# List of serial killers in the United Kingdom

A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more people, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines serial killing as "a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone".

## England

| Name | Years active | Proven victims | Possible victims | Status | Notes |
| Akinmurele, Stephen | 1995–1998 | 5 | 8 | Committed suicide before trial | Known as "The Cul-de-sac killer"; Nigerian immigrant suspected of killing elderly people in Blackpool and the Isle of Man |
| Allitt, Beverley | 1991 | 4 | 4 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Known as "The Angel of Death"; Lincolnshire paediatric nurse who killed children in her care |
| Balls, Jonathan | 1824–1845 | 22 | 22+ | Committed suicide prior to identification | Poisoned relatives and acquaintances with arsenic in Happisburgh |
| Bellfield, Levi | 2002–2004 | 3 | 3+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "The Bus Stop Stalker"; convicted of the 2002 murder of Amanda Dowler and two fatal hammer attacks on young women in South West London. |
| Bierton, Lawrence | 1995–2023 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Killed two elderly sisters in Rotherham in 1995. In 2023 he was convicted of a third murder he committed while released on licence. |
| Bishop, John | 1830 | 3 | 3 | Executed in 1831 | Leader of "The London Burkers"; together with Thomas Williams and two accomplices, formed a gang of body snatchers that drugged and killed victims for money |
| Bourne, Geordie | 1590s–1597 | 7 | 7 | Executed in 1597 | Scottish bandit who killed seven people around the East English Marches |
| Brady, Ian | 1963–1965 | 5 | 5 | Died in prison | Committed the so-called Moors murders with girlfriend Myra Hindley, killing five children and burying four of their bodies on Saddleworth Moor |
| Britland, Mary Ann | 1886 | 3 | 3 | Executed in 1886 | Poisoned her daughter, husband, and the wife of her lover in 1886; first woman to be executed by hanging at Strangeways Prison |
| Brumfitt, Paul | 1979–1999 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Strangled two men, one in Tilbury and another in Denmark, in 1979; sentenced to life, but released in 1994, and later killed a prostitute in Woodsetton in 1999. |
| Bryan, Peter | 1993–2004 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Institutionalized for fatal hammer attack on woman in 1993; re-apprehended for cannibalizing a friend in 2004, but able to batter a fellow patient to death months later |
| Burgess, David | 1966–1967 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to 27 years imprisonment | Murdered three young girls in Beenham; originally convicted of two murders, he was released in 1996, only to be convicted of the third murder in 2012 after new DNA evidence was found. |
| Chapman, George | 1897–1902 | 3 | 3 | Executed in 1903 | Known as "The Borough Poisoner"; Polish-born barber who poisoned his wives in London's East End |
| Childs, John | 1974–1978 | 6 | 6 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Apparent contract killer who killed six people in East London, although none of the bodies were ever found |
| Christie, John | 1943–1953 | 8 | 8+ | Executed in 1953 | Known as "The Rillington Place Strangler"; gassed, raped and strangled at least five women from 1943 to 1953, hiding the bodies at his house in Notting Hill, London; also strangled his wife Ethel, as well as the wife and baby daughter of neighbour Timothy Evans, who was wrongfully executed for their murders. |
| Chua, Victorino | 2011 | 3 | 7 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Nurse at Stepping Hill Hospital who poisoned patients with insulin |
| Cotton, Mary Ann | 1852–1872 | 21 | 21+ | Executed in 1873 | Poisoned family members and acquaintances for their insurance policies |
| Cream, Thomas Neill | 1881–1892 | 5 | 5+ | Executed in 1892 | Known as "The Lambeth Poisoner"; Scottish-Canadian doctor who poisoned women with strychnine in the United States and then England |
| Cummins, Gordon | 1941–1942 | 4 | 6 | Executed in 1942 | Known as "The Blackout Ripper"; RAF pilot who murdered four women in London during the wartime blackout in 1942, and suspect in two previous murders from 1941 |
| Dawson, Andrew | 1982–2010 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | "The Angel of Mercy"; stabbed three men to death with no provocation |
| Dennehy, Joanna | 2013 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Stabbed three men to death and tried to kill two others selected at random in what became known as the "Peterborough ditch murders". |
| Duffy, John | 1985–1986 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Together with accomplice David Mulcahy, known as "The Railway Rapists"; killed three women near railway stations in Southern England |
| Dyer, Amelia | 1869–1896 | 6 | 400+ | Executed in 1896 | Known as "The Ogress of Reading"; baby farmer who murdered infants in her care |
| Erskine, Kenneth | 1986 | 7 | 11 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Known as "The Stockwell Strangler"; gerontophile who murdered elderly citizens in London |
| Grieveson, Steven | 1990–1994 | 4 | 4+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Known as "The Sunderland Strangler"; murdered four teenage boys in Sunderland |
| Griffiths, Stephen | 2009–2010 | 3 | 3+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "The Crossbow Cannibal"; convicted of murdering three prostitutes in Bradford |
| Haigh, John | 1944–1949 | 6 | 9 | Executed in 1949 | Known as "The Acid Bath Murderer"; murdered people for money and then dissolved their bodies in sulphuric acid |
| Hardy, Anthony | 2000–2002 | 3 | 8+ | Died in prison | Known as "The Camden Ripper"; abducted, murdered and dismembered women across London |
| Hardy, Trevor | 1974–1976 | 3 | 3 | Died in prison | Known as "The Beast of Manchester"; killed three teenage girls in Manchester |
