Latest news with #KerryDaynes
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
I've interviewed murderers and rapists at UK's ‘Monster Mansion' prison – but one harrowing case left me broken
Over the course of her career forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes has been stabbed, had an eyeball dropped in her soup and been subjected to a horrific stalking ordeal CRIME TIME I've interviewed murderers and rapists at UK's 'Monster Mansion' prison – but one harrowing case left me broken Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SITTING across from the cold hearted murderer, Kerry Daynes barely flinches, in fact if anything she's trying to suppress a yawn. The forensic psychologist, 51, is talking to the serial killer Dennis Nilsen, responsible for the death of at least 15 people during his killing spree in 70s and 80s. 10 Kerry Daynes worked as a forensic psychologist for over two decades 10 Kerry started out at HMP Wakefield - otherwise known as 'Monster Mansion' Credit: Alamy 10 She says serial killer Dennis Nilsen was one of the 'dullest men she ever met' Credit: Rex However, his grisly past doesn't spark an ounce of fear in Kerry. 'Dennis Nielsen was one of the most boring people that I've ever met,' she says. 'He was a dull civil servant that could complain for England, he could have turned it into an Olympic sport. 'The only thing that made him interesting, really, was of course these hideous offences that he'd committed.' Hideous offenses are, of course, Kerry's bread and butter, having spent more than two decades analysing some of the UK's most dangerous criminals from Moors Murderer Ian Brady to infamous inmate Charles Bronson. With her cool and collected attitude it's a career she's thrived in but Kerry, who lives in Manchester, admits that she almost went down a very different path. Speaking as part of Life Stories, The Sun's YouTube series that sees ordinary people share their extraordinary experiences, she says: 'I really wanted to be an advertising executive. 'I thought there was loads of money in it and it seemed like money for a rope.' After taking psychology at university, she "fell into" criminal psychology after developing a crush on a boy in that module. 'There was one boy in particular that I really fancied and he was taking law, so I signed up for some law subsidiaries alongside psychology,' she says. Serial killer Dennis Nilsen killed my uncle - and wrecked our family 'I always say that I became a forensic psychologist by accident and under the influence of cheap cider and hormones.' INSIDE 'MONSTER MANSION' While nothing ever came of her crush, Kerry graduated with honours from Sheffield University and in 1996 she was taken on as a voluntary assistant at HMP Wakefield, dubbed 'Monster Mansion'. 'I looked around me and I saw faces that I recognised from the newspapers,' she says. 'I could put the mugshots to the people. 'I was put onto a research project which meant I had to interview every man in the prison who had both raped and murdered a woman in very great detail. 'The whole point of this research project, believe it or not, was that they felt that they might be able to develop a set of guidelines for women who were being raped so that they could minimize the chances of them being murdered. 'It's mind blowing to think about it now.' While Kerry admitted that initially she was out of her depth she quickly became adept at talking to some of Britain's most dangerous criminals. 10 Kerry spent more than two decades analysing some of the UK's most dangerous criminals including Moors Murderer Ian Brady Credit: PA:Press Association 10 She also came face to face with the likes of Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe Credit: Getty 10 Kerry worked closely with Britain's most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson Credit: Alamy 10 She became the victim of a stalker herself as the result of TV appearances Credit: Rex She opened her own private psychology practice in 2003 and worked as a freelance forensic psychologist for over 20 years. Often asked how she was able to cope with the harrowing task of analysing some of the UK's most depraved criminals, Kerry admits she developed a unique coping method. 'I was working in a secure unit and there was one guy that I worked with that was in his 80s who was deemed too unsafe to move anywhere else,' she explains. 'He'd murdered two women in a very sadistic manner and really enjoyed seeing women suffer and nobody warned me about the habit he had for female staff. AN EYEBALL IN MY SOUP 'He had a prosthetic eye and I was sitting having my lunch one day when he came up behind me and he literally flicked his prosthetic eye into my soup. 'So of course I screamed the place down, and gave him the response that he wanted so he continued to do it and I had to find a way of ignoring it. 