Where is Dennis Nilsen now?
Dennis Nilsen was a Scottish serial killer who murdered at least 12 young men and boys in North London between 1978 and 1983.
Nilsen would lure his victims to his home and strangle them to death. After each murder, he would carry out a ritual that included bathing and dressing the victim’s body. He would then dissect and dispose of the remains by burning them in a bonfire or flushing them down a toilet.
Nilsen’s murders were uncovered when complaints were made about the plumbing at Cranley Gardens where the killer lived in 1983. The drains were full of flesh-like substances and small bones. Police visited Nilsen at his flat, where they immediately noted the odour of rotting flesh. He was questioned and confessed to the crimes, and he was arrested on suspicion of murder.
What happened during the trial and while he was in prison?
Dennis Nilsen was convicted at the Old Bailey of 6 counts of murder and 2 of attempted murder. Nilsen was sentenced to life in prison on the 4th of November 1983, with a recommended sentence of 25 years. This recommendation was later changed to a whole-life tariff in December 1994.
Nilsen was sent to HMP Wormwood Scrubs to serve his sentence. In 1983, Nilsen was cut with a razor blade by an inmate which resulted in injuries that required 89 stitches. He spent a brief time at HMP Parkhurst, before being transferred to HMP Wakefield, where he remained until 1990.
Where is Dennis Nilsen now?
In 1991, Nilsen was transferred to a vulnerable-prisoner unit at HMP Full Sutton when concerns for his safety were raised. However, in 1993, he was transferred to HMP Whitemoor, with increased segregation from other inmates.
In 2003, Nilsen was returned to HMP Full Sutton and remained imprisoned there until his death on the 12th of May 2018.
Nilsen died at York Hospital of a pulmonary embolism and a retroperitoneal haemorrhage, which occurred following surgery to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He was 72 years old.
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