John Duffy & David Mulcahy
| AKA | Railway Killers |
| DOB | Duffy 1959 Mulcahy 1958 |
| Occupation | Builders |
| Kill Total | 3 +? |
| Kill Place | London |
| Kill Date | 1984- 1985 |
| M.O. | Strangulation |
| Victim | Allison Day-19 Martje Tambosezer-15 Anne Locke-30 |
"Rape is a natural thing for a man to do"
(John Duffy)
(John Duffy)
Duffy started out as a violent rapist, originally working with, an un-named accomplice.
John Francis Duffy and David Mulcahy had been friends since school in Haverstock, north London. They both shared a sadistic streak for tormenting and torturing animals starting with a hedgehog, which Mulcahy beat to death with a plank of wood, when he was aged-13.
As they got older the pair transferred their sadistic tendencies to women, fuelling each other’s dark sexual fantasies. It is likely that they got the idea to attack lone women when they realised how quiet areas were around railway stations at night.
July 1982, The first known attack happened when two men, aged-22, attacked and violently raped a 23-year-old woman in Hampstead, North London. The victim, in an interview in 2017, described the pair as "‘They were like two bodies with one brain, soul-mates,’
John Francis Duffy and David Mulcahy had been friends since school in Haverstock, north London. They both shared a sadistic streak for tormenting and torturing animals starting with a hedgehog, which Mulcahy beat to death with a plank of wood, when he was aged-13.
As they got older the pair transferred their sadistic tendencies to women, fuelling each other’s dark sexual fantasies. It is likely that they got the idea to attack lone women when they realised how quiet areas were around railway stations at night.
July 1982, The first known attack happened when two men, aged-22, attacked and violently raped a 23-year-old woman in Hampstead, North London. The victim, in an interview in 2017, described the pair as "‘They were like two bodies with one brain, soul-mates,’
Over the next four years a further 18 women were attacked.
The police, concerned at the number of attacks launched "Operation Hart", the largest police investigation in the UK since the Yorkshire Ripper enquiry.
During the investigation Duffy was questioned regarding previous violence, and, was in the operation Hart computer, but was near the bottom of the list, which contained the names of thousands of potential suspects.
The police, concerned at the number of attacks launched "Operation Hart", the largest police investigation in the UK since the Yorkshire Ripper enquiry.
During the investigation Duffy was questioned regarding previous violence, and, was in the operation Hart computer, but was near the bottom of the list, which contained the names of thousands of potential suspects.
Professor David Canter, then at Surrey University, was called in to aid the police investigation. Canter drew up a list of seventeen personality and characteristic traits, as well as environmental clues that the offender would display. On 12 of these he was completely accurate. -
(A good book for insight into Prof. Canters' work is Criminal Shadows: Inside the Mind of the Serial Killer )
Summer 1983, For the next 12-months women were terrorised. 18 women were raped near train stations, plus, as it was later discovered, only 5-minutes walk from the house in Kilburn that Duffy shared with his wife.
Autumn 1983, All of a sudden the attacks stopped. Police later found out that this was at the same time that Duffy had separated from his wife.
February 1984, The attacks started again, this time mainly in West and North London, at the time the police had no evidence to link the two sets of attacks.
July 1985, Three women were raped on the same night, all in the Hendon, Hampstead area of North London.
August 1985, Duffy is arrested for beating up his wife, police add him to the 'Operation Hart' database.
September 1985, a woman is attacked in Barnet, police believe the attackers description matches Duffy.
2nd December 1985, Duffy was put in an identity parade, but the woman was still in shock, and failed to identify him.
29th December 1985, 19-year-old Allison Day was violently taken off a train at Hackney Wick by Duffy and Mulcahy, she was raped and then strangled.
17th April 1986, 15-year-old Martje Tambosezer was snatched at West Horsley station, she was cycling away when she fell off her bike, a piece of fishing wire had been stretched across the path, a trick Duffy claims he got from the Anarchists cookbook. They then took her across fields, where Duffy raped her, watched by Mulcahy. Duffy later claimed that Mulcahy ripped off Maartje's belt and looped it around her throat, telling him: 'I did the last one, you'll do this one'. The belt had a stick through it, Duffy kept twisting the stick until she was dead.
They left the scene but Mulcahy returned later and set fire to the body to destroy any forensic evidence.