'Eventually I would just scoop the eyeball out and I would put it to the side of my plate and I would carry on and that stopped him. 'And ever since I have applied that logical and rational approach to my work. 'I still to this day I actually go, 'You know what, Kerry, need to put the eyeball to one side'.' It was this approach that saw Kerry keep her cool while coming face to face with the likes of Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe. But Kerry admits that not all of her encounters were as uneventful as her one with Dennis Nilsen. 'In 2011 I was working at a forensic step-down unit, a little bit like a halfway house for inmates,' she explains. 'In this unit they had access to a kitchen and they didn't have sharp knives, but on this particular occasion, one of the residents was tasked with doing the washing up. 'We'd all had chicken kebabs on skewers and as I walked into the kitchen he ran at me and I thought that he punched me in the stomach. 'It wasn't until I looked down that I realised he'd stabbed me with a kebab skewer. Half of it was sticking out of my stomach and all I could think was, 'I really hope the half that's in me is clean.' It wasn't until I looked down that I realised he'd stabbed me with a kebab skewer Kerry Daynes 'I had a small operation that left me with some problems down the road but I was lucky to get away with only that. 'People did call me Donna for weeks after.' While Kerry has faced some truly abhorrent criminals she admits there is one that still plays on her mind and nearly forced her into early retirement in 2013. THE CASE THAT BROKE ME 'People always say, 'It must be awful talking to psychopathic killers' but it's the cold and callous child sexual abuse that really turned my stomach,' she says. 'It starts to take a toll in a while and you feel as though you're swimming through sewage and it was these cases where I truly struggled to have compassion as a psychologist. 'Around this time I was asked to take part in a documentary about the trial of Mark Bridger, who had murdered April Jones in Mold in Wales which involved me sitting in on the trial. 'That case got to me, it still gets to me, in a way none other had before. 'I think April, for me, represented all of those hundreds of other children who had been abused by the men I had worked with. 'After watching Mark Bridger's performance in court, I had an existential crisis.' 'At that point I felt that I couldn't do my job anymore because I was just really f***ing angry. 10 Kerry says it was Mark Bridger's trial that almost pushed her into early retirement Credit: PA:Press Association 10 Bridger was convicted of the murder of schoolgirl April Jones Credit: PA:Press Association Kerry changed direction and began working exclusively with female offenders. 'Of course they had committed terrible crimes as well but it wasn't an endless stream of child abuse,' she says. 'I really enjoyed working with women.' Kerry also got involved in prevention work, working closely with the Suzy Lampaugh Trust as anti-stalking campaigner, a subject close to her heart after being subjected to a horrific stalking ordeal herself. 'I was asked to go on television as a talking head for a true crime programme and for two years, there was a man stalking me and I wasn't even aware of it,' she says. 'Apparently he'd written to me, something to do with his daughter wanting to go into this field. And I'd written back, as I do. 'Then, for me, just out of the blue, I get a message one day saying that he's set up websites in my name and he wants me to contribute to these websites and perhaps we could do this as a business together. 'I politely declined but he turned nasty very quickly and began posting things on these websites, writing sexual things about me that aren't true and are damaging my career. Who are the UK's worst serial killers? THE UK's most prolific serial killer was actually a doctor. Here's a rundown of the worst offenders in the UK. British GP Harold Shipman is one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history. He was found guilty of murdering 15 patients in 2000, but the Shipman Inquiry examined his crimes and identified 218 victims, 80 per cent of whom were elderly women. After his death Jonathan Balls was accused of poisoning at least 22 people between 1824 and 1845. Mary Ann Cotton is suspected of murdering up to 21 people, including husbands, lovers and children. She is Britain's most prolific female serial killer. Her crimes were committed between 1852 and 1872, and she was hanged in March 1873. Amelia Sach and Annie Walters became known as the Finchley Baby Farmers after killing at least 20 babies between 1900 and 1902. The pair became the first women to be hanged at Holloway Prison on February 3, 1903. William Burke and William Hare killed 16 people and sold their bodies. Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was found guilty in 1981 of murdering 13 women and attempting to kill seven others between 1975 and 1980. Dennis Nilsen was caged for life in 1983 after murdering up to 15 men when he picked them up from the streets. He was found guilty of six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to life in jail. Fred West was found guilty of killing 12 but it's believed he was responsible for many more deaths. 'He was commenting on what I was wearing and it was evident that he was following me.' In one horrifying incident Kerry says that the man tried to run her over and on another occasion she found that her pet cat had been killed and thrown over her fence. STALKING HELL 'It was ironic that I was working with some of Britain's most dangerous men but it was at home that I felt most unsafe,' she says. 'I've worked with stalkers and I felt that I really understood it but trust me, when you are the victim of a stalker, you get that 360 degree view and I think the impact of it still lives with me today to some extent.' The man received a 12-month harassment notification in 2016. Despite her own terrifying experiences and the appalling cases she has dealt with, the psychologist doesn't view her clients as "monsters". 'I hate to hear them being called monsters,' she says. 'By doing that we're not recognising the people in our society who are capable of doing these awful things, we're somehow separating them from us. I've had men write to me saying, 'I would have killed my wife but I didn't because of you' Kerry Daynes 'They are part of us, a part of our society and I do believe that our society creates them and so I've always thought of them as human beings, though of course very flawed human beings.' While Kerry always worked with 'compassion' for her clients she says it never marred her decision making when it came to whether or not to rehabilitate an offender. 'What I am proudest of is the work that I've done that I believe has kept people safe,' she explains. 'If there's one person out there that could have been a potential victim and hasn't been that's why I do my job. 'I've had men write to me saying, 'I would have killed my wife but I didn't because of you' which is very reassuring I suppose! 'The work that I've done has meant that people that have left secure hospitals and gone on and lived safe and meaningful, productive lives is what I am most proud of.'
The Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
I've interviewed murderers and rapists at UK's ‘Monster Mansion' prison – but one harrowing case left me broken
SITTING across from the cold hearted murderer, Kerry Daynes barely flinches, in fact if anything she's trying to suppress a yawn. The forensic psychologist, 51, is talking to the serial killer Dennis Nilsen, responsible for the death of at least 15 people during his killing spree in 70s and 80s. 10 However, his grisly past doesn't spark an ounce of fear in Kerry. ' Dennis Nielsen was one of the most boring people that I've ever met,' she says. 'He was a dull civil servant that could complain for England, he could have turned it into an Olympic sport. 'The only thing that made him interesting, really, was of course these hideous offences that he'd committed.' Hideous offenses are, of course, Kerry's bread and butter, having spent more than two decades analysing some of the UK's most dangerous criminals from Moors Murderer Ian Brady to infamous inmate Charles Bronson. With her cool and collected attitude it's a career she's thrived in but Kerry, who lives in Manchester, admits that she almost went down a very different path. Speaking as part of Life Stories, The Sun's YouTube series that sees ordinary people share their extraordinary experiences, she says: 'I really wanted to be an advertising executive. 'I thought there was loads of money in it and it seemed like money for a rope.' After taking psychology at university, she "fell into" criminal psychology after developing a crush on a boy in that module. 'There was one boy in particular that I really fancied and he was taking law, so I signed up for some law subsidiaries alongside psychology,' she says. 'I always say that I became a forensic psychologist by accident and under the influence of cheap cider and hormones.' INSIDE 'MONSTER MANSION' While nothing ever came of her crush, Kerry graduated with honours from Sheffield University and in 1996 she was taken on as a voluntary assistant at HMP Wakefield, dubbed ' Monster Mansion'. 'I looked around me and I saw faces that I recognised from the newspapers,' she says. 'I could put the mugshots to the people. 'I was put onto a research project which meant I had to interview every man in the prison who had both raped and murdered a woman in very great detail. 'The whole point of this research project, believe it or not, was that they felt that they might be able to develop a set of guidelines for women who were being raped so that they could minimize the chances of them being murdered. 