A plumber’s shocking find in Muswell Hill (Part 1/3) | Forensic Files

is there something interfering with your happiness or preventing you from reaching your goals if so you might like
to try better help better help is not a crisis life and it's not self-help it's professional counseling done securely
online and it's available for clients worldwide because better help is all online you have access to a broad range
of expertise that may not be available in your local area plus it's more affordable than traditional offline
counseling and financial aid is available you can log into your account anytime to send a message to your
therapist he'll get back to you with timely and thoughtful responses plus you can schedule weekly video or phone
sessions for real-time conversations members of the case ball team have used the better help and after filling out a
survey were matched to a licensed therapist who was available for calls than to video chats within 24 hours it
was a simple and efficient process better help wants you to start living a happier life today visit better help.com
slash case file that's better h e LP and join the over 800,000 people taking charge of their mental health
with the help of an experienced professional as a special offer for case file listeners get 10% off your first
month at better help calm / case file [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] on the morning of Saturday February 5 1983 plumber Mike Welch arrived at
cranly Gardens a long wired residential street in the North London suburb of Muswell Hill
the neighborhood was defined by its Edwardian era houses most of which were stylish semi-detached structures with
pointed roofs and attractive well cared for Gardens 23 cranly gardens stood out against its neighboring properties its
pale blue and white facade was grimy and the front yard was neglected and overgrown with weeds unlike most of the
other houses on the street number 23 had been divided into several separate flats
and bed sets that were leased to multiple tenants for the past few days its occupants had been complaining of
blocked drains and toilets necessitating the need for a plumber Mike Welch inspected the drains outside
the property and determined the blockage was severe enough to warrant a visit from a specialist Jim Allcock a builder
who lived in one of the ground-floor flats called a dino rod an emergency plumbing company that used an innovative
electromechanical technique to unblock stubborn drains dino rods earliest available appointment was on Monday
February 7 so Jim advised his fellow tenants that they would have to wait two more days for the problem to be fixed
the Dino rod engineer failed to visit on Monday but at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday February 8 the company sent 30 year old
Mike Catrin to conduct an inspection it was a cold and dreary winter evening and
to the ground was covered in slate Jamal Kaka guided Mike Katrin along the side of the house and to the manhole
that led to the 12-foot deeper drains beneath Mike removed the manhole cover and to climb to down the iron rungs to
see what was causing the blockage he was instantly hit with a revolting odor and
yelled up through the manhole at Jim I haven't been in this job for long but I know this isn't [ __ ] upon closer
inspection Mike realized that the drain was blocked by an eighth inch thick porridge alike substance that contained
approximately 40 pieces of what appeared to be greyish white flesh of various sizes as he moved around more of the
mysterious substance fell from the pipe that stemmed from the house by now several of the tenants had gathered
around to the main hall to see what was causing the blockage Mike suspected a could be animal remains and suggested it
was a matter for the police 37 year old Dennis Nilsen who lived in the upstairs flat remarked that it
looked like Kentucky Fried Chicken Mike called his supervisor Gary wheeler to discuss his concerns and the two men
agreed to return to the property the following morning to carry out a more thorough inspection in the daylight
at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday February 9 mark and Gary arrived at 23:00 cranly Gardens as planned McRae entered the
main hall and was surprised to say that a majority of the flesh-like substance was no longer there he reached to deeper
into the drain and fished around until he made contact with something solid upon pulling the object out he realized
he was holding what appeared to be a human knuckle [Music] [Music] [Music] Denis Andrew Nielsen was born on
November 23 1945 in Fraser borough a mid-sized fishing village in the northeast of Scotland he was one of
three children to Betty and dual of Nelson who met in 1942 when who love who was serving in the Norwegian army had
been dispatched to Scotland in anticipation of a Nazi invasion who loves military duties kept him away from
his family for long stints at a time so Betty and the three children lived with her parents in their two-bedroom flat
lulav rarely visited or saw his children and - the couple divorced in 1948 Betty's parents Lilly and Andrew fought
were actively involved in raising their grandchildren Dennis Nilsen had a particularly strong bond with his
fisherman grandfather and saw him as his hero and protector he relished their long walks together across the nearby
sienta tunes and golf courses where his grandfather would carry him on his shoulders in 1951 when Nilsson was six
years old betty was assigned to counsel flat of her own and she and her children
moved out to live as a solo family unit for the first time shortly afterwards on October 21 1951 Andrew fire was out
on a fishing job when he suffered a heart attack and died at sea the three children were taken to view
their grandfather's lifeless body and were told that he had gone to heaven a concept that they didn't understand
consequently they thought he was merely sleeping and would soon recover and Dennis Nilsen was left uncertain and
troubled by the idea of death when adults told him that his grandfather had gone to a better place
Nielson believed that death was considered a positive thing in 1954 betty married a builder named Adam Scott
and - the couple had four more children together Nielsen had never been close with his mother describing her as cold
and unloving but he grew to admire his stepfather despite this he didn't feel that he belonged in their household and
to begin to withdraw spending most of his time alone by the age of 10 he was exhibiting some
disturbing behavior although he was a self-described animal lover he took a neighborhood cat into a
disused the bathroom tied a wire around its neck and strangled it to death he was immediately disgusted by his own
actions later stating I wanted to see the reality and process of killing and death I was not excited
by the act shortly after this incident Nielsen and his family relocated to a larger and
more comfortable flat in the village of stricken approximately 8 miles inland from Fraser borough around at the same
time Neilson started to recognize that he was physically attracted to males he explored his sexuality by groping his
older brother's penis and wrestling with other children on two occasions he pinned younger boys to the ground and
enjoyed feeling a sense of power over them this realization about his sexuality left in Neilson with a feeling
of shame his homosexuality was illegal in Scotland during the 1950's and - gay people were severely ostracized by the
time Nielson was 15 he was tired of feeling rejected by his family and to the wider community so he decided to
join the army On June 28 1961 he passed his entrance test and enlisted to serve as an army chef for nine years two and a
half months later he set off for the army catering Corps training barracks in Aldershot in Englishtown 42 miles
southwest of London Dennis Nilsen arrived as a frail introverted and self-conscious at a
lesson but the harsh discipline and strict routines of army life saw him evolve into a confident young man
determined to match the physical strength of his fellow recruits he dedicated himself to cross-country
training and quickly achieved a higher level of fitness in May 1964 he successfully completed his recruitment
