A fresh start leads to more victims for Dennis Nilsen (Part 2/3) | Forensic Files

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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website [Music]
when Dennis Nilsen moved out of his flat at 195 Melrose Avenue in Cricklewood he
had already taken the lives of 12 victims by Monday November 23 1981 he had been living in his new flat at 23
cranly gardens in Muswell Hill for seven weeks and was eager to put the past behind him and start afresh
it was his 36th birthday and to celebrate he took the day off work and headed out to the park as his new home
was only five miles from his old address he continued to frequent many of his usual drinking horns at 1:30 p.m.
Nielson was drinking in the Golden Lion pub on Dean Street in Soho when he struck up a conversation with Paul nobs
a 19 year old undergrad who was studying Slavonic and Eastern European studies at
the University of London Paul was supposed to be attending a lecture but had decided to take the
afternoon off to buy some books Nielsen was impressed by Paul's intelligence into the two chatted for an hour until
Paul announced that he needed to go to the bookstore Neilson accompanied him there and
invited Paul back to his flat for dinner afterwards Paul accepted the invitation and they
stopped at a nearby supermarket to purchase some chops and liquor arriving back at 23:00 cranly Gardens at around
5:45 p.m. [Music] the three-story residence was once a single-family home but it's since been
split into a multi tenant building that zona didn't live on site instead hiring the services of local real estate agency
Ellis and Co to manage the property and its tenants in addition to Dennis Nilsen
there were four other tenants living in the building the ground-floor was divided into two flats one of which was
occupied by a builder named Jamal [ __ ] and his bartender girlfriend Fiona bridges the other was leased to two
young women a dental nurse from New Zealand named Vivian mix day and a youth worker from Holland named Minnie Kevin
Ruta the first floor was unoccupied Neilson lived on the top floor in a small squalid attic space that was
accessed to fire two flights of stairs it's front door opened to a small granny hallway that served as a kitchen with a
small cupboard gas stove and sink to the left as well as a door that led directly
to a grubby bathroom to the right of the hallway were two doors one that opened onto a living room containing wardrobes
two armchairs and a tea chest and another that led to Nielsen's disorganized bedroom a double bed sat in
the middle of the room with a small sofa to what's right along with a television
stereo several pot plants and other rods and dance each room had sloping ceilings
and two dull brown carpets that were simply laid on top of the floor instead of fitted into place when Nielsen and
Paul nobs arrived at the flat nielsen cooked them dinner and two the two sat down to drink and watch television Paul
called his mother to let her know he'd be home shortly but he then started feeling sick from all the alcohol and
phoned her back to say he would be spending the night at a friend's place the two men eventually undressed hopped
into Nielsen's bed and started kissing but they were both tired and soon fell asleep
at 2:00 a.m. Paul woke up feeling nauseated with a throbbing headache he went to the kitchen poured himself a
glass of water and sat on the couch for a while Nielson got up to check on him and -
they both went back to bed at 6 a.m. Paul woke again and went back to the kitchen which had a mirror above the
sink upon catching a glimpse of his reflection Paul realized that his face was red and bruised and his eyes were
bloodshot his hands were shaking uncontrollably he's throat hurt and - there was a deep
red mark across his neck when Nilsson saw Paul he remarked God you look awful and suggested that he see a doctor he
then wrote down his address and told Paul that he hoped they would see one another again
[Music] Paul's staggered away from Nielsen's flat and made his way to the University
of London for his scheduled classes one of his tutors noticed that he looked incredibly unwell and immediately booked
him an appointment at the University College Hospital around the corner from the campus at the clinic Paul's hands
shook so badly that he knocked over a cup of coffee and was unable to light a cigarette the doctor gave him a
tranquilizer to calm his nerves and after conducting a check-up deemed that Paul symptoms were consistent with
having been strangled [Music] [Music] although Paul nobs realized that Dennis Nilsen must have attacked him in his
sleep and then acted as though nothing had ever happened he decided not to report
the incident to the police to explain the mark that remained visible across his neck for the next three months
he told others that he had been attacked - during a mugging Paul spotted Nelson at the Golden Lion
about a year after the incident but avoided speaking to him in March 1982 four months after the attack on Paul
nobs Nielson was drinking at the Salisbury on st. Martins Lane London's preeminent gay bar when he ran into
28-year old John Hallett whom Nielson knew as John the Guardsman the two had met at another part a couple of months
earlier where John had boasted of being an ex Grenadier Guards man and they had chatted over drinks for a couple of
hours John had to live the trouble to life at the age of 13 he was kicked out of his family home and spent his
adolescence living in group residences where he was constantly in trouble with the police as an adult
John had served time in prison for theft and made ends meet by working in travelling Fairgrounds at the Salisbury
John recognized the Nelson and to joined him for a drink at the bar the service was slow which frustrated Nelson and he
suggests that they go to his flat to drink instead John agreed and to the pair walked to a liquor store to stock
up on alcohol before catching the tube back to 23:00 Cranley Gardens there nielsen cooked a dinner and two
the two settled in to drink and watch television in the living room as midnight approached John asked if he
could rest his head for a while Nielsen agreed and continued watching TV while John left to lie down in the
bedroom at around 1:00 a.m. Nielson went to the bedroom and found two John lying
half-naked and asleep in his bed he woke him and commented I thought you were getting your head down I didn't know you
were moving in Nielson offered to call John a taxi but John said he didn't feel like getting up this frustrated Nielsen
as he didn't find a joint attractive and to no longer wanted him in his flat he poured himself another glass of rum and