'It's mind blowing to think about it now.' While Kerry admitted that initially she was out of her depth she quickly became adept at talking to some of Britain's most dangerous criminals. 10 10 She opened her own private psychology practice in 2003 and worked as a freelance forensic psychologist for over 20 years. Often asked how she was able to cope with the harrowing task of analysing some of the UK's most depraved criminals, Kerry admits she developed a unique coping method. 'I was working in a secure unit and there was one guy that I worked with that was in his 80s who was deemed too unsafe to move anywhere else,' she explains. 'He'd murdered two women in a very sadistic manner and really enjoyed seeing women suffer and nobody warned me about the habit he had for female staff. AN EYEBALL IN MY SOUP 'He had a prosthetic eye and I was sitting having my lunch one day when he came up behind me and he literally flicked his prosthetic eye into my soup. 'So of course I screamed the place down, and gave him the response that he wanted so he continued to do it and I had to find a way of ignoring it. 'Eventually I would just scoop the eyeball out and I would put it to the side of my plate and I would carry on and that stopped him. 'And ever since I have applied that logical and rational approach to my work. 'I still to this day I actually go, 'You know what, Kerry, need to put the eyeball to one side'.' It was this approach that saw Kerry keep her cool while coming face to face with the likes of Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe. But Kerry admits that not all of her encounters were as uneventful as her one with Dennis Nilsen. 'In 2011 I was working at a forensic step-down unit, a little bit like a halfway house for inmates,' she explains. 'In this unit they had access to a kitchen and they didn't have sharp knives, but on this particular occasion, one of the residents was tasked with doing the washing up. 'We'd all had chicken kebabs on skewers and as I walked into the kitchen he ran at me and I thought that he punched me in the stomach. 'It wasn't until I looked down that I realised he'd stabbed me with a kebab skewer. Half of it was sticking out of my stomach and all I could think was, 'I really hope the half that's in me is clean.' 'I had a small operation that left me with some problems down the road but I was lucky to get away with only that. 'People did call me Donna for weeks after.' While Kerry has faced some truly abhorrent criminals she admits there is one that still plays on her mind and nearly forced her into early retirement in 2013. THE CASE THAT BROKE ME 'People always say, 'It must be awful talking to psychopathic killers' but it's the cold and callous child sexual abuse that really turned my stomach,' she says. 'It starts to take a toll in a while and you feel as though you're swimming through sewage and it was these cases where I truly struggled to have compassion as a psychologist. 'Around this time I was asked to take part in a documentary about the trial of Mark Bridger, who had murdered April Jones in Mold in Wales which involved me sitting in on the trial. 'That case got to me, it still gets to me, in a way none other had before. 'I think April, for me, represented all of those hundreds of other children who had been abused by the men I had worked with. 'After watching Mark Bridger's performance in court, I had an existential crisis.' 'At that point I felt that I couldn't do my job anymore because I was just really f***ing angry. Kerry changed direction and began working exclusively with female offenders. 'Of course they had committed terrible crimes as well but it wasn't an endless stream of child abuse,' she says. 'I really enjoyed working with women.' Kerry also got involved in prevention work, working closely with the Suzy Lampaugh Trust as anti-stalking campaigner, a subject close to her heart after being subjected to a horrific stalking ordeal herself. 'I was asked to go on television as a talking head for a true crime programme and for two years, there was a man stalking me and I wasn't even aware of it,' she says. 'Apparently he'd written to me, something to do with his daughter wanting to go into this field. And I'd written back, as I do. 'Then, for me, just out of the blue, I get a message one day saying that he's set up websites in my name and he wants me to contribute to these websites and perhaps we could do this as a business together. 