To ask if you've ever personally known an infamous killer/serial killer/

[gentlyscented]

I'm fascinated with true crime and was having a conversation with my Grandad once. He told me that one of his brothers mates was friends with peter sutcliffe,and that he had met him a couple of times.

Interested to know if others have have had encounters or known a serial killer

I know this sounds unlikely but I know someone (acquaintance not friend) who was babysat as a small child by Dennis Neilsen. Really creepy. I think his preferred victims were young men though, so she was probably not his type!

I was part of a local mums group. One of the mums only had one child at the time. Young, pretty and trendy. She disappeared and came to our attention when she killed her child.

There are thousands of books, tv series documentaries and films on the subject some need to get off their high horse. Genuinely fascinating post op

My husbands grandad went to Harley Street and was treated by Dr Crippen, had a letter signed by him!

Two 16 year old boys in my class murdered another boy in the year below us. They got into trouble at school regularly, but just normal, minor teenage stuff. Outside of school they got drunk, smoked weed, hung out in parks until late at night - but so did many other kids at my school. I didn't see any kind of warning sign that they were capable of doing something like that. Everyone was shocked and in disbelief about it.

A close in law worked at Durham prison when it was still a category A, they've been retired a long time now but did spend some time around Myra Hindley. They have no doubt she knew exactly what she was doing.

We know some other people that now work at Low Newton and Frankland around some other nasty characters including Rosemary West, Ian Huntley and some terrorist types.

They all always find it a bit strange why DH didn't want to just get himself a good job at the prison...

A little while ago a young man stabbed his mum. I read about it in the papers and was transfixed because it happened in a town about an hours drive from us where some friends live. I even texted my friends to see if they knew the woman (they didn’t). I thought it odd but sort of forgot about it.. a few days later it emerged that the son is my neighbours son. My neighbour lives opposite me with his second wife and the woman who was murdered was his first wife. The son lived with his dad up until about a year ago and I saw him regularly walking past, walking the dog etc.. very sad case.

I went to school with a lovely boy, very naughty at school (looking back I think he had some sort of SEN, but it was the 80s and there was no diagnosis or support), but such a sweet boy, would always stick up for the girls agaibstcthe boys in playground arguments and had a lovely, sensitive nature.

He became paranoid schizophrenic at around 16 yrs old. A few years later he brutally murdered two women in a supermarket car park. A totally senseless attack, he beat them both to death. It made the national TV news. He ended up in Broadmoor. I have no idea if he ever came out.

Such a horrible, sad thing. I still remember what a sweet little boy he was.

My dad used to teach Mary Bell when she was in Redbank schoold (for bad kids). She was apparently very manipulative.

My ex used to be a Psychiatist at Broadmoor so saw a number of these evil people on a daily basis

A friend of mine wrote to Dennis Neilsen in prison for years. No idea why other than he was fascinated with the psychology if serial killers. I read some of the letters and they were all extremely boring - mostly him moaning about running out of typewriter ribbons and long lists of serial numbers for the replacent ribbons he would like to be sent if possible.

My cousin was a journalist and became very friendly with the mother of a murderer after he was caught and my cousin was the first person to talk to his mother. They exchanged Christmas cards right up until her death.

Oh and my friends dad was Saddam Husseins doctor before his family fled Iraq

Not really one of my childhood friends killed his wife. Strangely enough when it was reported on the news as x year old man from x place (village where I grew up) charged with murder, I immediately thought of him even though I didn't know if he still lived there and there could have been many other men the same age in the village at that time. He was a bit challenging as a child but nothing terrible or worrying in his past so I have no idea why he sprung to mind.

I knew someone who was a serious suspect as Bible John. He was an old man, and seemed fine if a bit of a "character". But I also knew that the Local Authority had withdrawn carers as he assaulted a female carer.

@haverhill do you live in Midsomer by any chance? hehehe!

I think everyone has connections to murderers/victims.

Went to school with someone who was involved with 7/7.

Distantly related to Mary Ann Geering who was a serial killer.

Uncle's stepmothers sister was a serial killer. And my cousin' ex who they share a child with is now with a murderer.

Another aunt is married to someone on death row in America.

A school friends mum was murdered years ago, and a couple of my dads friends have been murdered too.

So really, we all have connections to murders even if we don't know it.

My dads family were good friends with the Krays.

The two "bad boys" in my son's year at school kicked a man to death soon after they left school. I think it was always a given that they would spend time in jail as they were well known to young offenders but didn't think it would be because of murder or quite so quickly.

@x2boys

I was about 14 when this murder happened and I got the bus to that interchange every day for school. It haunted me for years as the details of the murder and what he did were so horrific.

I was so surprised when they caught the guy years later - I think it was on something like a traffic offence and they matched his DNA.

@DratThatCat 🤭 how did you know it was him? Did you just recognise him or was you eventually told?

Oh forgot this one! My mum once told me that a great great great etc grandfather on my dads side was the last man to be hanged at our city's jail.

I really should look into that one and see if I can find out who he was?

I was friends at university with Neil Entwistle who shot and killed his wife and baby in America.

It was big news here at the time (around 12 years ago) as immediately after the murders he got on a plane back to his parents in the UK.

He's now in jail for life in the US and will never be released.

Isn't this the danger that most people do seem normal and nice.
Apparently levi bellfield was a jokey Jack the lad.

@Knittedfrog my grandad use to drink in the blind beggar pub. He was often in there the same time as the krays. I've seen pictures of my grandad when he was on he's 20s and he is the spit of them.

Not me, but my Dad. His beloved uncle (who died before I was born) was friends with a notorious double murderer. Killed his wife and her lover and spent the rest of his life in prison. In fact, he’s in a prominent photograph in my parents living room with the aforementioned uncle. My Dad knew the man well and said he was a “nice, normal” fella. Although clearly not that nice or normal!!

Not a serial killer, but one of the boys who was in my group of friends when I was about 15 went on to murder someone by beheading them with a sword. I believe he was heavily into drugs.