Latest news with #Maudsley
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Dreams and nightmares exhibit to open at world's oldest psychiatric hospital
The vivid dream that vanishes on waking but fragments of which remain tantalisingly out of reach all day. Powerful emotions – tears, terror, ecstasy, despair – caused not by real events, but by the brain's activity between sleeping and waking. Dreams and nightmares have long been studied by psychologists. Now they are the subject of a new exhibition featuring several artists that were patients at the world's oldest psychiatric hospital, Bethlem (sometimes known as Bedlam), and its sister institution, the Maudsley hospital. It includes paintings by Charlotte Johnson Wahl, the late mother of Boris Johnson, who spent eight months as a patient at the Maudsley after a breakdown when her four children were aged between two and nine. She created dozens of paintings while there, and held her first exhibition which sold out. 'I couldn't talk about my problems, but I could paint them,' she said later. Rachel Johnson, her daughter, said in an interview earlier this year that her mother's stay at the Maudsley 'gave her relief from domesticity, and time to paint. We always accepted that painting was like oxygen to her. But when she returned to us, we could see she was still very ill.' Two of Johnson Wahl's paintings are included in the exhibition, Between Sleeping and Waking: Hospital Dreams and Visions, which opens at the Bethlem Museum of the Mind in August. The centrepiece of the show is a huge installation, Night Tides, by contemporary artist Kate McDonnell. She uses swathes of bedding woven with disordered words to evoke the restlessness and clashing thoughts of insomnia. According to Caroline Horton, professor of sleep and cognition and director of DrEAMSLab at Bishop Grosseteste university in Lincoln, 'dreaming occurs during sleep, and sleep is essential for all aspects of mental and physical health. Sign up to Art Weekly Your weekly art world round-up, sketching out all the biggest stories, scandals and exhibitions after newsletter promotion 'We all dream each night, even if we don't remember those experiences. This exhibition captures the intrigue of our night-time experiences, both positive and negative, while showcasing their intricate relationship with our mental health.' Among other works featured in the exhibition is London's Overthrow by Jonathan Martin, an arsonist held in the 'criminal lunatic department' of Bethlem hospital from 1829 until his death in 1838. In 2012, the Guardian described it as a 'mad pen-and-ink depiction of the capital's destruction due to godlessness'. In 1828, Martin, who was driven to expose corruption within the church, had delivered warnings to clergy in York, urging them to repent of the 'bottles of wine, and roast beef and plum pudding'. When they failed to respond, he set fire to York minster. At his trial, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. An illustrated poem, 'Epitaph, of my poor Jack, Squirrel', by James Hadfield, one of Bethlem's most notorious patients, who spent 41 years in the hospital, will be on display for the first time. Experiencing delusions about the end of the world, Hadfield became convinced that he must sacrifice himself to save humankind. He decided to engineer a situation where his life would be taken by others – an attempt to kill King George III. He was arrested and his lawyer successfully argued at his trial that he was 'incurably insane', and he was sent to a cell in Bethlem rather than prison. At the hospital, he was allowed pets, including squirrels, and he sold pictures of them to visitors. His autopsy revealed severe brain injuries dating back to his years as a young soldier. The dream diaries of a Maudsley psychiatrist, Edward Hare, will also be on display for the first time. Over half a century, from the 1940s to the 1990s, Hare recorded his impressions on waking of his dreams from the mundane to the fantastical. Colin Gale, director of the Bethlem Museum of the Mind, said the artwork in its collections reflected 'an entire spectrum of dreams identified by sleep researchers'. Between Sleeping and Waking: Hospital Dreams and Visions is at the Bethlem Museum of the Mind in Beckenham, London, from 14 August. Admission is free.
Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Robert Maudsley's nephew says killer's appearance 'goes against medical book'
Serial killer Robert Maudsley turns 72 today and Britain's longest serving prisoner is known by a secret nickname to his loved ones which is less infamous than 'Hannibal the Cannibal' Robert Maudsley's nephew has revealed the lesser known nickname the serial killer goes by – and said he is nothing like you would expect on prison visits. Britain's longest serving inmate, infamously dubbed Hannibal the Cannibal, turns 72 today and he recently moved to Whitemoor prison after spending four decades in Wakefield. Nephew Gavin has now provided a telling insight into his uncle's character. Maudsley, whose childhood was filled with despicable abuse, was once considered to be the most dangerous lag in Britain having slaughtered two prisoners inside Wakefield. This was after he had already tortured a patient to death inside Broadmoor having been first caged for killing builder John Farrell in 1974 when he was 21. He has since spent most of his life in a solitary cell after his own wave of vigilante justice – and Gavin spoke to Behind the Bars TV host Ricky Killeen about visiting him inside 'Monster Mansion' Wakefield. Gavin and his father, who are both extremely close with Maudsley, were allocated two hour long visits to the killer in the underbelly of the notorious prison. Before going to his cell, they usually picked him up sausage rolls, chocolate bars and his favourite banana milkshake from the canteen. They saw Maudsley through a hatch cut out of the wall with bars, meaning a handshake is the only physical contact they could have. And giving an insight into what these moments are like, Gavin said: 'The medical book said he shouldn't even be able to have a conversation after spending that many years in solitary and it couldn't be further from the truth. 'We have such a laugh on his visits because you know yourself, once you are in prison, you accept you're there, no point crying about it on your visit. That is when you are going to have a little bit of a laugh and a joke with your family and enjoy it.' He added: 'He is such a funny guy, honestly, if you were to sit down and have a conversation, and you were to find out that this is the guy who spent 40 odd years in solitary…' Gavin said the visits were like 'going back in time' because all of Maudsley's memories of the outside world are from the 60s and 70s, having spent so long behind bars. He hopes his uncle will be able to return to Wakefield but acknowledged that it was likely a 'difficult' ask. Reports suggested he was moved after so long following a disagreement with staff over 'privileges' before he underwent a hunger strike for up to five weeks. As a result, he is now on a specialist wing in 125 miles away Cambridgeshire, with his family back in Merseyside having not yet had the opportunity to visit him. Maudsley adopted the chilling cannibal moniker after rumours spread about him eating the brains of one of his four victims. And despite this being disproven, it stuck. However, Gavin has since spoke about what his real nickname is. He said: 'Wolfie. He hasn't got (long hair) now but for many years he didn't shave or have his hair cut and he was referred to as Wolfie. He still signs off a lot of his letters to me 'best wishes, Wolfie' because he had long hair (points down to his arms), big beard, and stuff like that.' Gavin, who is from Merseyside, also said his infamous uncle still has his Scouse accent, and starts most of his letters to him with the phrase, 'Now then Gav.''
Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Notorious serial killer turns 72 today with birthday wish unfulfilled
Robert Maudsley, the quadruple killer dubbed 'Hannibal the Cannibal', turns 72 today amid growing concerns about his health and in dispute with prison authorities Britain's longest serving prisoner is spending his most miserable birthday behind bars today - the 51st consecutive one alone in his cell. Robert Maudsley, the quadruple killer dubbed 'Hannibal the Cannibal', turned 72 amid growing concerns about his health following a hunger strike. It is his 51st consecutive birthday in prison. But it is his first in Whitemoor, Cambridgeshire after decades in Wakefield jail. He asked to move back to the glass cage where he was held in the jail dubbed 'Monster Mansion'. Maudsley has spent almost 47 years in a single cell. It now equates to more than 17,000 consecutive days in solitary confinement. His request to return to Wakefield has so far been denied, and it is difficult for his family to visit from his native Merseyside. He has told girlfriend, Londoner Loveinia MacKenney, 69, not to visit, though she sent him a card with £300 in cash for a present. Once identified as the most dangerous inmate in the country, Maudsley was moved from his perspex box in Wakefield jail after a row over his privileges, and went on hunger strike earlier this year. He was moved to Whitemoor on April 8. In recent correspondence with Loveinia, he outlined why he went on hunger strike earlier this year. He told how his Playstation and some of his 'perks' were taken away. He told her: "Sometimes Loveinia we do have to fight for what is right and we believe in." Said to have a high IQ, Maudsley had enjoyed reading and listening to classical music in Wakefield, where his previous crimes led to him being nicknamed 'Hannibal the Cannibal'. But his TV and radio were removed in the row with prison staff. Maudsley became the UK's longest serving prisoner after the death of Moors murderer Ian Brady, who served 51 years, in 2017. He was first locked up for manslaughter when he was 21 in 1974. On July 28, 1978, already serving life, Maudsley killed two fellow prisoners in Wakefield jail. He was said to have told a prison guard: 'There'll be two short on the roll call.' He had already killed a fellow patient in Broadmoor secure hospital, in 1974. The victim there was found with a plastic spoon blade in his ear. That led to Maudsley's nicknames, first 'Spoons', then Hannibal the Cannibal, amid claims that he had eaten his brain. Post mortem examination made clear that was not the case. But the nickname stuck. Special provision was made for him inside Wakefield. His 'glass cage' was compared to one used to house the fictional character Dr Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins. He was on screen for a matter of. minutes, but it won him an Oscar for the 1991 film 'Silence of the Lambs'. The Prison Service declined to comment on individual prisoners. In the past, they have stressed that no prisoners are kept in solitary confinement in the UK penal system.
Irish Daily Mirror
20-06-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Britain's 'most dangerous' prisoner's nephew spots startling 'change' in killer
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.
Daily Mirror
20-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
'My uncle's UK's most dangerous prisoner – there's now been a startling change'
Robert Maudsley has spent most of his life contained in the underbelly of the notorious HMP Wakefield but recently he was moved to a prison 125 miles away – and his worried uncle has now spoken The nephew of serial killer Robert Maudsley has said his uncle is 'not in a great place' after being removed from HMP Wakefield in Yorkshire – also known as 'Monster Mansion'. Maudsley, who is Britain's longest serving prisoner, is now 125 miles away after being relocated to Whitemoor prison in Cambridgeshire on April 8. Gavin, who has a close bond with his uncle, said he spent 40 years unbroken inside Wakefield, and has not reacted well to the sudden change. Speaking to Behind Bars TV, he said: '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 added: '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.' Gavin, who is from Merseyside, last saw his uncle weeks before he was transferred and he has said him and his father are 'dying to get down to see him'. Maudsley was once considered to be the most dangerous inmate in Britain having slaughtered two prisoners inside Wakefield. This was after having already tortured a patient to death inside Broadmoor after he was first caged for killing builder John Farrell in 1974 when he was 21. He was even given the nickname Hannibal the Cannibal after being rumoured to have eaten the brains of one victim. Despite this being disproved, the nickname stuck. But, referencing the horrific child abuse Maudsley, Gavin told reformed ex-prisoner 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.' Maudsley was reportedly moved to Whitemoor jail after a disagreement with staff over 'privileges' in Wakefield. The row resulted in him going on hunger strike for up to five weeks before he was moved to a specialist wing in Cambridgeshire. The 71-year-old, who spent most of his life in a solitary cell after executing his own wave of vigilante justice, is now reportedly lodging an appeal about his transfer. According to Gavin, his uncle found himself in a 'relatively comfortable' position in Wakefield. He said he accepted his whole life tariff and has never tried to appeal his sentence. And giving an insight into prison life, Gavin said: '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 added: '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.' Gavin expressed concern for his uncle's mental state and claimed that he has been told that a return to Wakefield would be a 'difficult' task. The Prison Service declined to comment on individual prisoners. However, a source told us 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.