'I politely declined but he turned nasty very quickly and began posting things on these websites, writing sexual things about me that aren't true and are damaging my career. Who are the UK's worst serial killers? THE UK's most prolific serial killer was actually a doctor. Here's a rundown of the worst offenders in the UK. British GP Harold Shipman is one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history. He was found guilty of murdering 15 patients in 2000, but the Shipman Inquiry examined his crimes and identified 218 victims, 80 per cent of whom were elderly women. After his death Jonathan Balls was accused of poisoning at least 22 people between 1824 and 1845. Mary Ann Cotton is suspected of murdering up to 21 people, including husbands, lovers and children. She is Britain's most prolific female serial killer. Her crimes were committed between 1852 and 1872, and she was hanged in March 1873. Amelia Sach and Annie Walters became known as the Finchley Baby Farmers after killing at least 20 babies between 1900 and 1902. The pair became the first women to be hanged at Holloway Prison on February 3, 1903. William Burke and William Hare killed 16 people and sold their bodies. Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was found guilty in 1981 of murdering 13 women and attempting to kill seven others between 1975 and 1980. Dennis Nilsen was caged for life in 1983 after murdering up to 15 men when he picked them up from the streets. He was found guilty of six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to life in jail. Fred West was found guilty of killing 12 but it's believed he was responsible for many more deaths. 'He was commenting on what I was wearing and it was evident that he was following me.' In one horrifying incident Kerry says that the man tried to run her over and on another occasion she found that her pet cat had been killed and thrown over her fence. STALKING HELL 'It was ironic that I was working with some of Britain's most dangerous men but it was at home that I felt most unsafe,' she says. 'I've worked with stalkers and I felt that I really understood it but trust me, when you are the victim of a stalker, you get that 360 degree view and I think the impact of it still lives with me today to some extent.' The man received a 12-month harassment notification in 2016. Despite her own terrifying experiences and the appalling cases she has dealt with, the psychologist doesn't view her clients as "monsters". 'I hate to hear them being called monsters,' she says. 'By doing that we're not recognising the people in our society who are capable of doing these awful things, we're somehow separating them from us. 'They are part of us, a part of our society and I do believe that our society creates them and so I've always thought of them as human beings, though of course very flawed human beings.' While Kerry always worked with 'compassion' for her clients she says it never marred her decision making when it came to whether or not to rehabilitate an offender. 'What I am proudest of is the work that I've done that I believe has kept people safe,' she explains. 'If there's one person out there that could have been a potential victim and hasn't been that's why I do my job. 'I've had men write to me saying, 'I would have killed my wife but I didn't because of you' which is very reassuring I suppose! 'The work that I've done has meant that people that have left secure hospitals and gone on and lived safe and meaningful, productive lives is what I am most proud of.'
The Sun
10-05-2025
- The Sun
I've met UK's most evil prisoners… Nilsen revelled in victims' pain but there was only one killer who truly revolted me
THERE are few women who would hang artwork from Britain's most notorious prisoner on their front room wall. But then Kerry Daynes is no ordinary woman. 12 The flame-haired forensic psychologist spent more than two decades analysing some of the UK's most dangerous criminals from Moors murderer Ian Brady to serial killer Dennis Nilsen. So when infamous prisoner Charles Bronson - one of the country's longest-serving inmates - gifted her a painting, Kerry was proud to show it off in her living room. Bronson, 72, gained a reputation as the UK's most violent prisoner after spending almost his entire life in jail from the age of 22. He was first locked up for robbery in 1974, and despite two brief spells of freedom, has been kept in the slammer for a series of offences committed inside. Over the years he has taken 11 hostages in nine sieges, attacked at least 20 guards and caused £50,000 worth of damage in rooftop protests. Bronson was eventually given life in 1999 for kidnapping a prison art teacher who critiqued his drawings. He is up for parole again this year for the ninth and final time. This week the judicial parole board ruled his latest bid for freedom will be held behind closed doors after Bronson was denied an application for it to be staged in public. Despite his background, Kerry, 51, of Manchester, believes Bronson is ready to be freed, but says the prison service has no idea how to release Bronson after his long incarceration. She saw a softer side of the brutal inmate when she drew up a report for a previous parole board hearing during the Covid lockdown. I worked with serial killers in notorious 'Monster Mansion' prison -'cannibal killer' fury was risked with normal act & worst crook used to defecate in wardrobe Kerry said: 'I spent about 18 months assessing Charlie on Zoom and in person at Woodhill prison and he was very easy to establish a rapport with. 