund Kemper after the deaths of 21 people, and the pair ended up in adjoining cells in prison. But that despite their grisly common ground, the men did not get along, with Kemper trying to torment Mullin. Kemper recalled: "Well, [Mullin] had a habit of singing and bothering people when somebody tried to watch TV. "So I threw water on him to shut him up. Then, when he was a good boy, I'd give him some peanuts. Herbie liked peanuts. "That was effective because pretty soon he asked permission to sing. That's called behaviour modification treatment.' Who are the UK's worst serial killers? THE UK's most prolific serial killer was actually a doctor. Here's a rundown of the worst offenders in the UK. British GP Harold Shipman is one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history. He was found guilty of murdering 15 patients in 2000, but the Shipman Inquiry examined his crimes and identified 218 victims, 80 per cent of whom were elderly women. After his death Jonathan Balls was accused of poisoning at least 22 people between 1824 and 1845. Mary Ann Cotton is suspected of murdering up to 21 people, including husbands, lovers and children. She is Britain's most prolific female serial killer. Her crimes were committed between 1852 and 1872, and she was hanged in March 1873. Amelia Sach and Annie Walters became known as the Finchley Baby Farmers after killing at least 20 babies between 1900 and 1902. The pair became the first women to be hanged at Holloway Prison on February 3, 1903. William Burke and William Hare killed 16 people and sold their bodies. Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was found guilty in 1981 of murdering 13 women and attempting to kill seven others between 1975 and 1980. Dennis Nilsen was caged for life in 1983 after murdering up to 15 men when he picked them up from the streets. He was found guilty of six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to life in jail. Fred West was found guilty of killing 12 but it's believed he was responsible for many more deaths.
Daily Mirror
04-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Rose West moved jails after 'most dangerous female killer' plotted her murder
Joanna Dennehy is considered one of the most dangerous prisoners in the UK - and she is one of only a handful of women who are serving a whole life order after murdering three people and injuring two others Triple killer Joanna Dennehy is deemed to be the most dangerous female prisoner in the UK. The 42 year old was sentenced to was handed a whole life order - the most severe sentence, which offers no possibility of parole - after going on a 10-day killing spree that she called "moreish and fun". In 2013 she slaughtered three people in Peterborough - stabbing her lover Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, housemate John Chapman, 56, and her landlord and lover Kevin Lee, 48, in the heart. She dumped her victims' bodies in a ditch before going on the run and stabbing two more people - Robin Bereza, 64, and 56-year-old John Rogers who were walking their dogs. Luckily, both survived her terrifying attack. Before dumping Mr Lee's body, she dressed him in a black sequinned dress and left him with his buttocks exposed. She is one of only four women currently serving a whole life order, and an expert has said that the triple killer's behaviour in prison shows she still poses a major threat. Indeed, Joanna has shown no regret or remorse for the murders. Ruling that she will die behind bars, the judge who handed down her sentence called her "cruel, calculating, selfish and manipulative". The terrifying killer set the tone for her life behind bars almost immediately after arriving at the high-security prison HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, when she allegedly threatened to murder Rose West. Serial killer West is one of the other women currently serving a whole life order after brutally murdering 10 people along with her husband Fred West. Determined to cement her place as 'top dog', a top criminologist and author told how Dennehy plotted to kill West and overtake her in the prison pecking order. Christopher Berry-Dee, who has interviewed both, said staff at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey took the threat so seriously West was taken to solitary confinement and then transferred her to another prison the next morning. "Joanna Dennehy tried from the get-go to assert herself as top dog," he said. "Between five and 20 minutes after first arriving at Bronzefield in 2014, she said she was going to kill Rose West. Dennehy quickly established herself as the shot-caller. She has guards and inmates at her beck and call." Berry-Dee, an ex-commando who spent decades researching serial killers, shared the chilling claims in his book, Talking with Female Serial Killers. He met Dennehy at Bronzefield in July 2014 and was disturbed by her mask of charm which hid an ice cold, psychopathic nature. Berry-Dee said: "Jo Dennehy was, without doubt, the most evil person I have ever met. She was streets ahead of Aileen Wuornos. When we met she had shaved hair and had put on a lot of weight since the time of her arrest. She was well-spoken and her voice was quiet and menacing. "She was very intense, leaning forward on to the table so her face was around one foot from mine. Her eyes really penetrate and she doesn't blink - like the glare of a great white shark. "I could smell evil coming off her - it's a smell like no other so it's impossible to describe but it's acrid and dirty. When I've spoken to killers before, there's a warmth, a trace of compassion. But with Jo, just pure evil." Berry-Dee, who taught interview techniques, tried to bait Dennehy into explaining why she committed murder. But she blocked his every attempt, then threatened to kill him. He said: "Murderers have said things like that to me before, but this time I froze. I knew Jo was serious." She has caused havoc in prison. She formed a lesbian relationship with an inmate but threatened to kill her when she discovered she had a girlfriend outside. Guards unearthed an escape plot which involved cutting off a female guard's finger to activate locks. Ominously, Christopher is convinced Dennehy will commit murder behind bars. He said: "No amount of prison psychiatry will ever remove the psychotic nature of Jo. She's like a black widow spider, festering, waiting to pounce. She will kill again – no doubt about that. I predict her next victim will be a prison guard stabbed to death." In sharp contrast, Berry-Dee believed West, whom he met at HMP Winchester, poses "zero threat". He said: "Without Fred I believe Rose would never have killed anyone. They were like a hand grenade and detonator - once they got together, bang." Dennehy has spent much of her sentence in solitary confinement to avoid the killer from enacting further violence, something she tried to get compensation for in 2016, claiming it was a violation of her human rights. Her bid was unsuccessful, with the legal team acting for the prison calling her "arguably the most dangerous female prisoner in custody". Four years later, Joanna was transferred to HMP Low Newton after it was discovered she had been having an affair with a male prison guard - but in her new prison, she has reportedly struck up a relationship with another violent killer, Emma Aitken. Joanna's murderer girlfriend was sentenced to life in prison after murdering Barry Smith in 2013, alongside her then-boyfriend Nathan Doherty, and father Vincent. Barry's body was found burnt and with signs that he had been cruelly beaten outside Kilburn Welfare Social Club, Derbyshire. "They make cheesecake and trifles while other people are locked away in their cells," a source has said about Dennehy and Aitken's relationship, adding that "Other inmates are scared of Joanna because of her crime and her attitude. She is not someone to be messed with." An expert criminologist and former prison governor - Professor David Wilson - has said that Joanna's romance with Emma is part of her established criminal profile - which has seen her repeatedly try to manipulate people using sex. Even in the immediate aftermath of her violent stabbing of the dogwalkers, whilst she was in the police station being interviewed, she is said to have started flirting with the female custody sergeant who was working that day. Joanna uses sex to stay in charge of things, the expert said to the Mail Online, and he noted that she stands out as a female spree killer. "Dennehy is one of the very few female spree killers in criminological history," he told the Mail. "Spree murders tend to be a male phenomenon but here you have someone who killed three men and tried to kill two more alongside her accomplice, Gary Stretch. "There is some indication that Dennehy and Stretch were operating inside a folie à deux, which is a term for a shared psychosis or 'madness of two'. But in this one it is quite clear that she was the dominant partner, and Stretch was subordinate and afraid of her. "I don't know what can be done with her in terms of changing her behaviour because she seems to have extreme violent tendencies, and that is based on having interviewed people who were very close to her - including her former husband."