sat on the edge of the bed contemplating what to do next eventually Nielsen retrieved a strap of
material from underneath an armchair straddled to John's body and tied the material around his neck remarking it's
about time you went a furious struggle ensued during which Nielson struck at John's head against to
the edge of the headrest drawing blood John continued to fight back but soon fell off the bed and too lost
consciousness Nielsen tightened to the material around to John's neck until he was sure he was dead
Nielsen's dog bleep was barking frantically in the next room so he went to comfort her when he returned to the
bedroom a few minutes later he discovered that John was still breathing Nilsson strangled him again then dragged
him into the bathroom filled the tub with water and held John's head down until he was no longer breathing
Nilsson left him there has he changed the sheets on his bed and then went to sleep with bleep caught up by his fate
the following morning Nilsson heeded John's body in his wardrobe three days later he covered his bathroom floor with
garbage bags retrieved the body and to begin dismembering it to dispose of the organs he cut them into pieces
and flushed them down the toilet this proved to be a time-consuming process so he attempted to speed things
up by boiling the flesh and organs into a superlight consistency that was easier
to flash once the bones of the hands feet and ribs were free of flesh he broke them apart and placed them in his
regular rubbish bin to be tossed out with the rest of his household waste Nielsen packed the bigger bones
including the skull arms legs and pelvis into several garbage bags along with salt and padding and stored them in the
tea chests in the corner of his living room two months later in May 1982 Nielson was drinking at a gay bar in
Campton called the black car when he noticed the young blonde man drinking alone the men had several red marks on
his face and to Nielson approached to ask about his injuries the man introduced himself as 21-year
old Carl Stata and explained that he had just escaped from an abusive boyfriend his facial wounds were carpet burns from
the most recent attack and he was drinking to distract himself Nielson smiled and reassured Carl that he was
still attractive despite his injuries Carl was struck by Nielsen's kindness and the two began chatting bonding over
the shared alienation they felt from their families when the black cap closed Nielsen invited Carl back to his flat he
accepted until they caught a cab holding hands throughout the ride Nielsen didn't approve of the route the
driver chose to take them home and two became unusually angry retaliating by paying with the smallest to change
possible once they arrived at 23:00 cranly Gardens the two men drank heavily while
listening to music at one point Nielsen insisted Carl listened to his favorite song using headphones and stood behind
him as he did so watching intently they became affectionate but Carl told Nielson he didn't feel like having sex
Carl eventually had too much to drink and felt ill so they decided to go to bed Nielsen pointed out that the sleeping
bag on his bed had a loose zipper and warned Carl to be careful not to get caught in it about an hour later Carl
woke up suddenly when he felt a sharp pain and sense of tightness around his neck Nielsen was behind him pulling on
the sleeping bag warning Carl to stay still thinking he was caught in the zipper and to that Nielson was trying to
help him out Carl struggled to set himself free but soon lost consciousness when he came to
he could hear water running and felt incredibly cold quote I knew I was in the water and he was trying to drown me
he kept pushing me into the water the third time I came up I said no more please no more and he pushed me under
again I just thought I was dying I thought this man was killing me and always dying I thought you were drowning
this is what it feels like to die I felt very relaxed and I passed out I couldn't
fight anymore assuming that Carl was now dead Nielsen carried him out of the bath and
placed him on the living room floor his dog bleep then started to licking Carl's face which alerted at Nielson to
the fact that he was still alive seemingly changing his mind about murdering Carl he spent the next few
hours attempting to revive him and warming him up Carl eventually regained consciousness
but was dazed and disorientated and had trouble remembering what had happened he
saw his reflection and realized there was a deep red mark around his neck and broken blood vessels all over his face
and in his eyes Nielson explained that Carl had been caught in a sleeping bag zipper and too lost consciousness and
that he had splashed water onto Carl's face to wake him up in a state of shock Carl believed in Nielson who spent the
morning comforting him when Carl started to feel slightly better Nielsen walked him to a nearby
tube station and gave him his name and address in case he wanted to remain in contact Carl made his way to the Royal
Free Hospital in Hampstead roughly three miles from Nielsen's flat and told a doctor there that had been caught in a
zipper the doctor was adamant that Carl's injuries were consistent with having been strangled and concluded that
someone may have tried to kill him but Carl still in a state of shock was uncertain what to believe
around the time of the attack on Col Stata Nielsen applied for another promotion at the Job Center but was once
again denied he wrote a letter to his personnel manager saying that he felt victimized and asked what was preventing
him from moving up the ladder Nielsen was subsequently invited to appeal the decision and succeeded after eight years
of service he was finally promoted to the role of executive officer On June 28 1982 Nielson was reassigned to the
Kentish Town Job Center branch located approximately three and a half miles from his flat in Moz well hill his
manager was a woman named - Janet Lehman and - the two formed a close professional relationship that was the
happiest of Nielsen's working career despite these positive changes he continued to drink heavily and within
a couple of months he resumed his old patterns one September evening Nielson returned
to his flat with 27 year-old Graham Alan Graham was a Scottish born heroin addict
with a troubled past who had moved to London in 1971 under the false Ulua of AZ employment since then he'd spent
years squatting in abandoned buildings funding his drug addiction through a mix of government unemployment benefits pain
handling and petty theft throughout the late 1970's and early 80's he spent time in both the rehab and
