Kenneth Erskine (born 1 July 1963) is a British

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

who became known as The Stockwell Strangler. He committed the murders of 7–11 senior citizens in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

between April and July 1986.

Early life

Erskine was born in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

''The OAP Killer'' on 1 July 1963 to a British mother and

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

n father. Erskine has three brothers. He was abandoned by both parents during childhood and attended various special schools. His parents divorced when he was 12. On a field trip, he tried to drown his peers, and he became more violent as he grew up. He eventually became homeless.

Crimes

Erskine's criminal career began with a number of

burglaries Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...

. He was able to open ten separate bank accounts with the proceeds of his crimes. Erskine served time in HM Prison Feltham. During 1986, Erskine murdered at least seven elderly people, breaking into their homes and strangling them; most often they were

sexually assaulted Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

. The crimes took place in London. His first victim was Nancy Emms, 78, of

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...

, who died on 9 April 1986. Her death was initially believed to have been due to natural causes, and declared as such by her doctor on her death certificate. It was only established that she had been murdered when her home help noticed that her television set was missing from her flat. A

post mortem An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any dis ...

examination revealed that she had been raped and strangled. His second victim was Janet Cockett, 67, who died on 9 June 1986 after being strangled in her flat on the Wandsworth housing estate on which she was chairwoman of the tenants' association. Her death was initially thought to have been from natural causes. She had not been sexually assaulted. A post mortem showed that she had been murdered. Erskine's palm print was found on a window at Cockett's flat. He later broke into the residence of an elderly man, but Erskine abandoned this burglary when a noise disturbed him enough to make him flee. On 28 June 1986, Erskine claimed his third and fourth victims (both

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

men) at a residential home in Stockwell. His two Polish victims were pensioners, one of them a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

veteran: Valentine Gleim, 84, and Zbigniew Strabawa, 94. Both men were sexually assaulted and strangled. Erskine's fifth victim was William Carmen, 84, of

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

. He stole money from Carmen's flat before molesting him and strangling him in an attack on 8 July 1986. He claimed his sixth victim on 21 July 1986, when he committed a similar fatal attack on 74-year-old William Downes in a Stockwell bedsit. The final victim was Florence Tisdall, an 83-year-old widow who lived on her own at Ranelagh Gardens Mansions in Fulham. She was strangled and raped. She was found dead by the caretaker on the morning of 23 July 1986. Erskine was arrested on 28 July 1986 at a social security office. Police were then able to match his palm print to one left at one of the murder scenes, and he was identified in a police lineup by 74-year-old Fred Prentice who claimed Erskine tried to strangle him in his bed a month before police apprehended him.

Investigation and trial

A homeless drifter and solvent abuser, Erskine was in his early twenties when he committed the crimes. Erskine's burglary convictions before and during this killing spree meant that his fingerprints and photographs were on police record. Police had identified Erskine as the perpetrator during his killing spree. He was convicted of seven murders. During his trial, he was seen to be masturbating. Police suspected Erskine of four other murders. These include the murder of Wilfred Parkes (aged 81, at Stockwell, on 2 June 1986) and Trevor Thomas (aged 75, at Lambeth, on 21 July 1986), but did not find sufficient evidence to charge Erskine with these crimes. It was clear to the police that all these attacks were the work of one man. There were no signs of forced entry, with every indication that the intruder had gained access through an unsecured window. In each case it appeared that the killer had knelt on the victims' chests, and then placed his left hand over their mouths whilst he used his right hand to grip their throats and strangle them to death. In addition, four of the victims had been sodomised, although there was some uncertainty as to whether this had taken place before or after death. Erskine was found guilty of seven murders in January 1988 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum term of 40 years, but has since been found to be suffering from a mental disorder within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 1983. In 1988 he was transferred from prison under sections 47/49 of the Mental Health Act 1983 to the maximum security

Broadmoor Hospital Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. It is the oldest of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth Hospital near Liverpool and Rampton Secure ...

and has been held there since then. He is unlikely to be freed until at least 2028 (when he will reach the age of 65). The trial judge's recommendation is one of the most severe ever handed out in

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

legal history. A report by Horne dated 17 March 2006 refers to an assessment of Erskine in September 2004. Horne concludes that, at the time of the assessment, Erskine had chronic

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

and

antisocial personality disorder Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD or infrequently APD) is a personality disorder characterized by a long-term pattern of disregard of, or violation of, the rights of others as well as a difficulty sustaining long-term relationships. Lack ...

and that this had probably been the case since March 1980. In July 2009, following an appeal, Erskine's murder convictions were reduced to

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Incarceration

On 23 February 1996, Erskine saved the life of fellow serial killer

Peter Sutcliffe Peter William Sutcliffe (2 June 1946 – 13 November 2020) was an English serial killer who was dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper (an allusion to Jack the Ripper) by the press. Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women and attempting t ...

. Sutcliffe was attacked in his room in Broadmoor Hospital's Henley Ward by Paul Wilson, a convicted robber, who asked to borrow a videotape before attempting to strangle him with the cable from a pair of stereo headphones. Erskine and convicted murderer Jamie Devitt intervened on hearing screams."Attacks on Peter Sutcliffe"
''The Yorkshire Ripper''.

Documentaries

Erskine's crimes have been the subject of multiple documentaries: *On 8 May 2014, an episode of eminent

criminologist Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...

David Wilson's series ''First Kill/Last Kill'' documented Erskine's crimes. The episode was titled ''The OAP Killer'' and was shown on Channel 5. *On 12 August 2021, an episode of ''New Scotland Yard Files'' aired which focused on Erskine. It was presented by former

New Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London' ...

detective Peter Bleksley and aired on

CBS Reality CBS Reality is a European television channel broadcast in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. History CBS Reality was launched as Reality TV on 1 December 1999 as a joint-venture between UPCtv and Zone Vision. In 2005, Liberty Global, owner of ...

References

External links

2014 ''First Kill/Last Kill'' documentary on Erskine 2021 ''New Scotland Yard Files'' documentary on Erskine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erskine, Kenneth 1963 births 20th-century English criminals British people convicted of burglary Criminals from London English male criminals English people convicted of manslaughter English people of Antigua and Barbuda descent English prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment English rapists English serial killers Living people Male serial killers People detained at Broadmoor Hospital People from Hammersmith People with antisocial personality disorder People with schizophrenia Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by England and Wales Violence against men in the United Kingdom Violence against women in England