| Herbert, Philip | 1678–1680 | 3 | 3 | Died a free man | Nobleman known for assaulting and sometimes killing fellow peers for no discernible reason; although he faced lesser charges, research indicates that he was responsible for all the murders attributed to him |
| Hindley, Myra | 1963–1965 | 5 | 5 | Died in prison | Committed the so-called Moors murders with boyfriend Ian Brady, killing five children and burying four of their bodies on Saddleworth Moor |
| Ireland, Colin | 1993 | 5 | 5 | Died in prison | Known as "The Gay Slayer"; killed five gay men in London to seek attention from the media |
| Jebson, Ronald | 1970–1974 | 3 | 3 | Died in prison | Paedophile responsible for the 1970 Babes in the Wood murders and the murder of another child |
| Johnson, Theodore | 1981–2016 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to 30 years imprisonment | Jamaican immigrant who murdered his wife and two girlfriends |
| Lee, Bruce George Peter | 1973–1979 | 12 | 26 | Sentenced to involuntary commitment | Arsonist responsible for multiple deaths during acts of arson in Kingston upon Hull; some convictions have been quashed |
| Letby, Lucy | 2015–2016 | 7 | 7+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | NHS nurse convicted of killing 7 babies and attempting to kill 6 others whilst working as a neonatal nurse at Countess of Chester Hospital |
| Ligus, Robin | 1994–1996 | 3 | 4 | Died in prison | Drug addict convicted of robbing and bludgeoning three men to death with an iron bar in Shropshire |
| Lupo, Michael | 1985–1986 | 4 | 4 | Died in prison | Known as "The Wolf Man"; gay Italian immigrant who killed fellow gay men in London |
| Mackay, Patrick | 1974–1975 | 3 | 11 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Thrill killer who killed people during thefts and robberies |
| Martin, Mark | 2004–2005 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "The Sneinton Strangler"; murdered homeless women in Nottingham with two accomplices to become famous |
| Maudsley, Robert | 1974–1978 | 4 | 4 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Killed a man in London, and later two cellmates in prison and one fellow patient in Broadmoor Hospital |
| Morris, Raymond Leslie | 1965–1967 | 3 | 3 | Died in prison | Raped and murdered prepubescent girls and left their corpses on Cannock Chase. |
| Mulcahy, David | 1985–1986 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Together with accomplice John Duffy, known as "The Railway Rapists"; killed three women near railway stations in Southern England |
| Napper, Robert | 1992–1993 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to involuntary commitment | Known as "The Green Chain Rapist"; raped, murdered and mutilated women and children |
| Neilson, Donald | 1971–1975 | 4 | 4 | Died in prison | Known as "The Black Panther"; killed post office clerks and heiress Lesley Whittle |
| Nilsen, Dennis | 1978–1983 | 12 | 15 | Died in prison | Known as "The Muswell Hill Murderer"; lured and murdered young men at his flat in London, ritually dissecting their bodies post-mortem |
| Norris, Colin | 2002 | 4 | 10 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Scottish nurse who poisoned elderly patients he considered "difficult" at a hospital in Leeds |
| Port, Stephen | 2014–2015 | 4 | 4 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "The Grindr Killer"; serial rapist who drugged, sexually assaulted and murdered men in Barking, London that he met on dating apps |
| Sach, Amelia | 1900–1902 | 20 | 20+ | Executed in 1903 | Together with accomplice Annie Walters, known as "The Finchley Baby Farmers"; murdered infants placed in their care |
| Shipman, Harold | 1975–1998 | 218 | 250+ | Committed suicide in prison | Known as "Dr Death"; general practitioner who murdered patients placed in his care; only British doctor to be convicted of such charges. Convicted of 15 murders and responsible for the deaths of 218 patients identified by inquiry, but is believed to have killed around 250 people. |
| Smith, George Joseph | 1912–1914 | 3 | 3 | Executed in 1915 | Bigamist who murdered three women by drowning them in his bath |
| Straffen, John | 1951–1952 | 3 | 3 | Died in prison | Murdered a young girl to get revenge on police; confined to mental hospital, escaped and killed two others |
| Sutcliffe, Peter | 1975–1980 | 13 | 14+ | Died in prison | Known as "The Yorkshire Ripper"; murdered women around West Yorkshire and Manchester; the manhunt for him was one of the most extensive and expensive in British history |
| Walters, Annie | 1900–1902 | 20 | 20+ | Executed in 1903 | Together with accomplice Amelia Sach, known as "The Finchley Baby Farmers"; murdered infants placed in their care |
| West, Fred | 1967–1987 | ? | | Committed suicide before trial | Together with his wife Rose, known as "The House of Horrors Murderers"; tortured and murdered teenage girls and young women around Gloucestershire; Fred committed some separate killings on his own |
| West, Rose | 1971–1987 | 10 | 10 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Together with her husband Fred, known as "The House of Horrors Murderers"; tortured and murdered teenage girls and young women around Gloucestershire |
| Williams, Thomas | 1830 | 3 | 3 | Executed in 1831 | Member of "The London Burkers"; together with John Bishop and two accomplices, formed a gang of body snatchers that drugged and killed victims for money |
| Wright, Steve | 2006 | 5 | 5+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "The Suffolk Strangler"; killed five women in six weeks around Ipswich |
| Young, Graham | 1962–1971 | 3 | 3+ | Died in prison | Known as "The Teacup Poisoner"; poisoned school friends and family at age fourteen in 1961, killing his stepmother in 1962. Detained at Broadmoor Hospital. Released in 1971, he began poisoning coworkers, murdering two. His case sparked debate on the treatment of mentally-ill offenders, leading to legislation being passed |