'He spotted my two dogs wandering around in the background of a call and asked if he could have a closer look at them. 'He started saying hello to them and told me how cute my pekingese, captain Furpotato, was. 'It was a surreal moment. Here was Britain's supposedly most violent inmate, speaking in baby talk to my dog.' Fear of freedom Kerry believes Bronson, who changed his name to Salvador in 2014, has spent so long behind bars that, if he wins parole, he will be apprehensive about being released. She said: 'I don't think he's afraid to be released but he has understandable anxieties because he's not familiar with the modern world. 'He has never used a mobile phone or even an ATM machine. It saddened me when he told me he hadn't put his foot on grass for over 35 years because he's always been kept in concrete, high security or close supervision centres. It's unimaginable. 'What he really needs is slow progression out in the community but there's no way of doing that and the prison service has no plan for him, so he is languishing.' Kerry says Bronson has 'always been quite straightforward' about his viscous tendencies, but added: 'In his world violence is is looked upon as necessary for survival.' She said: 'His violence has been glorified to some extent. Charlie isn't proud of it but he's not ashamed of it. 'When he talks about some of his escapades, the criminal damage caused, putting chewing gum in locks that then need changed, staging protests, he's unapologetic because he saw himself as a prison activist, albeit now a retired one. 'He's very much mellowed and will tell you himself, he's far too old for some of the stunts he pulled now. He has no desire to cause problems, but still holds the powers that be in contempt.' Paranoid con Bronson, who Kerry described as 'paranoid' when he was first incarcerated, sent Kerry artwork two years ago after his last failed parole bid. The crazed prisoner turned to art while trying to rehabilitate himself and has sold pieces to raise cash for various charities. He has been married three times - including twice while in jail. He was wed to Irene Kelsey when he first went into prison before tying the knot to second wife Fatema Saira Rehman, then 31, at Woodhill Prison in 2001. The marriage lasted four years. His third wife was Coronation Street actress Paula Williamson who he exchanged vows with at HMP Wakefield in 2017. She died aged 38 in July 2019 after a drug overdose while they were in the process of having their union annulled. Campaigners say Bronson should be set free because he has served longer than most killers - despite never having murdered anyone. Faked hunger strike 12 Meanwhile, Kerry says she experienced real evil the day she was called in to get into the mind of Moors murderer Ian Brady. Brady, who tortured and killed five children with lover Myra Hindley, claimed to have spent years on hunger strike at Ashworth top security prison but Kerry says it was all a sham. 'He was making toast in his room at night, ' she says. Describing the moment she first set eyes on Brady, who died aged 79 in 2017, Kerry said she was unable to set aside the anguish of the mothers of two of the monster's victims, Lesley Ann Downey, ten, and 12-year-old Keith Bennett. She said: 'I'd grown up in Manchester with the stories of the Moors killers and Brady and Hindley were the reason we were told in the 70s never to talk to strangers. 'There was a late night local radio show and Lesley Ann Downey's mum, Ann, and Keith's mum, Winnie Johnson, used to call in. I think they were so distressed they just needed someone to talk to. 'When I shook Brady's hand all I could think about was the distress of those two women. I thought, 'What acts has this hand committed?' 'He was very emaciated and gaunt and his hand felt like a bag of bones. I looked at him and felt revulsion and that's not a word I use lightly in my job. He felt like he could transcend society by breaking all of its rules, it made him feel superior Kerry Daynesforensic psychologist 'Our meeting went downhill from there. He didn't want to be assessed or get involved with the process at all, no matter how I approached it. 'He was masking mental health symptoms. He was clearly suffering from psychosis but he wanted to be someone regarded as being 'normal'. 'He invested a lot of energy in appearing sane when he was at Ashworth but at times, when he was alone, the prison guards would hear him talking to himself. 'Brady was very complex and adept at hiding things. He liked to feel he was superior and wanted to be one step ahead. 'He felt like he could transcend society by breaking all of its rules, it made him feel superior. 