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Serial Killer Dennis Nilsen Dies In Prison Aged 72

Serial Killer Dennis Nilsen Dies In Prison Aged 72

He confessed to killing at least 15 people in the 1970s and 80s

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

British serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who admitted to killing 15 young men, has died in prison aged 72.

Evil Nilsen was convicted of six counts of murder and two of attempted murder in 1983. However, later, while in custody he would confess to killing at least 15 during his killing spree from 1978 to 1983.

Most of his victims were homeless, young, gay men who he would meet on the street and invite back to his home in Muswell Hill, north London. Once there, he would ply them with alcohol before killing, usually by strangulation.

PA

He dismembered the bodies of several of his victims and later told police that he boiled the heads of some of his victims to help get rid of the brains; he would store body parts in bin bags before eventually attempting to flush them down the toilets and in the drains.

He was eventually caught when a neighbour complained of block drains nearby. A worker came out to check out what was causing the blockage and spotted parts of flesh and fragments of bone. A second inspection led to the grim discovery of the bones of a human hand.

Police arrived and arrested Nilsen, who would go on to confess to killing at least 15 people.

On 4 November 1983, he was sentenced to life in prison with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 25 years; this was later replaced by a whole life tariff by the Home Secretary in 1994.

PA

During an interview for documentary Murder in Mind in 1993, Nielsen described how he would sit with the bodies for several days after he killed them - dressing and undressing them in. He told interviewers he had stored 'two or three' bodies under his floorboards but knew he would have to remove them before the summer or there 'would be a smell problem'.

Confirming Neilsen's death, a spokesman for the Prison Service said: "Dennis Andrew Nilsen, date of birth November 23 1945, died in custody at HMP Full Sutton on Saturday, May 12 2018.


"As with all deaths in custody, there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman."

He is believed to have died of natural causes.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, crime