course at the age of 18 three months later he was sent to his first post to work as a catering Corps cook in the
North West the German city of osnabrück Nielsen's new comrades were hard workers
but also heavy drinkers and too they introduced him to alcohol despite having a low tolerance Nilsson was soon
drinking daily and to gained a reputation for often being drunk during this time he also started developing a
strong sexual imagination finding himself drawn to smooth-skinned boyish looking men rather than those with
larger or muscular physique but as he was well aware of the deep homophobia that existed within the Armed Forces
including in his own regimen he suppressed his sexual feelings as best as he could
privately he fantasized about one of his sex starved colleagues finding him passed out drunk and fondling his
unconscious body eventually this desire became so strong that Nilson sometimes pretended to pass out in the hope that
someone would take advantage of him on July 22 1966 20 year-old Nielson was promoted to corporal and six months
later in January 1967 he was posted to ailment surah detention center in arden a port city in the Republic of Yemen
men surah was a military prison that held terrorist detainees and it was frequently under attack from rioters
Aden was a dangerous place and soldiers were often ambushed and killed while out
on patrol with dead bodies often littering the countryside despite these threats Nielsen claimed he engaged in
risky behavior by going out drinking in town then hitchhiking back to the barracks on July 21 1967
Nelson was deployed to the Trucial Lamont Scouts mass in Sharjah a city in the Persian Gulf during his time there
he witnessed several horrific events including a plane crash victim being brought back to the base in pieces and
to the death of a drinking companion who accidentally broke his neck after falling from a Landrover
despite day's incidents Nelson's time in Sharjah was generally positive he had the advantage of a private room and
began to further explore his sexuality he placed a large horizontal mirror beside his bed and imagined that his
reflection belonged to someone else enjoying the fantasy most when he lay still and appeared to be asleep or
unconscious On January 15 1968 Nielson returned to the United Kingdom and was posted to the Seaton barracks in
Plymouth a port city on England's south coast one night he was watching television in his room when he heard
whimpering noises and went to investigate he discovered that several young privates had brought a local
barmaid back to the barracks and watched as they took turns raping her to his own
shame Nielsen went back to his room without intervening in a separate incident Nielsen and a
young private were drinking heavily on a long train journey when the private passed they are Nielsen carried him to
the bathroom and intentionally propped him in such a way that the jerking motion of the Train caused his
unconscious head to knock against the toilet bowl he then sexually assaulted the private and considered raping him
but stopped when other passengers started banging on the door afterwards when the private regained consciousness
Nielsen pretended nothing had ever happened in 1969 Nielsen was sent to Berlin Germany and joined his comrades
in a visit to a brothel under peer pressure he engaged in sexual activity with a female sex worker and although he
was aroused during the encounter the experience left him depressed he spent the next few years serving at various
posts throughout Germany and Scotland though he never returns to visit his family in Berlin he bought an 8
millimeter movie camera on a whim and developed an interest in film eventually completing a 2-day projectionists course
in May 1972 while posted in Scotland's Shetland Isles Nilsson met an 18 year old private identified only as Terry who
was naive homesick and easily dominated by the older men with more forceful personalities
Terry shed Nielsen's interest in film so Nielson taught him how to use the camera
and the two recorded short scenes together some of which involved Terry playing dead at night Nielson
watched the tapes and masturbated to the shots of Terry lying still he developed
an unrequited infatuation with the younger man and was possessive of him at one point accusing a sergeant of trying
to steal Terry away the allegation humiliated and enraged Terry and he attempted to strangle Nielson in
retaliation Nielson was approaching 12 years of service with the army but by his own account he decided to leave
because of the inherent homophobia in contrast to his claim others asserted that his application for extension of
service was denied due to his poor personal hygiene and a lack of discipline either way on November 22 1972 Dennis
Nilsen was officially discharged after serving 11 years and 284 days and awarded with the general service medal
for time served devastated by his separation from Terry Nielson returned to stricken to live
with his family one night he joined his brother sister-in-law and another couple in
watching a film that featured a gay protagonist the group reacted to the storyline with the region and to Nielson
took their comments personally a fight broke out between him and his brother and the two never spoke again just five
weeks after returning to stricken Nielsen decided to move to London in early 1973 the now 27 year older
Nielson used his army experience to join London's Metropolitan Police Force as part of the training he and a fellow
recruit were taken to a morgue to gain exposure to the darker side of police work upon seeing the deceased and
dissected bodies the other trainee vomited but Nielson showed no reaction instead
when he saw the hand of a young cadaver flop out in front of the mortuary assistant he started fantasizing about
the assistant molesting the corpse in a separate incident he had to undertake a life-saving classes that
involved pulling a pseudo unconscious colleague from the water this caused him to become so aroused that he stayed in
the water to hide his excitement Neilson quickly discovered that much like the army the police force was a homophobic
environment around at this time Nielson started exploring London's gay nightlife
seeing homosexuality was decriminalized in England in 1967 and the subsequent political and social movements led to
increase the visibility for gay people in the country's capital although English society remained predominantly
heteronormative and homophobia was widespread a thriving subculture had developed Nielsen began frequenting the
gay bars of London's Earls Court district and meeting other gay men during a visit to a gay drop-in centre
he met a teenage boy and the two spent the evening drinking heavily before retreating to a cheap hotel when the boy
passed out Nielson raped him marking this as the first penetrative sex act he performed with another male the boy
remained unconscious throughout the rape and was seemingly unaware of the abuse that had occurred when he awoke the next
morning Nielsen's sexual desires were fueled by this encounter and by mid 1973 he
frequently fantasized about molesting men who were drunk drugged asleep comatose or dead
meanwhile Nielsen's dismay over the homophobia that existed in the police force escalated while on the job he
refused to arrest any men he found engaging in public sex acts together eventually in an act of rebellion he
kissed the man he was dating in front of onlookers while wearing his police hat Nielson grew increasingly distant from
his colleagues and in late 1973 he resigned from the police force and found a job as a security guard for the
Department of Environment during one of his security patrols Nielson found a book on toxicology that contained a
color photograph of a boy with rigor mortis the boy looked slightly alive and to Nielson realized he was aroused by
the idea of someone being on the cusp of life and death while later patrolling the warehouse of the Natural History
Museum he attempted to act out a sexual fantasy with a stuffed gorilla by placing the animal's hands on his naked
body but was unable to sustain arousal by mid February 1974 Nielson was living in a share house in North London having
