This led to a conviction for neglect, in which Dyer had to complete six months’ hard labour. Baby farming was the practice of adopting unwanted babies in exchange for money and, initially, Dyer legitimately cared for these children however, many eventually died in her care. She is believed to have killed anywhere from 200 to upwards of 400 children, whom she obtained the care of via baby farming. Amelia DyerĪmelia Dyer’s crimes took place between 18, meaning that the time of her murders will have overlapped with those of the Ripper. He repeatedly assaulted her, which led to Cotton leaving home at 16.

Poisoning with arsenic was her chosen method of killing.Ĭotton’s father died tragically when she was eight years old, resulting in her mother’s remarriage to a man that Cotton hated. Although she was only convicted of the one murder, it’s believed that she murdered three of her four husbands for insurance purposes, as well as 11 of her 13 children and around seven other victims. British Female Serial Killers Mary Ann Cottonĭating back to even before the Ripper’s time, in 1873, Mary Ann Cotton was convicted of murdering her stepson via poison and executed for the crime. On the contrary, his methods suggest that he wished to dominate his victims out of sheer resentment for them he wanted to completely destroy them. Instead, he killed his victims quickly to mutilate their bodies, meaning he didn’t obtain pleasure from delivering pain. Nor is it possible to say with confidence who Jack the Ripper was with 17 suspects and no fool-proof way of determining whether any one of them was him.įrom the limited evidence available, we’re able to deduce that the Ripper’s intention wasn’t to inflict suffering and nor were his killings financially motivated. We have no way of knowing whether Jack the Ripper only carried out the proposed 11 murders or executed hundreds more. Due to murders being believed to have taken place between 18, the data surrounding the case is almost non-existent. We can’t possibly talk about Britain’s most notorious serial killers without addressing Jack the Ripper himself. Sutcliffe was the oldest of six siblings and was described as a loner with voyeuristic tendencies in his teenage years. These included the police’s inability to process the evidence they’ve gathered, the disregard shown for the wellbeing of sex workers, and a hoax that led the case astray. It wasn’t until 1981 that he was caught however, the search for him encountered various difficulties. Sutcliffe went on a murder spree between 19, killing as many as 13 women and attacking seven others. Perhaps one of the most similar serial killers to the Ripper himself is Peter Sutcliffe, who was referred to as the Yorkshire Ripper in the media until he was caught. Peter Sutcliffe (aka the Yorkshire Ripper) The devastation caused by his mother’s death in 1963 pushed him to pursue a career in medicine. Consequently, he obtained a sense of superiority, which hindered his ability to make friends in later life. Shipman was the middle child of his family and the firm favourite of his domineering mother. He began his medical career in 1970 and injected his patients with deadly doses of painkillers up until he was caught. One of the most infamous British serial killers is Harold Shipman, who was a medical doctor, and used to this advantage, killing upwards of 200 patients until he was arrested in 1998. Famous British Serial Killers Harold Shipman

Detailed below are some of Britain’s most notorious serial killers. Since Jack the Ripper, there have been 34 known British serial killers, and we’re still so far from wholly understanding the psychology of a serial killer.

Jack the Ripper is widely regarded as the first British serial killer and, unfortunately, many have followed in his horrific footsteps.

Famous serial killers