'I find it interesting that he felt like this superior person yet he had to get Myra to drive for him because he didn't have a licence. It's a detail that breaks with his fantasy.' Psycho killers 12 Kerry was called in to assess a prisoner at Broadmoor security unit when she crossed paths with Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, who murdered 13 women between 1975 and 1980. She said: 'I barely recognised him becasue by that point he'd been attacked by another prisoner and was quite psychotic. 'The last time I saw him he was very subdued and locked in his own through process as well as being heavily medicated.' Who are the UK's worst serial killers? THE UK's most prolific serial killer was actually a doctor. Here's a rundown of the worst offenders in the UK. British GP Harold Shipman is one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history. He was found guilty of murdering 15 patients in 2000, but the Shipman Inquiry examined his crimes and identified 218 victims, 80 per cent of whom were elderly women. After his death Jonathan Balls was accused of poisoning at least 22 people between 1824 and 1845. Mary Ann Cotton is suspected of murdering up to 21 people, including husbands, lovers and children. She is Britain's most prolific female serial killer. Her crimes were committed between 1852 and 1872, and she was hanged in March 1873. Amelia Sach and Annie Walters became known as the Finchley Baby Farmers after killing at least 20 babies between 1900 and 1902. The pair became the first women to be hanged at Holloway Prison on February 3, 1903. William Burke and William Hare killed 16 people and sold their bodies. Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was found guilty in 1981 of murdering 13 women and attempting to kill seven others between 1975 and 1980. Dennis Nilsen was caged for life in 1983 after murdering up to 15 men when he picked them up from the streets. He was found guilty of six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to life in jail. Fred West was found guilty of killing 12 but it's believed he was responsible for many more deaths. Serial killer and necrophile Dennis Nilsen, who killed at least 12 young men and boys between 1978 and 1983, was another of Kerry's subjects. She branded Nilsen, who died in May 2018 aged 72, 'a bland and very dull career complainer' who took pleasure in revealing the gruesome details of his victims' ordeals. Kerry said: 'I knew Dennis very well. He was so bland and complained about everything he possibly could, from the food in the canteen, the lack of heat in the cells, when people were available to visiting times. 'He would get involved in other prisoner's disputes too. It's something he liked to do on the outside. He would get himself involved with unions and really prided himself on being a socialist. 'He was very keen to talk about himself and would go on for hours if you let him. 'He would talk in depth about his crimes and I felt like he was reliving his offences for his own needs and gratification. He spoke about them in a very romanticised way. 'You would think he was talking about relationships he had. He would say he still very much felt connected to his victims and that, in some way, they had shared a unique experience. When he was disposing of the corpses, it was almost like he was ending a relationship." Strangest ever case Kerry has dealt with all manner of bizarre cases throughout her career but the strangest of all was a man who formed a bizarre attachment to his neighbour's pig. She said: 'He kept stealing this pig despite being warned not to, then dressing it up, putting make-up on it and having relations with it. 'In another case, a woman kept a family member's body rotting in bed while she picked up their benefit payments. 'Her lawyer suggested I visit her at home and, when I got there, I realised why. She was a hoarder and couldn't let go of anything. Her house was full of stuff with just this little chair and TV in the front room surrounded by piles of belongings. 'It seemed to form part of her motivation.' Kerry says the advent of the internet has exposed the extent of child sex abuse as sick perverts post online. She said: 'I found these sorts of cases difficult. People are very much in denial about the scale of child sex abuse in the UK - it's far more prevalent than we'd like to admit.' The psychologist reckons advances in police technology, including databases, DNA and fingerprinting, could spell the end of the serial killer. 'These people have become kind of pop culture celebrities but we won't have that many these days because we're better at detection,' she says. 'People are predisposed to want to pay attention to human beings that commit extreme behaviour and there's no more extreme than a serial killer.' See Kerry and other world-leading experts at CrimeCon London - partnered by TRUE CRIME channel. Book your ticket today using our exclusive code - THE SUN - and you can save over 40% on your ticket - saving more than £100 12
