Dennis Nilsen, aged 37 killed at least 15 male students or young tramps over a period of 5 years in North London. His activities were discovered by accident in February 1983 when sewerage cleaners were called to Cranley Gardens in London as they were blocked. It was thought rotting meat or dog food caused the awful smell and blockage, but on closer inspection they found human remains to be the cause.
When police knocked on the door of number 23 Dennis seemed happy to tell his story. He admitted to killing and disecting 15 young people. Police found three heads in his wardrobe and other body parts in boxes. He confessed to having buried dissected bodied at his former home in Crickleworth. Nilsen was an alcoholic and a homosexual.
He was obviously obsessed with death. He used to masturbate in front of a mirror after having covered himself with a white powder, in order to look like a corpse. Later on, he liked watching his victim's bodies, put on their underwear and masturbated over them. He was faced with a big problem when he had to get rid of them. Now and then, there were four or five bags with remains under the floor of his apartment in Cricklewood, while cases full of human organs were in his shed. Sometimes, he burned them to get rid of them, but when he tried to flush the results of his massacres down the toilet, the waste pipes got blocked and Nilsen got caught.
In October 1983, Nilsen was put on trial as 'the killer of the century' in the Old Bailey. His cool, dissocial and merciless way of acting was considered by psychiatrists during the trial. When his lawyer asked him: 'Why?', Nilsen answered: 'I was hoping you could tell me that'. This man, who once called himself a creative psychopath, was being defended on the ground of diminished sanity. The jury concluded that he was responsible for his deeds and judged him guilty. He was convicted to a life sentence. Nilsen himself didn't show any remorse: 'I don't sleep a minute less because of what I've done, nor do I have any nightmares'.
Nilsen himself wrote a report in prison in which he tried to analyze himself. His presence wasn't really appreciated by the other prisoners, and when he was in Wormwood Scrubs, a fellow-prisoner cut open his face with a razorblade. |