prison and when released he escalated to robbing pharmacies Graham was engaged in
a long-running affair with a woman named - Leslie who was the girlfriend of a well-known local criminal and - the two
had a young son together one night in September 1982 Graham and - Leslie had a frenzied
argument Graham was drunk and demanded that Leslie give him money to buy heroin when she refused he proceeded to punch
himself in the face fearful of his increasingly violent behavior Leslie locked - Graham out of her house
telling him to go away and to never come back it's unclear where Graham enter Nielsen met or Hal
Graham ended up at Nelson's flat but once they were there Graham requested something to eat Nielson didn't have
much food in the house except for a carton of eggs so he made Graham a large omelet when
Graham was about three-quarters of the way through weeding it he suddenly fell asleep or passed out with a large piece
of the omelet hanging out of his mouth Nielsen couldn't tell whether Graham was still breathing or not but he leaned
forward and proceeded to strangle him he later recalled if the omelet killed him I don't know but anyway in going
forward I intended to kill him an omelet doesn't leave faretta marks on her neck
I suppose it must have been me the next day Nielson filled the bathtub with water and placed the Graham's body
inside it before going to work as usual he kept the body in the tub for three days
changing the bath water on occasion on the fourth day he dismembered Graham's body boiled several of the body parts
and then flushed the organs and some of the flesh down the toilet he placed the rest of the remains into black plastic
bags and stuff to them into the tea chests alongside the remains of John Hallett Graham's girlfriend to Leslie
was used to him disappearing for long periods of time but he always wrote her letters during his absence after she
failed to hear from him for several months Leslie continued to hope that Graham was
alive but feared that he had actually passed away from an overdose he was never reported missing
on Wednesday December 22 1982 Nielson was drinking in a Soho pub when he met 20 year-old Trevor Simpson who had just
been released from prison after serving a six-month sentence for carjacking the two began talking and after a few drinks
Neilson invited Trevor back to his flat Trevor accepted unto the two went to 23:00 cranly Gardens where Nielson told
Trevor he was welcome to sleep in one of the armchairs in his living room the next morning he extended the offer and
Trevor stayed for several more days although he was happy to have a place to stay over Christmas Trevor soon became
frustrated with Nelson who continuously bombarded him with left-wing political rhetoric he also noticed the nawfal odor
that seemed to emanate from the flat but wasn't inclined to search for the source
of the smell by Monday December 27 Trevor had stayed at the flat for five days Nielsen made them a stew to eat but
became irritated when Trevor made a rude remark about the taste later that night
Nielsen drunkenly muttered something about needing to consult with the professor about whether or not Trevor
could stay any longer Trevor went to bed shortly afterwards but awoke at 1:00 a.m. to find the living room filled with
smoke he ran to the kitchen where he found it Nielson calmly drinking a glass of water the smoke was determined to be
coming from a pair of jeans on the living room floor which Nielsen said was likely caused by Trevor dropping a lit
cigarette the fire was extinguished without further incident and Trevor stayed for one more night
before moving on with Nilsson saying he was welcome to return anytime a few days later and around a lunchtime
on Friday December 31 Nilsson visited a pub down the street from his flat he returned home at 8 p.m. and 2 knocked on
the door of his downstairs neighbors Vivienne mix day and Monique van Rooter to ask if they wanted to watch
television with him upstairs the women declined as they were in the middle of cooking dinner and could also
tell that Nilsson was very drunk he seemed annoyed by their refusal but invited them to join him at the local
pub later that night to celebrate the new year then went back upstairs at around 11 p.m.
Nielson walked to the nearby Green Man pub where he met a young Japanese chef named Tasha Mitsui ozawa the pub closed
just after midnight and the two decided to return to Nielsen's flat once they were inside Nilsson calmly approached
Tasha omitsu with the neck tire pulled tautly between his outstretched arms at first
Tasha misoo thought Nilsson was joking but when Nilsson repeated the action again Tasha omitsu realized Nilsson was
serious terrified Tasha mitsukete to Nelson in the groin and fled from the flat running down the
stairs and into the nine the downstairs neighbors Vivian and Monique heard arguing followed by banging in the sound
of someone sobbing they ventured outside to see what was going on only to find a highly
intoxicated Nilson on the stairs Tasha Mitsui reported the incident to police but felt it was too much trouble
to follow through with the complaint and subsequently with the druid less than four weeks later on Wednesday January 26
1983 Nielson was walking through London's West End when he started chatting with a 20 year old named
Stephen Sinclair Stephen who had been born in Scotland and was adopted had to lift a heart alive throughout his
childhood he struggled with severe personality problems was afflicted by regular bedwetting and often self harmed
at the age of 12 he was diagnosed with psychomotor epilepsy a disorder that impacts the brains temporal lobe and
impairs an individual's awareness to their surroundings Stephen was subsequently
institutionalized and placed into foster care and by the time he was 18 he was addicted to amphetamines and had
contracted hepatitis B he moved to London where he lived in hostels or squatted in derelict houses
and spent most of his time loitering around Leicester Square he was well known to social workers and police in
the area and had been imprisoned multiple times although he was generally regarded as a social outcast Stephen had
accumulated many friends on the streets of London and was known to have a sensitive and friendly side Nielson
sympathized with the troubled young man and offered to buy him a meal from McDonald's some of Stephens friends saw
them walk off together but didn't intervene in case Stephen was planning to rob Nielson which he was known to do
the to a then stopped at a liquor store before deciding to head to Nelson's flat
they caught the tube back to muzzle Hill arriving at 23:00 cranly Gardens at around 9 p.m.