been evicted from his previous residence after the other tenants complained about
the number of men he was bringing home a few months later in May 1974 he quit his
security guard job and went to the local Job Center to look for a new position there was an entry-level role available
within the job center itself for someone to place low paid unskilled workers in restaurant jobs in the nearby Soho
district given Nielsen's catering experience with the army he was offered the position and happily accepted
although the job mostly involved answering phone calls they gave Nilsson a sense of achievement and satisfaction
he was a diligent worker and after six months in the job he became involved in trade union politics and volunteered as
branch organizer for the Jobcentre Workers Union he immersed himself in the role and soon also took on the volunteer
role of branch secretary for the workers union on August 19 1975 a 17 year old boy named David painter attended the Job
Center looking for work he was particularly vulnerable as he was suffering from mental health issues
Neilson later bumped into David on the street and invited him back to his room where he plied him with alcohol the two
climbed into bed together naked into Nilsen placed an arm around David's body David screamed and jumped from the bed
running out of the room and into a glass partition injuring himself in front of some of the other tenants
he was taken to a hospital where he told the medical staff that Nelson had tried
to sexually assault him Nielson was taken to his former police station at Willesden green for questioning and held
overnight but David and his parents declined to press charges and he was released without charge the following
morning Nelson continued to retreat further into his fantasies his sexual ritual
involving his marriage reflection soon took a more disturbing turn he was no longer fantasizing about exploring an
unconscious body but rather a dead one in mid 1975 Nielson received a letter from Norway advising that his father who
loved had died of a heart attack and left him 1,400 pounds the letter also informed him that since divorcing his
mother who loved had married three more times and fathered several other children furthermore all loved surname
wasn't really Nielson at all but mock shame and he had only used the Nielson name as an alias this news had a
profound effect on Nelson and his already fragile sense of identity in November 1975 Nielson celebrated his
30th birthday but this point he was tall and slim with crooked teeth that was slightly browning he wore his dark hair
short and swept to one side and was clean-shaven a typical outfit for Nielson consisted of dark trousers a
pale gray tweed a jacket blue shirt navy tie and two rimless eyeglasses around this time he was outside a pub in
London's Hyde Park when he saw a skinny blond young man who appeared to be aged between 18 and 20 being bothered by two
older men upon intervening Nielson learned the young man's name was David Galician and he was unemployed and two
living in a hostel David was vulnerable immature and easily led he agreed to accompany Nielson back
to his flat and at the following day the two commenced what would become a long-term relationship using the money
from his father's inheritance Nielson rented a spacious self-contained flat in the North London district of Cricklewood
for himself and David to move into 195 Melrose Avenue was a substantial Victorian era home that had been
subdivided into multiple residences and two Nielsen's secured the ground floor flat at the back of the property it was
a modest but comfortable abode with a living room bedroom small kitchen and an unkempt rubbish filled garden that
backed on to an area of wasteland Nielsen spent the remainder of his inheritance on new furnishings and
improvements to the home he convinced the landlord to give him and David exclusive use of the shared a garden and
blocked off the sight path to ensure no other tenants could access it the two then removed all of the yards
debris established a stone path and fish pond and planted various trees shrubs and vegetables nielsen already had one
pet a budgerigar named Hamish who had been taught to say piss off and david suggests that they had a puppy to their
household Neilson was reluctant given the level of responsibility required to care for a
dog but David insisted they purchased a black and white female mixed breed naming her bleep after the sounds she
made during the journey home David also found and adopted a stray kitten whom he
named DeeDee content with his new domesticated life Nilsson stopped frequenting pubs in favor of spending
his spare time at home with David he was thrilled to finally have the life he had
always wanted but there were several issues within the relationship david was emotionally passive while Nelson was
domineering and belittling and often complained that David was too hairy or too thin they were rarely intimate as
David view Danielson as relatively inept and disinterested in sex consequently David was frequently unfaithful and by
March 1976 just four months into their relationship the pair barely spoke to one another
[Music] in April nielsen developed the gall stones and suffered through two months
of severe abdominal pain while waiting to have an operation during this time he grew increasingly irritable with David
and to the pear board often drifting even further apart David only visited Nilsson once during his 10-day hospital
stay and by the time he recovered both men started bringing other men home to their flat over the next year Nilsson
used alcohol and music to escape the growing turmoil in his domestic life but the final straw came in May 1977 after
their dog bleep had a litter of puppies Nilsson went out to purchase a bottle of
rum and asked the David to look after the dogs but by the time he returned two of the Pops had drowned in the garden
pond Nilsson was furious and started wondering how he could get David to leave but two weeks later David met
another man and moved out of his own accord without david to keep him company nielsen permitted various strangers to
stay at his home many of whom he met at the pub some of the men became short-term lovers while others were
simply drinking buddies who needed a place to crash on one occasion he invited a three men back to his place
for a drink once they were all asleep nielsen lit the oil stove placed a jacket over it
and watched as the room filled with smoke he took a bleep outside and then rushed
back into the room assuming the role of hero by putting out the fire and flinging all the windows open another
friend of Nielsen's recalled waking up at the Melrose Avenue flat one night to find that the room full of smoke and to
Nielson hovering above him with a small knife Nielsen claimed the gas heater had
fallen off the wall and he was using the knife to detach it completely in case of
an explosion but the friend was convinced Nielsen had intentionally started the fire himself by the end of
1978 Nielsen had been working at the Job Center for three and a half years but still hadn't earned a promotion although
his employers couldn't fault his work at the Corps general abilities they felt his personality was volatile and his
colleagues found him irritating Nielsen felt the moralized and overwhelmed but feelings of inadequacy and self-pity his
sexual fantasies escalated and he retreated further into his mirror fetish using talcum powder on his skin and
charcoal under his eyes to further enhance the lifeless appearance of his reflection when later looking back on
this period he told author Brian masters quote loneliness is a long unbearable pain I
felt that I had achieved nothing of importance or of help to anyone in my entire life I would think that if I
drank myself to death my body would not be discovered until at least a week after there was no one I felt I could
call upon for real help I was in daily contact with so many people but quite alone in myself I was becoming depressed
and conditioned to a belief that I was impossible to live with Nielsen's desolation reached its peak when he
