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FACTFILE
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Born in Dartford, Kent, Ireland was raised by his mother
after his father left before he was born, his
mother being just 17 at the time.
FBI profiler Robert Ressler states in "Whoever Fights Monsters
that
one has to commit five murders to become a serial killer.
Colin read the book and used it almost as a manual in his
quest to become a serial killer.
He meticulously planned
each murder as he set out to become a famous serial
killer. He chose gay sado-masochistic men because they
were willing to get tied up. Also, he believed that the
public would feel less sympathy for them. Before his
arrest he taunted the police with rambling calls claiming
responsibility for the murders and threatening to keep
striking once a week. He even stated "I have got the book,
I know how many you have to do..."
Ireland had a history of
crime before becoming a serial killer.
1971 – robbery
- 2 years borstal
December 1975 – 2 counts of burglary, stealing a car,
damage to property - 18 months prison
1977 – demanding with menace - 18 months: prison
1980 – robbery - 2 years prison
1981 – attempted deception - 2 months prison
1985 – going equipped to cheat - 6 months: prison
Monday
8th March 1993, Peter Walker took Ireland back to
his flat in Battersea. There he was bound, and
suffocated by a plastic bag over his head.
Ireland placed two teddy bears in a 69 position on the
body. He left Walker's dogs locked in another room.
The day
after the murder, having heard nothing on the news about
the crime, he called a journalist from The Sun
newspaper, advising them of the dogs, and that he had
murdered their master.
Thursday
20th May 1993, Chris Dunn was a 37-year-old
librarian who lived in Wealdstone. Dunn's death was
initially believed to be an accident that occurred
during an erotic game.
Because he
died in a different area from Walker, a different set of
police investigators worked on the case. therefore the
death was not linked to Walker straight away.
Friday
4th June 1993, Ireland met Perry Bradley III,
at the Colherne pub.
The two men
went to Bradley's flat, where Ireland suggested that he
tie Bradley up. Bradley expressed his displeasure at the
idea of sado-masochism. In order to get Bradley to
comply, Ireland told Bradley that he was unable to
perform sexually without bondage. Bradley cooperated and
was soon tied up on his bed, face down, with a noose
around his neck.
Ireland then demanded money from him and demanded his
debit card PIN under the threat of torture.After Bradley
gave Ireland his PIN, which Ireland later used to steal
£200, along with £100 in cash stolen from Bradley's
flat, Ireland told Bradley that he should go to sleep,
as he wouldn't be leaving his flat that night.
Bradley did
eventually fall asleep and Ireland pulled the
noose that he had earlier attached around Bradley's neck
and strangled him. Before leaving Bradley's flat, he
placed a doll on top of the dead man's body.
Bradley was described in police reports as heterosexual,
this helped in the failure by police to link the
different murders.
Monday
7th June 1993, By now Ireland was angry that his
crimes had not hit the headlines, so only three days
later he went on the prowl again.
Ireland met
Collier in a pub, the two went back to Colliers flat in
Dalston. After arriving they heard something outside and
went to the window, Ireland had put his hands on the
iron bar across the window, police were later to find a
fingerprint on this, unusually Ireland had missed this
in his usually thorough clean up.
Once he had
tied up his victim on the bed, Ireland demanded his
victim's bank details. His victim refused to comply.
Ireland killed Collier's cat in front of him, whilst he
was restrained on the bed. Ireland then strangled
Collier with a noose, put a condom on Collier's penis
and placed the dead cats' mouth over it, he then placed
the cat's tail into Collier's mouth.
Ireland left
the the Dalston house the following morning with £70 in
cash, he also left a clue for the police by putting a
condom in Collier's mouth, just as he had done to
Walker, thus creating an obvious link between the two
murders.
Saturday
12th June 1993, Just five days later, he met 41 year
old Emanuel Spiteri, a chef Ireland met in the same pub
as he met Collier,.
They went to
Spiteri's flat in Hither Green, and as usual Spiteri was
persuaded to be cuffed and bound on his bed. Once more,
Ireland demanded his bank number but did not obtain it.
He again used a noose to kill his victim.
After
carrying out his usual post-murder ritual of
clearing the scene, Ireland set fire to the flat and
left. He then rang the police to tell them to look for a
body at the scene of a fire and added that he would
probably not kill again, as he had reached 5 victims,
enough to classify him as a serial killer.
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Police
eventually connected all five killings. The murders were
widely publicised through the national media and it was
quickly known in the gay community and the wider
community that a serial killer was specifically
targeting gay men.
Police revealed that Spiteri had left the pub and
travelled home with his killer by train, a security
video successfully captured the two men on the
platform at Charing Cross station. Ireland recognised
himself and decided to tell police he was the man with
Spiteri but not the killer, he claimed to have left
Spiteri in the flat with another man. However, police
had also found the fingerprints in Collier's flat which
matched those of Ireland.
21 July 1993 - charged with Collier’s murder
23 July 1993 - charged with Spiteri’s murder
19 August 1993 – confessed to all five murders
20 August 1993 - charged with the murders of Walker,
Dunn and Bradley
19th August 1993,
While on remand in prison Ireland initially denied all
charges, then on 19th August he decided to confess,
telling prison offices, "you better get the police, l am
the 'Gay slayer'"
20th August 1993 Ireland appeared at the old Bailey
in London, charged with five murders, he confessed to
all, and was
Sentenced to five counts of life imprisonment
It has been rumoured that Colin Ireland has killed again in
prison. It is suggested that he has strangled a
convicted child murderer in his cell, but because he was
serving life with no possibility of parole it was a waste
of time and money to prosecute him. The murder was carried
out while Colin was in Wakefield Prison, Yorkshire. Two
weeks later, he was moved to Whitemoor Prison,
Cambridgeshire.
Colin Irelands
is on the Home Office list of prisoner who will serve a
'Whole Life Tariff',
see full list
here >>
Tuesday
21st February 2012, Colin Ireland dies in the
healthcare wing at Wakefield Prison at 9:20am
It was reported he died of natural causes.
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