the men drank chatted listened to music and to watch TV together at some point during the evening Stephen went to the
bathroom to inject himself with what Nelson assumed to be speed but by the early hours of the morning he had dozed
off in one of the armchairs Nilsson shook Stephen to see if he was awake and when there was no response he went into
the kitchen and cut up an old necktie which he tied with some string to fashion a ligature bleep followed him
back into the living room wagging her tail and to Nelson patted her before ordering her into the bedroom
he then proceeded to strangle Stephen who slipped into unconsciousness without a struggle when he stopped breathing
Nelson said Stephen that didn't hurt at all nothing can touch you now he later recalled I
remember wishing he could stay in peace like that forever I had a feeling of easing his burden
with my strength I felt relieved that his troubles were now over Nielson removed Stephens clothing and carried
him to the bathroom where he bathed him in the tub with lukewarm water and a lemon-scented dishwashing liquid
afterwards he dried him and carried him to the bedroom where he laid him down on
the bed and propped the one large mirror at the end of the bed and one by its side Nielson undressed until a naked
next to Stephens body covering both of them with talcum powder so that their skin was a similar color he later told
author Brian masters I spoke to him as if he was still alive I was telling him how lucky he was to be
out of it all I thought how beautiful he looked and how beautiful I looked he looked sexy but I had no erection he
just looked fabulous in another account he recalled I wanted to touch and Stroke
him but did not I lay naked beside him but only looked at the two bodies in the mirror I just the lay there and a great
peace came over me I felt that this was it the meaning of life death everything no fear no pain no guilt
I could only caress and fondle the image in the mirror I never looked at him no sex just the feeling of oneness the next
morning Nielson dressed Stephen in some of his own clean clothes placed his body
in the living room wardrobe and went to work one week later on Thursday February
three downstairs tenant Jamal Kok noticed that one of the toilets on the ground floor of twenty-three cranly
Gardens was blocked he attempted to unblock it using an acid solution and prodding sticks but to no avail
the next morning Jim's girlfriend Fiona bridges bumped into Dennis Nilsen and asked if he was having any trouble with
the toilet in his flat into Nielson replied that he wasn't Jim phoned to the building's estate agency Ellison Co to
notify them of the issue and to ask for the number of a plumber at 4:15 p.m. Fiona called the plumber but he wasn't
available so she left a message with the details Nielsen had spent the afternoon
of Friday February 4 drinking at the pub to prepare himself for the process of disposing of Stephen Sinclair's body in
the evening he returned to his flat blind to the bathroom floor with garbage bags and to retrieve Stephens body from
the Wardrobe using a carving knife he dismembered the body and removed the organs employing the same technique he
had used when disposing of John Hallett he boiled to various body parts to soften the tissue so that it would be
easier to flush down the toilet at this point it hadn't occurred to Nelson that the blocked toilets his downstairs
neighbors were experiencing could be caused by his actions halfway through the task he took a break
to walk bleep to a nearby supermarket where he purchased cigarettes and a bottle of rum upon returning home he
listened to classical music and drank heavily while the body parts simmered on the stove by midnight he was too drunk
to continue with the disposal so he went to bed with Stephens remains still in the living room and his head in a pot
the next day Saturday February 5 Nielson woke with a hangover and spent most of the morning in bed unbeknownst to him
plumber Mike Walsh arrived at around midday to inspect the drains from outside the property unable to clear the
blockage himself Mike determined it was a job of a specialist plumbing company Dino rod and a technician was booked for
the next available appointment on Monday later that afternoon Nielson was leaving
the house when he's downstairs neighbor Fiona informed him of the plumbing situation and recommended that he avoid
using the toilet in his flat until the Dino rod technicians visit in two days time only then did it dawn on him that
he's flushing of body parts down the toilet had likely caused the blockage he went to the supermarket to purchase
cleaning products and air fresheners and returned to the flat to finish disposing
of Stephens remains later that evening Nielsen's a longtime friend Martin hunter Craig paid him an unexpected
visit Nielson only held the door open a fraction and told Martin he couldn't come in because he was with another
visitor martin noticed that nelson seemed agitated and that his face was ghostly pale
there was also a strange or vomit like odor emanating from the flat at this point
bleep noticed that the door was partially open and ran outside and down the stairs Nilson instructed Martin to
hold the door but warned him not to go inside and - then chased after his dog he returned with bleep shortly after and
asked for reassurance that Martin hadn't entered his flat Martin assured in Ilsan that he hadn't
Martin assumed that Nilson had been drinking and didn't want him to go inside because there was someone there
whom he was having sex with so he left the property Nielson then spent the rest of Saturday night watching television
the following morning of Sunday February 6 Neilson divided Stephens dismembered body parts and organs into multiple
plastic bags and to then place two these into large garbage bags which he stored
in his wardrobe and under an upturned to draw in his bathroom he covered the bags
in his wardrobe with the newspapers stuffed several sticks of deodorant inside and then locked the Wardrobe
doors on monday february 7 nielsen went to work as usual but spent the day on edge knowing that the dino rod
technician was scheduled to visit and he would likely return home to find the police at his door