spent Christmas of 1978 alone with a bleep as the New Year approach he was drinking heavily and in a state of
despair so on December 30 he left his flat in search of company instead of going to one of his usual
haunts Nielson chose the Cricklewood Arms Hotel a rough Irish pub approximately a 15-minute walk from his
flat he consumed to multiple points of Guinness and engaged in conversations with several people including a
fourteen-year-old named Steven Dean Holmes the miner had just attended a pop concert and had decided to stop at the
bar on his way back to his home in the Kilburn district where he lived with his parents and sister Steven was refused
service on account of his age and soon started chatting to Nielson who invited him back to his house for a
drink the two walked back to Nielsen splat and two drank heavily late into the night eventually falling
asleep in Nelson's bed a few hours later as dawn was breaking Nielson woke up and
watched Steven sleep he caressed the teenagers body which led to him becoming aroused
in a letter to author Brian masters Nielsen later recalled I could feel my heart pounding and I
began to sweat he was still sound asleep I looked down on the floor where our clothes lay and my eyes fixed on my tire
I remember thinking that I wanted him to stay with me over the new year whether he wanted to or not
Nielsen picked up the tire and slipped it over Stephens head straddling his body while pulling the tire a struggle
ensued and two the two tumbled from the bed onto the floor knocking over the coffee table as they fell Stephen
eventually lost consciousness but continued to breathe uh raspily Nielsen went to the kitchen and filled a plastic
bucket with water bringing it back to the bedroom he lifted Stephens head and dropped it into the bucket holding him
down until it was clear he was dead he then washed Stephens body in the bathtub and carried him back to bed
tucking the sheets up under his chin Neilson noted that Stephens skin was still warm but slightly discolored his
eyes were half open and his lips were slightly parted and had turned blue nielsen started considering ways to get
rid of the body and decided to take a walk to clear his mind he strolled down Willesden high road approximately 15
minutes from his flat and purchased the cooking pot and an electric knife upon returning to the flat nielsen dressed
Stephens corpse in brand-new underwear socks and a tank top he climbed into bed and to molested the body but lost his
erection when he realized the body's temperature had started to drop instead Nielsen placed Stephens body on
the floor covered him with an old curtain and then went to sleep later that day nielsen woke up made
something to wait and to watch the TV while the corpse lay on the floor he eventually decided to conceal it beneath
the floor of his flat the carpet wasn't fixed to the floor so he pulled it back priced up the floorboards and attempted
to push Stephens body into the crawlspace below however rigor mortis had set in and to
the now stiffening body became stuck Nielsen propped the body up against the wall and waited until the following day
to try again this time he wrapped Stephen in a curtain and was able to work his limbs loose enough to ease him
into the crawl space he then covered the space with the floorboards and carpet and disposed of Stephens clothing and
boots in the rubbish bin one week later Nielson was curious as to what stage of decomposition the body had
reached and exhumed Stephen from underneath the floorboards he bathed the corpse before washing
himself in the same bathwater and proceeded to masturbate over the naked body Nielson then suspended Steven by
his ankles from the ceiling overnight masturbating over him again the following day he intended to dismembered
the corpse but instead returned to Steven to the crawlspace later explaining to Brian masters I just
couldn't do anything to spoil that marvelous body it was the beginning of the end of my life as I had known it I
had started down the Avenue of death and possession of a new kind of flatmate getting in shape it doesn't have to be
about losing weight or a magic number on the scale it's about building healthier
habits and feeling better about yourself if fitting into that favorite pair of jeans is your goal then that's great but
there are many reasons you might want to practice self-care that's where Noom comes in new ms the habit changing
solution that helps people learn to develop a new relationship with food through personalized courses it's not a
diet it's a healthy and easy to stick to way of life based in psychology Noom teaches you why you do the things you do
and empowers you with the tools you need to break a bad habits and replace them with better ones Jess
one of Case Files researchers recently took the quick online survey and was impressed by how filling out some simple
questions provided her with the tailored weight loss goal specific to her lifestyle you don't have to change it
all in one day small steps make big progress sign up for your trial today at noon and
Oh om dot-com / case file what do you have to lose visit Noom calm / case file to start
your trial today that's Noom dot-com / case file as we all adapt to this changing world we're going to be buying
more stuff online than ever before if you're an e-commerce seller are you ready to meet the demands of our new
delivery culture be ready with shipstation the number one ecommerce shipping solution in the
States is now available in Australia the UK and Canada shipstation helps online sellers of any size get orders out
quickly save money on shipping costs and keep customers happy whether you're selling on eBay Amazon Shopify or one of
more than a hundred other popular selling sites shipstation brings all your orders into one simple interface
making it very easy to manage orders from any device even your phone no wonder shipstation is the number one
choice of online sellers you'll ship more in less time with the best rates available and right now case file
listeners can try shipstation free for 60 days when you use offer code case file make sure your business is ready to
meet the demands of delivery culture get started at shipstation calm today click
on the microphone at the top of the homepage and type in case file that's shipstation comm then enter offer
code case file ship station comm mate ship happen thinning hair is something women don't
often talk about but nearly half of all women will experience it by the age of 40 if you're one of them you know it can
feel scary and stressful which only adds to the problem nutria file is a physician formulated solution that's
100% drug-free they use natural clinically effective botanicals for better hair growth through whole body
health and even if your hair isn't thinning nutria foil can help it grow thicker and stronger 77% of women who've
used nutria fol noticed improvements in just 90 days Case Files designer Paulina
recently taught me nutria files quick and easy online hair wellness quiz and just received a three month supply of
nutria file for women she's excited to start the treatment and can't wait to share the results with us you can grow
thicker healthier hair and support case file but going to nutria fall calm and using promo code case file to get 20%
off this is their best offer available anywhere plus there's free shipping on every order get 20% off at nutria Volcom
promo code case file their best offer anywhere 20% off at nutria fall calm spelled and new TR AF o elle.com promo
code case file the hair as strong as you are after the murder of Stephen Holmes Dennis Nilsen attempted to reduce his
alcohol intake to avoid committing another crime he stopped frequenting gay bars and
inviting men to his home instead focusing on his work at the Job Center rather than turn himself in he reasoned
it would be better to live a more productive and settle to life on Friday August 10 1979 just over seven months
after Stephens murder Nielson decided it was time to properly dispose of the teenager's remains in preparation he
constructed a bonfire in the rear garden of his flat the fence around the yard was seven feet tall into the house next
door was derelict so Neilson was confident he wouldn't raise any suspicions the following day he