12th May 1986, Duffy was arrested near North Weald station, he was carrying a knife, but was later released as there was no evidence to hold him.
18th May 1986, 30-year-old TV presenter, Anne Locke, was snatched while getting off a train in Bookman's Park, in Hertfordshire. Anne's decomposed body was found two months later, she was murdered in undergrowth just a mile from her home. She had been suffocated with her own sock.
It later emerged that whereas in previous attacks the men had acted as a pair, supporting each other, and egging each other on, Duffy was now acting alone.
21st October 1986, A 14-year-old schoolgirl was attacked and raped.
Summer 1983, For the next 12-months women were terrorised. 18 women were raped near train stations, plus, as it was later discovered, only 5-minutes walk from the house in Kilburn that Duffy shared with his wife.
Autumn 1983, All of a sudden the attacks stopped. Police later found out that this was at the same time that Duffy had separated from his wife.
February 1984, The attacks started again, this time mainly in West and North London, at the time the police had no evidence to link the two sets of attacks.
July 1985, Three women were raped on the same night, all in the Hendon, Hampstead area of North London.
August 1985, Duffy is arrested for beating up his wife, police add him to the 'Operation Hart' database.
September 1985, a woman is attacked in Barnet, police believe the attackers description matches Duffy.
2nd December 1985, Duffy was put in an identity parade, but the woman was still in shock, and failed to identify him.
29th December 1985, 19-year-old Allison Day was violently taken off a train at Hackney Wick by Duffy and Mulcahy, she was raped and then strangled.
17th April 1986, 15-year-old Martje Tambosezer was snatched at West Horsley station, she was cycling away when she fell off her bike, a piece of fishing wire had been stretched across the path, a trick Duffy claims he got from the Anarchists cookbook. They then took her across fields, where Duffy raped her, watched by Mulcahy. Duffy later claimed that Mulcahy ripped off Maartje's belt and looped it around her throat, telling him: 'I did the last one, you'll do this one'. The belt had a stick through it, Duffy kept twisting the stick until she was dead.
They left the scene but Mulcahy returned later and set fire to the body to destroy any forensic evidence.
12th May 1986, Duffy was arrested near North Weald station, he was carrying a knife, but was later released as there was no evidence to hold him.
18th May 1986, 30-year-old TV presenter, Anne Locke, was snatched while getting off a train in Bookman's Park, in Hertfordshire. Anne's decomposed body was found two months later, she was murdered in undergrowth just a mile from her home. She had been suffocated with her own sock.
It later emerged that whereas in previous attacks the men had acted as a pair, supporting each other, and egging each other on, Duffy was now acting alone.
21st October 1986, A 14-year-old schoolgirl was attacked and raped.
7th November 1986, Duffy was arrested after he was discovered stalking a woman in a residential park.
8th November 1986, John Duffy was charged with three murders, and seven counts of rape.
26th February 1988, John Francis Duffy was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a judge at the Old Bailey
3rd October 2000, Duffy back at the Old Bailey.
His previously unknown accomplice had now been identified by Duffy, who claims he wants to clear his conscience.
2nd February 2001, father of four, David Mulcahy was given three life sentences for the rape and murder of three women, and for seven further rapes.
12th March 2001, Duffy is charged with a further 17 rapes and given a further 12 years on top of his existing sentence.
8th November 1986, John Duffy was charged with three murders, and seven counts of rape.
26th February 1988, John Francis Duffy was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a judge at the Old Bailey
3rd October 2000, Duffy back at the Old Bailey.
His previously unknown accomplice had now been identified by Duffy, who claims he wants to clear his conscience.
Following Duffy giving Mulcahy's name to police, they were able to check DNA records, which were not as advanced in the 1980's,
Duffy also gave a detailed account of the pairs actions over the previous years, including the revelation that they would listen to Michael Jackson's Thriller album while 'hunting' victims near train stations, he said it was part of the ritual.
2nd February 2001, father of four, David Mulcahy was given three life sentences for the rape and murder of three women, and for seven further rapes.
12th March 2001, Duffy is charged with a further 17 rapes and given a further 12 years on top of his existing sentence.
February 2020, Convicted killer David Mulcahy threatens legal action after a model of a formula one car he made from matchsticks is stolen. Mclcahy has won several awards for art over the years, all made in his cell at HMP Full Sutton.