he was Curt and irritable with his colleagues and apologized to one phase behavior explaining that he was under
pressure when he arrived at home he was relieved to find that the Dino road technician had never shown up on Tuesday
February a Nielson went to work again that evening Dino road employee Mike Catrin attended the property at
approximately 6:15 p.m. by which time night had fallen Nielson joined two downstairs tenant Jamal Kok outside to
watch as Micah lowered himself into the manhole to inspect the drains Mike discovered the floating pieces of flesh
and porridge alike substance and determined the blockage must have been caused by animal remains he asked her
Nilson if he had been flushing dog food down the toilet - which Nielson responded no instead remarking that the
flesh looked like pieces of Kentucky Fried Chicken Mike concluded that something untoward was going on and
found his manager Gary wheeler the two men agreed to attend to the property the next day so they could conduct a clearer
inspection in daylight when Nilsson returned to his flat he wrote a letter to the building's management company
Ellis and Co to complain about the state of the drains he spent the rest of the evening drinking heavily and at around
midnight he ventured outside and headed down into the manhole he proceeded to clear as much of the
flesh from the drain as he could throwing the remains over the hedge into the back garden in order to disguise the
remainder of the drains contents he decided he would buy some Kentucky Fried Chicken in the morning and throw it into
the mix downstairs tenants Jim and Fiona were awake and heard footsteps on the stairs followed by the sounds of someone
walking in the back garden and to the manhole cover being removed they also heard that the repeated flushing of the
toilet located on the landing Jim armed himself with a pole and two went out to investigate
catching Nilson as he was returning to his flat his shirtsleeves rolled up and a torch in his hand when Jim asked his
neighbor what he was doing Nielson explained that he had gone outside to urinate the next morning of Wednesday
November 9 Nielson left for work at around 8:30 a.m. 45 minutes later dawn a rod technician Mike Catrin and
his boss Gary wheeler arrived at 23:00 cranly Gardens Mike climbed down into the manhole for the second time and was
surprised to see that most of the flesh like substance was gone Fiona Bridges who was the only tenant at
home told Mike and Gary about the noises she and Jim heard the night before and how they had caught Nilson sneaking
around outside in the early hours Mike continued to fish around in the drain until he pulled out what appeared to be
a human knuckle along with more pieces of flesh and bone horrified at the discovery Fiona
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ship happen at 11:00 a.m. a number of officers led by 26-year veteran of the police force
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay arrived at 23 cranly Gardens the police conducted a further search of the drain
and to retrieved several more pieces of flesh each approximately four inches long and one inch wide along with three
small bones with a knuckle at each end DCI RJ personally took the remains to Charing Cross Hospital for examination
but David Bowen a professor of forensic medicine at the University of London who
also worked as a consultant pathologist professor Bowen declared that the small bones and a knuckle had come from the
hand of a human male and that the flesh was human neck tissue the flesh also displayed a clear ligature mark leading
professor Bowen to conclude that the victim had been strangled as Nielsen's worked a drew to an end he
tried to behave normally but he knew an arrest was imminent and he would likely never return to the office again before
he left he wrote a note urging his colleagues not to believe any reports that might emerge claiming he had taken
his own life in jail he tucked the note inside a drawer tied at his desk and said a cheerful goodbye to his workmates
some noticed he was wearing a blue and white football scarf which was out of character as he typically wore drab dark
clothing it would later be revealed that the scarf had belonged to his last victim Stephen Sinclair
at 5:40 p.m. nielsen arrived home to find three detectives Detective Chief Inspector Peter J Detective Inspector
Stephen McCaskill and Detective Constable Geoffrey Butler waiting at the front door of the building
DCI j introduced himself and explained that they were there to investigate the items found in the block two drains
Neilson feigned surprise and asked if the other two detectives were health inspectors DCI j explained that they
were all police officers and wanted to ask him some questions nielsen led the three man upstairs to
his flat and once they were inside DCI j revealed that some of the objects in the train had been identified as
human remains he then asked Nielsen where's the rest of the body without hesitation nielsen calmly replied
in two plastic bags in the wardrobe next door I'll show you he led the officers into
the living room intended over the keys to unlock the Wardrobe saying he wanted to tell them everything
DCI Jay read in Neelsen his rights then placed him under arrest on suspicion of murder
although they still had no idea who the victim was they led Nielson to the police car and
as they drove towards horn Z police station one of the officers asked him Ilsan whether they were dealing with one
body or two he replied fifteen or sixteen since 1978 I'll tell you everything it's a relief to get it off my mind
Nielson initially declined to hire a lawyer and was held in custody while the police conducted a thorough search of
his flat recovering the remains of John Hallett and Graham Allen from the tea-chest and Steven Sinclair from the
drawer in the bathroom two days later at 10:45 a.m. on Friday February 11 the police conducted that first official
interview with Nielson he admitted to the murders of the three men whose remains were found at 23:00 cranly
Gardens and to a further 12 that his former residence on Melrose Avenue in Cricklewood police took Nielson to the
Melrose Avenue flat where he showed them the two locations in the rear garden and