retrieved Stephens body from under the floorboards and wrapped his remains in plastic bags he then set the bonfire
alight and placed the bags on the burning pyre throwing its fire into the flames so that the odor of burning
rubber would mask the smell of burning flesh after the fire had burnt out Nielson pounded the ashes into a fine
powder and raped them into the ground when Stephens body was gone Nielson regained a feeling of control
and two resumed his heavy drinking and bar-hopping two months later on October 11 1979 he was at an arcade in Leicester
Square when he met a young Chinese student named Andrew Howe and invited him back to his flat
andrew agreed and to the pair headed to Melrose Avenue where Andrew suggested they participate
in bondage Nielsen said he wasn't interested in any form of intimacy and instead offered Andrew money in exchange
for his company Andrew protested as he was more interested in a sexual encounter to appease his request
Nielsen agreed to tie Andrews feet together he then wrapped the tie around injuries
neck pulled it tight and warned what could happen if he continued to live such a risky lifestyle
Andrew panicked and started to scream prompting Nielsen to release his grip on the tire Andrew threw a candlestick at
Nielsen and I ran from the flat roughly half an hour later the police contacted Nielsen wanting to discuss the incident
but he denied that an attempted strangulation had taken place Andrew declined to make a written
statement or attend a future court date and therefore no charges were placed almost two months later on Monday
December 3 1979 Nielson left work early and went to the Princess Louise pub in London's Hoban district he struck up a
conversation with 23 year old Kenneth Ockendon who was originally from the United Kingdom but had emigrated to
Canada with his family as a young teenager Kenneth was training to be a welder and
had saved enough money for a three-month trip to England to catch up with relatives and old friends while also
indulging his passion for photography he had been in the country since September
and was due to fly home in just a few days Nilsson and Kenneth chattered and bought each other a round of drinks at 3
p.m. Kenneth placed a phone call to his uncle Gordon who lived in London to say he
would be stopping by in two days time to pick up some cash that Gordon was keeping safe for him after Kenneth ended
the call he into Nilsson left the pub together to visit some of London's famous landmarks including Trafalgar
Square and Westminster Abbey so that Kenneth could take some photographs with his prized cannon
single lens reflex camera and telephoto lens as their excursion drew to an end Nielsen suggested they go back to his
flat for something to wait before heading out for another drink later in the night
Kenneth accepted the invitation and the two went back to Melrose Avenue where they ate a meal of ham eggs and chips
they then decided to stay in instead of going to another pub and walked to a nearby liquor store to buy rum whiskey
and a beer they spent the rest of the evening drinking watching TV inter listening to Nelson's extensive record
collection at some point between 1:00 and 2:00 o'clock in the morning Kenneth was listening to music through
Nielsen's headphones suddenly Nielson wrapped the headphones around Kenneth's neck and dragged him across the floor
bleep barked frantically from the kitchen while Kenneth struggled until he eventually succumbed to the
strangulation Nielsen put bleep outside before returning to untangle the headphones from Kenneth's neck he then
poured himself a drink put the headphones on and sat down to listen to the record that Kenneth had been
enjoying after a while he strips in to bathe Kenneth's body laid him in bed and slept by his side in the morning
Nielsen stashed Kenneth's body in a cupboard disposed of his belongings and went to work during the day he purchased
the cheap Polaroid camera for the purpose of taking photographs of the body when he returned home he removed Kenneth
from the cupboard dressed him in socks briefs and a tank top and two then sat him on a chair he posed Kenneth in
various positions and took several Polaroids while speaking to him as though he was still alive that night
Nielson lay Kenneth's body on top of his own while he watched television and a later molested him eventually
he wrapped Kenneth in curtain fabric and placed him under the floorboards over the next two weeks
Nielsen retrieved Kenneth's corpse on four separate occasions and sat him on an armchair while he watched television
he smashed the records the pair had been listening to before the murder into pieces and threw them away Nielson later
told Brian masters I thought that his body and skin were very beautiful a sight that almost brought me to tears
after a couple of drinks he was my friend I liked him a lot his music still haunted me
when Kenneth failed to show at his uncle Gordon's house on Wednesday December 5 gordon notified the Ockendon family in
canada kenneth was close with his family and had maintained a regular contact with them throughout his trip to England
so it was out of character for him not to be in touch do Condon's hold out hope that Kenneth
would return for Christmas but after several weeks passed with no word from him they reported him missing the London
Metropolitan Police visited Kenneth's last known place of accommodation the Central Hotel on Argyle Street and
discovered all of his belongings were still there except for his London Street directory enterprise camera and des
landes among his possessions was a diary that detailed Kenneth's movements up until Monday December 3 the day of his
encounter with Nelson police suspected he had been missing since then and that foul play was involved
in February 1980 Kenneth's parents Audrey and Ken flew to London to wait the search telling the press they would
stay as long as it took to find to their son missing persons posters were distributed throughout the city and
police asked for assistance in locating Kenneth or his camera equipment but no leads emerged
[Music] during the 1970s and 80s London saw an increase in the number of young people experiencing homelessness
unemployment rates were higher and to the unskilled workers who did manage to find casual employment were poorly paid
to secure a job an individual needed to provide proof of address but without enough income to make the down payment
required to rent a room or flat many young people were caught in a vicious cycle
moreover council housing was scarce and available beds in charitable shelters were rapidly declining leaving those who
were unable to afford accommodation with no choice but to sleep araf many of these young people were raised in foster
care or estranged from their families and had no one to turn to for help to support themselves they often turned to
drugs and sex work effectively growing what was known as the rentboy trade in which teenagers and young men sold
sexual services to older men in the days before the internet mobile phones and social media it was easy for Londoners
experiencing homelessness to disappear and become nearly impossible to track down the Department of Health and Social
Security didn't follow up on the whereabouts of an individual if they failed to claim their welfare benefits
Nielsen's years of working for the Job Centre meant he was well aware of this growing problem and to the predicament
faced by many young men on May 17 1980 just over five months since the murder of Kenneth Ockendon Nielson was
returning from a work conference when he disembarked a train at Euston station in
central London there he met 16 year-old Martin Duffy a catering student from the
town of birkenhead in northwest England who had just arrived in London Martin had a left high school at the age of 15
and after struggling to find work he started stealing and getting into trouble with the authorities after one
incident his parents sent him to a special school for maladjusted children where he received psychological
treatment his parents divorced around the same time Martin was discharged from the school and he started frequenting