## Northern Ireland

| Name | Years active | Proven victims | Possible victims | Status | Notes | Ref |
| Shankill Butchers | 1975–1982 | 23 | 23+ | Various | Ulster loyalist gang who murdered people in sectarian attacks | |
| Murphy, Lenny | 1972–1982 | 11 (not including Shankill Butchers murders) | 34+ (including Shankill Butchers murders) | Shot dead by Provisional IRA gunmen on 16 November 1982 | Leader of the Loyalist Shankill Butchers death squad. He killed as part of the gang but also on his own prior to its establishment | |

## Scotland

| Name | Years active | Proven victims | Possible victims | Status | Notes |
| Black, Robert | 1981–1986 | 4 | 4+ | Died in prison | Paedophilic lorry driver who raped and murdered underage girls across the UK; suspected in other murders across several European countries |
| Burke, William | 1828 | 16 | 16 | Executed in 1829 | Irish immigrant who killed people and sold their corpses for money along with accomplice William Hare |
| Hall, Archibald | 1977–1978 | 5 | 5 | Died in prison | Known as "The Monster Butler"; murdered people to cover up his crimes while working as a butler for British aristocracy, some with the help of accomplice Michael Kitto |
| Hare, William | 1828 | 16 | 16 | Unknown; died after 1829 | Irish immigrant who killed people and sold their corpses for money along with accomplice William Burke |
| Manuel, Peter | 1956–1958 | 7 | 9 | Executed in 1958 | Known as "The Beast of Birkenshaw"; American-born killer who murdered people across Lanarkshire |
| Mone, Robert | 1967–1976 | 4 | 4 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Raped and murdered a teacher; later escaped from a mental hospital and killed three more people |
| Sinclair, Angus | 1961–1978 | 4 | 8+ | Died in prison | Raped and murdered young women in Edinburgh and Glasgow; his case prompted significant changes to the double jeopardy laws in the UK |
| Tobin, Peter | 1991–2006 | 3 | 3+ | Died in prison | Sex offender who raped and murdered young women in Scotland and England; suspect in numerous violent crimes dating back to the late 1960s |

## Wales

| Name | Years active | Proven victims | Possible victims | Status | Notes |
| Cooper, John | 1985–1998 | 4 | 9 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "The Bullseye Killer"; committed two double murders in Pembrokeshire; suspected in other murders and numerous sexual assaults |
| Kappen, Joseph | 1973 | 3 | 4+ | Died prior to identification | Known as "The Saturday Night Strangler"; raped and murdered three teenage girls in Llandarcy and Tonmawr; first serial killer to be posthumously identified via familial DNA profiling |
| Moore, Peter | 1995 | 4 | 4 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "The Man in Black"; English cinema owner who sexually assaulted and stabbed men to death "for fun" in Denbighshire and Anglesey |

## Unidentified serial killers

| Name | Years active | Proven victims | Possible victims | Regions where active | Notes | Ref |
| Bible John | 1968–1969 | 3 | 3 | Glasgow | Murdered three young women he met at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow; nickname derived from his repeated quotations from the Bible | |
| Eve Stratford and Lynne Weedon murderer | 1975–1977 | 3 | 4 | Greater London | In 2007, DNA unexpectedly proved the same man had killed Eve Stratford, a Playboy Bunny, and Lynne Weedon, a 16-year-old schoolgirl. They had been killed on opposite sides of London in 1975 in sexually-motivated attacks. Police themselves also linked a third murder, that of Elizabeth Parravincina, which occurred close to Weedon's in 1977 | [78][79] [80][81] [82][83] |
| Jack the Ripper | 1888 | 5 | 20 | Greater London | Murdered prostitutes in London's Whitechapel area of the East End, mutilating their bodies post-mortem | |
| Jack the Stripper | 1964–1965 | 6 | 8 | Greater London | Strangled prostitutes in West London and dumped their bodies in and near to the River Thames | |
| Thames Torso Murderer | 1887–1889 | 4 | 4+ | Greater London | Murdered prostitutes around London, then dismembered their remains and dumped them into the River Thames; some speculate that these killings were committed by Jack the Ripper, but this has not been confirmed | |