surrounding waste plant where he had burnt the bodies of his other victims he also confessed to as many as seven
other attempted murders police had a difficult task ahead of trying to formally identify the victims Nielsen
remembered few of their names and couldn't recall enough specific details about each individual to provide an
immediate identification as it was 1983 DNA testing didn't yet exist and CCTV technology was still in its infancy
so the police had to rely on fingerprints dental records and the victims personal items this meant that
they also had no choice but to depend on the assistance of Dennis Nilsen himself
Steven Sinclair was the first to be identified at the time of his death the 20 year old was wanted by police for
some minor offenses and his fingerprints were already on file forensic investigators found fingerprints on
stephen's leather jacket they used the syringe and a tobacco tin all of which were found in Nelson's flat and tested
them against the prints on file to confirm the match at 5:45 p.m. on February 11 Nielsen was officially
charged with Stevens murder under further advise from law enforcement Nielsen retained the services of Ronald
Moss a middle-aged solicitor who had experience dealing with lower profile murder cases during their first meeting
Nielson took an immediate liking to Moss Moss found in Nielson to be calm and rational and agreed to accept him as a
client the tabloid press had already been tipped off about the grim discovery at
23 cranly Gardens by Dino Road plumber Mike Catrin and were circling for further information so they could run a
story within an hour of the formal charge being made reporters managed to locate Nelson's
mother Betty in Aberdeenshire Scotland and to requested photographs of her son Betty obliged on the basis they would be
returned to her but she later found out the photographs were sold for large sums
of money and she never got them back that evening Nielsen's friend Martin hunter Craig was
watching television when a news report revealed that body parts had been discovered in the drains of an apartment
building in Marble Hill the name of the killer was withheld but when the report showed an image of 23 cranly Gardens
Martin realized that Nilson must be responsible he was shocked to think that he had been at the property just days
earlier by Saturday February 12 the story was making headlines across England and overseas although the full
extent of the murders hadn't yet been revealed reporters had already ducked the muzzle Hill property the house of
horrors and were referring to the killer as the muzz well Hill murderer police were still working around the
clock to identify the remaining victims and had released the very minor details to the media but journalists were
working overtime in an attempt to get the best scoop members of the press surrounded the Hornsea police station
with some attempting to rig a microphone outside of DCI Jay's first-floor window
to obtain inside information a Japanese news crew even positioned themselves in a house opposite the station and used
highly sophisticated sound equipment to try to eavesdrop on police interviews with Nilsson at 10 a.m.
Nielsen made his first appearance in the magistrate's court where the judge ruled
that he be remanded in custody for three more days of questioning before further
legal proceedings afterwards when he was being escorted out of the courthouse and
back to the waiting police car nielsen elected to walk out in full view of the press he later explained that he didn't
want to hide away by covering his face like a common criminal Nielsen's mother participated in a
television interview in which she stated I just don't understand how this could go on and to nobody knowing anything I
mean I don't know anything about the last 10 years of his life and I can't see what was happening to him something
must have happened to him because it's not my dentist that's doing it not the boy I knew that's doing these
things he's always my son and so that's why I want him to know we're all concerned about him and I just hope
he'll get some help to cope with the situation he's in the police continued to question Nielson with detectives
consciously trying to maintain a relaxed atmosphere in order to keep him talking
although they were horrified and occasionally physically sick from the details he divulged they feared that he
would Clare MUP if he felt he was under attack Neilson was unusually cooperative
offering details about each murder descriptions of the techniques he used and helping to identify the victims as
the author Brian masters described in his book killing for company quote not only did Nelson make no hindrance but he
positively swamped the detectives with information faster than they could seek it he barely required questioning he
spoke in an almost unbroken autobiographical monologue as if to purge his conscience of a burden which
he could no longer bear alone yet there were no irrelevant details no digressions into personal life no pleas
for comfort or understanding he admitted that he was astonished he had no tears for the people who had died at his hands
it soon became clear to the detectives that the number of people who visited Nelson's flat with the odd incident far
outweighed those who came under attack or were killed Nielson rejected the suggestion that he intentionally sought
out victims claiming that he only ever went out in search of company and to the attacks were never planned quote when I
voluntarily go out to drink I do not have the intention at that time to do these things I seek company first and
hope everything will be alright [Music] nielsen claimed to be relieved that he'd
finally been caught as he would have kept killing otherwise and the detectives were convinced he never would
have given himself up of his own accord in a later interview for the television program Britain's most evil serial
killers DCI Jay recalled Nielson said if you hadn't have caught me now it wouldn't
have been 15 it would have been 150 and I think he might have been right when the formal
interviews were finally complete Nielsen's solicitor Ronald moss asked him why he had committed the crimes
Nielson responded quote I am hoping you will tell me that while the police and prosecution continued to gather evidence