gay clubs and developed an addiction to Valium one of Martin's psychologists helped him complete a catering course
and he graduated with his very own set of chef's knives engraved with his name Martin's circumstances had recently been
improving until he was questioned by police with regard to evading a train fare on May 13 1980 he packed a suitcase
with his new knife set and other belongings and told his family he was going to live in New Brighton a town
four and a half miles from Birkenhead instead he traveled 215 miles southeast to London where he struck up a
conversation with Dennis Nilsen and agreed to accompany him back to his Melrose Avenue flat after drinking a
beer Martin became tired and went to sleep in Nelson's bed Nielsen then straddled the teenager and strangled him
while he slept once Martin lost consciousness Nielsen carried him to the kitchen sink filled
it with water and held Martin's head under until he drowned he then ran himself a bath climbed in and washed the
naked body while it laid on top of his own once he was finished Neilson carried Martin's corpse to the bed where he
molested him further afterwards he stored Martin in a cupboard for two days before burying him beneath the
floorboards alongside Kenneth Ockendon Neilson found a luggage tag in Martin's pocket and went to Euston station to
retrieve his belongings the locker contained an old suitcase which Nielsen threw away but he kept several knives
from the chef's knife set inside three months later in August 1980 26 year-old William Billy Sutherland visited the job
centre where Nelson worked Billy had been raised in a slum estate near the city of Edinburgh in Scotland and had
moved to London with his girlfriend Donna into their young son in the late 1970s Donna disliked to London and
missed home so she and their child returned to Scotland while Billy stayed in England since then he had been living
as somewhat transient lifestyle moving around to London often and struggling to find steady employment
Billy's attempts to find work were hindered by the fact that he had lots of tattoos which many people at the time
associated with criminals Billy had previously been employed as a chef so he visited the job centre hoping to be
placed in a similar role Nielsen and Billy struck up a conversation and decided to go on a pub crawl through the
Soho area after several hours of drinking Neilson got tired of walking around and decided to go home he walked
down the stairs to the Leicester Square underground station and bought himself a
train ticket Billy followed and indicated he had nowhere else to go so Nielson invited him to stay at his
flat once they arrived at Melrose Avenue Nielsen strangled Billy with his bare hands and disposed of his body
underneath the floorboards despite Billy's transient lifestyle he regularly contacted his girlfriend - Donna and his
mother back home in Scotland and - the two grew concerned when he stopped calling his mother contacted both the
London Metropolitan Police and The Salvation Army to report him missing but there were already 40 other men named
Billy Sutherland on the missing-persons register Nielsen now had three bodies hidden underneath these floorboards that
he needed to get rid of those of Kenneth Ockendon Martin Duffy and Billy Sutherland one Sunday afternoon in
August he retrieved all three corpses and too laid them out on his kitchen floor they were in an advanced state of
decomposition covered in maggots and emitting a foul odor Nielson drank several glasses of rum and - then
masturbated next to his victims in what he interpreted as his way of saying goodbye using his sharpest kitchen
knives Nielsen employed the butchery skills he had learned in the army to dissect each of the bodies into several
parts it was a difficult and physically demanding process during which Nelson vomited several times in order to remove
the flesh from the skulls he boiled the heads of his victims in a large cooking pot on the stove
he put the internal organs into plastic bags and stuffed them between the double
fencing in his backyard to be eaten by insects and animals he placed the remaining body parts in plastic bags and
stuff to them inside some old suitcases that had been left at the flat by a previous tenant not all of the body
parts would fit so Nielsen hid a bag containing the arms and hands of one victim underneath the bush in his
backyard he then took the suitcases to his garden shed and constructed a low brick wall around them to conceal the
stench he placed the few sticks of deodorant over the suitcases and covered them with bricks and stacked in
newspapers as Nielsen had salt use of the garden he didn't bother to lock the shed over the following months Nielson
continued to frequent London's pubs where he met several unsuspecting men whom he brought back to his Melrose
Avenue flat while his memory of this period was hazy his victims included an Irish labourer aged between 27 and 30
years old a slim man Aveda Filipino or Mexican descent an emaciated homeless man whom
he met on Charing Cross Road and a long-haired hippie he encountered in London's West End as he'd done with his
earlier victims he strangled each of them and then hid their bodies under his floorboards on November 10 1980 Nielson
was drinking with some people at the Golden Lion Park in Soho when the group struck up a conversation with Douglas
Stewart a 26 year old from the town of thurso on Scotland's north coast although the Golden Lion had a
reputation as a gay bar Douglas was there because it served his favorite Scottish beer he drank and chatted with
the group until closing time at which point Nielsen suggested they continue the party at his Platte once Douglas was
out on the street he realized he was the only person who had taken Nilsson up on
his offer although he was now hesitant he thought it would be rude if he didn't continue on so the two headed to
Nelson's flat alone once there they each drank two pints of beer and two Nielsen invited Douglas to
join him in bed the Scots been declined and instead went to sleep in an armchair
two hours later Douglas awoke to find that his feet had been tied to the legs of the chair and
that the necktie he'd taken off earlier was now fastened around his throat suddenly Nielson was on top of him
pushing his knee down hard into Douglass's chest Douglas fought back scratching Nilsen
hard enough under one eye to draw blood and eventually pinned him to the ground Nielson loudly shouted take my money
take my money before quietly and calmly telling Douglas I could kill you the struggle dissipated and to douglas
placated nielsen by apologizing and helping to wipe the blood from his face he stayed for another drink then fled to
the nearest telephone box to call the police shortly after an officer arrived at Nelson splat but Nelson provided a
starkly different version of events the police didn't notice the scratch below his eye and promptly left concluding the
fight had likely been nothing more than quote a lover's TIFF the next day they tried to contact Douglas to obtain a
further statement but were unable to locate him no further action was taken by December of 1980 Nelson now had the
remains of seven victims on his property the bodies of Kenneth Ockendon Martin Duffy and Billy Sutherland were in the
suitcases in the shed three of the unnamed victims were stored underneath the floorboards and one was in the
cupboard realizing he was running out of room and needed to dispose of his victims
permanently Neilson retrieved the four unidentified bodies and dismembered them using a kitchen knife he placed the
limbs heads and torsos into large plastic garbage bags put them back under the floorboards and have been disposed
of the organs and entrails in his backyard for animals to devour that evening he prepared a large bonfire in
the area of Wasteland just beyond his back garden he used sections of a recently felled
poplar tree as the base and two stacked pieces of wood and furniture that had been discarded by his neighbors on top
when he was finished the structure was five feet tall and had a large hole in the center Neilson retired to bed and
resumed his plan at 6:45 the following morning Walla was still dark he retrieved the garbage bags from beneath
the floorboards wrapped them inside two large carpets and to drag them out to the bonfire next he fetched the
suitcases from the garden shed those that had been stacked on top were still intact and easy to drag into the center
of the bonfire but the ones at the bottom had been crushed and fell to pieces when he tried to lift them bits
of rotting flesh scattered on to the ground which he had to pick up by hand to add to the pyre
when all of the garbage bags suitcases and stray pieces had been thrown into the center Nielsen loaded the fire with
newspaper and through an old car tire on top to disguise the inevitable smell of
burning flesh he squirted the base with a lighter fuel and set the pile alight the fire burned throughout the day with
Nelson monitoring it closely at all times and adding extra wood as required a few children from the neighborhood
stopped a buyer to watch a burn but Nelson wanted them away by the time the fire eventually died down one of his
victims skulls was still recognizable so Nielsen used the garden rake to crush it
into a fine powder he then covered the ashy remains of the fire with bricks disinfected the floor of the garden shed
took a bath and headed out to the salisbury pub in London's West End there he met a young man with whom he had a
one-night stand [Music] Christmas into the new year passed without incident but during the first
few months of 1991 Nielsen was the victim of a series of robberies his camera and projector was stolen from his
flat and he was also mugged one night while staggering home drunk from the pub the assailant stole three hundred pounds
the equivalent of one month's wages to make ends meet Nielsen had to apply to the Department of Employment benevolent
fund for an advance on his wages which he was mortified about meanwhile his landlords were encouraging him to vacate
the Melrose Avenue property as they considered him a difficult uncooperative and obstructive tenant they told Nielsen
he would have to leave temporarily while renovations were underway but he refused
saying that he wouldn't be intimidated into giving up his rights as a tenant one day in June 1981 he returned home
from work to discover that his entire flat had been vandalized his television record player and mirror were smashed to
pieces and his furniture linen and clothing had all been smeared in a tar-like substance destroying everything
except the suit he was wearing Nielsen reported the incident to the police who took a statement but the person
responsible was never identified when Nielsen's colleagues at the job centre found out they pulled their money
together and presented him with a check for 85 pounds the equivalent of about 600 Australian dollars in today's
currency that same month Nielsen made several attempts to further his career first he submitted a request to attend
management committee meetings as part of his role as a union official but the request was denied with the hour
explanation he then applied for a transfer to the overseas workers section of the Job Center a department which
helped place foreign workers in employment Nielsen's manager denied this request writing in a rejection letter
your men are in relationships with your colleagues is usually outspoken and often overbearing I am concerned that
despite your undoubted desire to provide an effective service to our customers your manner with the public on overseas
workers section might cause offence Nielson was furious but continued in his current role throughout the first half
of 1981 he also claimed three more victims one was an 18 year old blue-eyed Scottish man who he met at the Golden
Lion in Soho and challenged to a drinking competition another was a man in his early 20s from Belfast who he met
in the West End and to the other was a 20 year old skinhead who was covered in tattoos one of which was a dotted line
across his neck accompanied by the words cut here like the other attacks the men
were killed by strangulation and kept for several days to fulfil Nelson's sexual desires before being dismembered
and buried under the floorboards at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday September 17 1981 Nielson was walking to work when he saw
a young man slumped against the garden wall a few houses down from his flat the man was 24 year old Malcolm Barlow
an orphan from the Yorkshire town of Rotherham who had spent the majority of his youth in foster homes and hospitals
for the mentally ill he was of a low intelligence epileptic and also a compulsive liar who often induced
seizures in order to gain sympathy malcolm relied on welfare benefits and sometimes turned to sex work to earn an
income he typically slept in hostels or with people who picked him up off the street Malcolm told her Nelson that the
pills he was taking to treat his epilepsy had caused his legs to give way and he was unable to walk Nielson picked
Malcolm up and helped support him as they walked back to his flat there he made Malcolm a cup of coffee before
going to the nearest pay phone to call an ambulance ten minutes later the paramedics arrived then took Malcolm to
the Park Royal Hospital where he received treatment and was released the next day on Friday September 18 Nelson
returned home from work to find Malcolm sitting on his doorstep he invited him inside cooked him a meal into the - sat
down to watch television together Nelson started drinking but refused to give a malcolm any alcohol in case it
interfered with his medication malcolm insisted one or two drinks would be fine and Nelson reluctantly agreed after
drinking two rum and cokes malcolm then fell asleep on the sofa an hour later Nielsen tried to wake
Malcolm by slapping him in the face but there was no response he contemplated whether or not to call the paramedics
again but was worried that if he did the police might become involved after 20 minutes of consideration he wrapped his
hands around Malcolm's neck and strangled him to death he then finished his drink and went to bed the next
morning Nielsen dragged Malcolm's body into the kitchen placed him under the sink and left for work when later
reflecting on the murder two author Brian masters Nielson said I'm sorry that he managed to find me again
in late September 1981 a real-estate agent acting Vanille since landlords offered to rent him a self-contained
flat roughly five miles northeast of the Melrose Avenue property as an added incentive
the landlord's offered to pay him 1,000 pounds compensation for the difficulties
he had enjoyed over the preceding months nielsen was driven to see the flat at 23
cranly gardens in Muswell Hill and accepted the offer on the spot the move was scheduled for Monday
October 5 Nielson spent the weekend prior packing up his few belongings and disposing of the remaining bodies on
Saturday October 3 he built one final bonfire in the wasteland behind his garden using unwanted furniture and
rubbish to again create a large construction with a hollow Center in the early morning hours of Sunday October 4
while it was still dark outside he dragged Malcolm Barlow's body to the wasteland and into the center of the
fire he then retrieved the body parts of the three unidentified victims from underneath the floorboards and added
them to the pile after setting the fire alight he watched as it burned when one of his neighbors
came out to ask what was going on Nielson responded that he was burning his rubbish before the big move on
Monday morning Nielson checked the remnants of the fire and to notice the large pile of ashes and small bone
fragments remained using a garden roller he flattened to the pile and crushed the
bones into one recognizable pieces he then remembered he had hidden the hands and arms of one victim under a bush in
his backyard and to retrieve the bag that contained the body parts after using a shovel to break the bones into
smaller fragments he threw them over the fence into the wasteland when the removalist arrived soon after nielsen
loaded up his belongings and his beloved dog bleep as he later explained to brian
masters quote driving away from 195 Melrose Avenue was a great relief to be continued next week
[Music] you [Music]