for trial Nielson was housed at Brixton prison in the inner south of London upon
his arrival he was required to change into the standard prison-issued uniform of brown trousers and a blue striped
shirt and based on a psychiatrist's recommendation he was placed in the prison's hospital wing for his own
safety Nielsen was only allowed out of his cell to participate in supervised exercise for half an hour each day and
was forbidden from associating with other prisoners he was labeled a category a prisoner which meant he posed
the highest threat to police and to the public and was moved between souls every
couple of days Nielsen was also banned from attending the chapel which upset him even though he was an atheist
frustrated that the chaplains didn't stand up to the prison governor on his behalf he labeled them Christian
hypocrites who were worse than cockroaches with Nilsson incarcerated his beloved
dog bleep was taken in by an animal rescue shelter in southwest London to be rehomed but within a week of her arrival
she became ill and passed away her death left her Nielson heartbroken and he later explained to author Brian masters
I am ashamed that her last two days should be so painful she had always forgiven me everything and to nothing
but me could ever break her heart she never let me down but in the moment of her greatest crisis I was not there in
prison Nilsson soon became infatuated with a fellow inmate named David Martin a small
effeminate career criminal who had spent his whole life in and out of jail Martin
was serving time for a spray of burglaries which resulted in him shooting a police officer and later
escaping from the Magistrates Court using pins he stored in his long hair Nilsson and Martin barely spent any time
together and only saw each other occasionally in the exercise yard but Nelson became upset when Martin was
relocated to a different prison a few months later in an attempt to maintain a semblance of a connection with Martin
Nilsson contacted Martin's solicitor Ralph hyeme's to ask if he would consider representing
him as a client hi Ames had a reputation for successfully defending notorious clients
so Sanger also saw this as a tactical decision on Nelson's behalf he felt that his initial solicitor
Ronaldo Moss was failing to help him stand up against the prison regime that he believed was working to bully him and
he had dismissed and rehired must three times during those periods where Nelson had no legal representation
he had unsuccessfully attempted to represent himself hyeme's agreed to take in Nielson on as a client but they soon
butted heads Nielson accused hyeme's of working too closely with the press yet failing to use these opportunities to
tell the public how poorly Nielson was being treated in prison despite their disagreements hyeme's was
able to convince Nielson against pleading guilty to all charges as he believed he could use the defense of
diminished responsibility due to mental disorder to pass the time in prison Nielsen spent
most of his days of writing he started working on an autobiographical manuscript titled history of a drowning
boy and also established a professional relationship with Brian masters an author best known for his histories of
the British aristocracy masters had developed an interest in the extremities of human behavior and wrote a letter to
Neilson asking if he would be open to cooperating on a book project on March 30 1983 Nielson wrote to accept two
masters invitation opening the letter by saying quote I passed the burden of my past actions onto your shoulders the two
began exchanging letters with masters also visiting Brixton prison twice a week to speak with his subject Neilson
didn't hold back providing a comprehensive and in-depth account of his childhood his time in the Army
career problems sexual fantasies relationship history and each of the murders in an early letter to masters
Nelson wrote I have led a strange life so far schoolboy soldier chef projectionists
policeman clerical officer executive officer drunk sexualized male and female murderer animal lover independent Trades
Union officer debater champion of social causes do-gooder dissector of murder victims Grand Vizier and probably life
are if there is a God he must have a weird and jumbled sense of priorities job finder peace campaigner amateur
filmmaker mine of the useless information administrator pen pusher detained prisoner solitary Reaper killer
of the innocent unremorseful reformed character enigma now rapidly becoming a national receptacle into which all the
nation will urinate walk - monster madman ungodly cold and alone nielsen told masters about one incident
in particular that had a profound impact on his life in 1967 when he was stationed at our mansoureh detention
center in yemen he had been drinking heavily in town and tailed a taxi to take him back to the base during the
drive he dozed off in the backseat and later woke with a sharp pain in the back of his head he realized he was naked and
had been struck over the head and placed into the boot of the car Nielson attempted to break free from the vehicle
which was still being driven but was unable to open the boot after a short drive the car stopped and de Nielson
decided that his best chance to escape would be to play dead the taxi driver got out open to the boot and started
touching Nilsson who tried to look as limp and lifeless as possible the driver attempted to lift Nilsson out at which
point Nielsen's hand touched metal and he realized there was a carjack handle close to him he grabbed hold of it and
delivered a hard blow to the taxi drivers head immediately knocking him unconscious
Nielsen climbed out of the boot and struck the driver twice more in the skull he saw that the car was parked in
an isolated spot amidst the cluster of old buildings so he wiped the jack handle clean and put it back in the boot
along with the driver then he quickly put his clothes on and walked to the detention center through the darkness
he was reprimanded for being delinquent but never said a word to anyone about his ordeal Nielsen told masters that the
next morning he was filled with horror over the incident and started having nightmares about being tortured raped