Case 144: The Muswell Hill Murderer (Part 1)

[Part 1 of 3] On the morning of Saturday, February 5 1983, plumber Mike Welch arrived at Cranley Gardens, a long, wide residential street in the north London suburb of Muswell Hill...

CREDITS

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

SOCIAL LINKS

Website https://www.casefilepodcast.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/casefile Twitter https://twitter.com/case_file Instagram https://www.instagram.com/casefilepodcast Patreon https://www.patreon.com/casefile Casefile Presents https://casefilepresents.com

RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-144-the-muswell-hill-murderer-part-1

Brief Summary

Dennis Nilsen's chilling murders of young men in London and his gruesome methods of disposal are detailed in this episode.

Key points

The Blockage Discovery. A plumber discovers a horrifying blockage in a drain, leading to shocking revelations.
Nilsen's Troubling Childhood. Dennis Nilsen's early life is marked by trauma and disturbing behavior.
The Tragic Relationship. Nielsen's relationship with David deteriorates, leading to infidelity and emotional turmoil.
Nielsen's Descent into Darkness. After the murder of Stephen Holmes, Nielsen's life spirals into chaos and despair.
A Night of Horror. Nielsen's encounter with Kenneth Ockendon ends in tragedy as he strangles him to death.
The Disappearance of Kenneth Ockendon. Kenneth's family reported him missing after weeks of no contact, raising concerns.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I wanted to see the reality and process of killing and death.

Dennis Nilsen reflecting on his disturbing behavior as a child.

9:38WatchMay 9, 2020

Tension

85/ 100High tension

More from Casefile

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.