murdered and mutilated a psychologist too later determined that Nielson had fabricated this entire event if that was
the case masters believed that further proved just how powerful Nelson's fantasies were however if the incident
was true Masters has pointed out that it demonstrated how successfully Nilson was
able to compartmentalize a horrific memory while outwardly appearing unaffected investigators continued at
the difficult task of identifying Nelson's victims other than the human remains found that the muzzle he'll flat
there was little physical evidence to go on so they had to rely on Nelson's recollections into missing person
reports to join the dots an operation room was set up and decked out with bulletin boards into black boards as
well as poster sized pieces of paper dedicated to each victim on each poster investigators listed as many details
about the individual as possible including their physical description last-known whereabouts the date they
were last seen and - the date Nelson claimed they were murdered in addition to Stephen Sinclair police were
eventually able to identify a total of seven other victims the 28 year old who Nelson knew only as John the Guardsman
was identified during a painstaking process in which police located every man with the name of John in the local
area using a strip of muscle retrieved from Nielsen's flat they determined at the victim's blood type and he used this
to narrow down the list of unaccounted for John's that matched description Nielsen provided finally
identifying him as John Hallett Martin Duffy the 16 year old catering student who Nielsen murdered in his Melrose
Avenue flat was identified using the chef's knives that Nielsen had kept which had Martin's name engraved on them
Kenneth Ockendon the 23 year old tourist who Nielsen had killed just days before
his expected return to Canada was identified when Nielsen was shown a photograph and recognized the young man
Kenneth's blundin strict directory was found amongst Nelson's belongings and forensic investigators were able to
locate a partial fingerprint and match it against prints recovered from the belongings Kenneth had left behind in
his hotel room the family of 26 year-old Billy Sutherland who had reported him missing in 1980 contacted police after
seeing news about the murders and wondering whether Billy could have been a victim Nielsen was
shown a photograph of Billy and recognized him as one of the men he had killed in his Melrose Avenue flat human
remains were found under the floorboards in Nelson's old flat and forensic investigators were able to confirm
billy's identity from false teeth and a piece of skin with one of his tattoos on
it also identified was 24-year old Malcolm Barlow who Nielsen strangled in his Melrose Avenue flat the day after
Malcolm was discharged from hospital Paul nobs the 19 year old University student who Neilson attempted to
strangle in his sleep soon after moving into the cranly Gardens flat was identified as the survivor as was 26
year old Scotsman Douglas Stewart who had fought off an attack at Melrose Avenue on November 10 1980
on May 26 1983 Nelson's committal hearing commenced in the Old Bailey the Central Criminal Court of England and
Wales the judge determined the prosecution had enough evidence to put Nelson to trial for the murders of
Stephen Sinclair John Hallett Billy Sutherland Martin Duffy Kenneth Ockendon and Malcolm Barlow and for the attempted
murders of Paul nobs and Douglas Stewart the trial was scheduled to commence in October 1983 from the beginning of
Nelson's time in custody he was required to wear the standard issue prison uniform this enraged him as he hadn't
yet been convicted of a crime he protested against it by walking around his cell naked in response the guards
restricted him from leaving his cell entirely which meant he was unable to empty his toilet bucket on August 1
when Nelson's bucket was full to the brim he yelled stand clear and proceeded to throw its contents through the bars
of his cell and onto the landing several guards were hit with the mess and dnielsen81 and given 56 days in solitary
confinement as Nielsen's time on remand went by he began to express regret for committing
the crimes in a letter he sent two detectives thanking them for their professionalism when unraveling the case
Nielson wrote my remorse is of a deep and personal kind which will lead away inside me for the rest of my life I am a
tragically private person not given to public tears the enormity of these acts has left me in permanent shock the evil
was short-lived and it cannot live or breathe for long inside the conscience I have slain my own dragon as surely as
the press and the letter of the law will slay me to be continued next week [Music]
you

Case 144: The Muswell Hill Murderer (Part 2)

[Part 2 of 3] When Dennis Nilsen moved out of his flat at 195 Melrose Avenue in Cricklewood, he had already taken the lives of twelve victims...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research – Holly Boyd Writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

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Brief Summary

Dennis Nilsen's chilling murders, methods, and capture are detailed in this episode, highlighting his interactions with victims and police investigations.

Key points

Simply Safe Home Security. Feeling safe at home has never been more important. Simply Safe makes it easy to protect your home.
Paul Nobs' Encounter. Paul Nobs, a young undergrad, meets Dennis Nilsen and accepts an invitation to dinner, unaware of the danger.
Nielsen's Attack on Paul. After a night of drinking, Paul wakes up to find he has been attacked by Nilsen, who suggests he see a doctor.
Carl Stata's Narrow Escape. Carl Stata struggles for his life as Nilsen attempts to drown him, believing he was trying to help.
Nielsen's Disturbing Actions. Nielsen strangles Stephen Sinclair and reflects on his death with eerie calmness.
Discovery of Human Remains. Police find human remains in the drains, leading to a shocking investigation.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

You look awful.

Nielsen remarks to Paul after seeing his bruised face.

6:48WatchMay 16, 2020

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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