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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you’ve met an infamous criminal?

481 replies

Anon778833 · 08/10/2021 21:21

Did they seem ‘normal’? Or did you get a strange feeling about them?

OP posts:
YourFinestPantaloons · 09/10/2021 18:06

@ShopTattsyrup

Not me, but a colleague worked with Shipman when he was a junior doctor and she was a staff nurse. She said he was normal but a knob who had a massive superiority complex - she remembered he used to get very rude and annoyed if a lowly nurse pointed out a job he had missed etc. But essentially a normal if unpleasant doctor.
Sounds like a typical junior doctor TBH
Tilltheend99 · 09/10/2021 18:10

Jesus. I had a previous work colleague who was one of those super-fan, groupie types for them. Often wondered what her reaction was as his persona was clearly all a lie.

YourFinestPantaloons · 09/10/2021 18:11

@Blessex

I've a cousin who was convicted of manslaughter, it isn't black and white, it was a stupid moment of madness during an altercation.

Confused if you accidentally kill someone then it is still black and white to me. A moment of madness?

I agree, it takes a hell of a lot to kill a human FFS
1happyhippie · 09/10/2021 18:13

@YourFinestPantaloons
Bundy escaped twice I think

Latenightreader · 09/10/2021 18:34

Someone I thought of as a good friend was convicted of downloading terrible things. We were both involved in local government and the internal ramifications were huge. When I read the redacted report (through my role) it made me feel sick at some of the comments he had made on my photos - they seemed innocent at the time. He was a little odd and I didn't 100% trust him in some things, bit never would have I suspected.

MissAmbrosia · 09/10/2021 19:04

We were contacted by one of those Heir Hunters companies about a cousin of my GM who had died intestate. After some investigation it turned out she was an Olympic sprinter in the 40/50s and subsequently stabbed her dh to death in their bedroom. As she went to hospital vs prison it sounds like there were some extenuating circumstances. My cousins got super excited about inheriting untold millions. My share was 90 quid - the addition to the family tree with new contacts etc was worth far more.

clpsmum · 09/10/2021 19:21

these are absolutely heartbreaking. As for JS I honestly don't know why nobody spoke up sooner it's soul destroying. His poor victims will never get any form of justice

YourFinestPantaloons · 09/10/2021 19:26

@MsTSwift

A friend of my mothers was a dog walking friend of Dennis Nielsen. She was most surprised to see him on the news as a mass murderer. He was a quiet pleasant chap apparently they chatted most mornings. She was a forthright middle aged lady at the time so not his target victim type.
Apparently he was super popular where he worked and it was a huge shock to a lot of people
KittyVonCatsworth · 09/10/2021 19:28

I've spent time in the company of Steve Lennon (Tommy Robinson), not in the political context. Very personable and likeable guy, very family orientated.

Was visited by Jimmy Saville in Stoke Mandeville but thankfully was in theatre at the time but he signed my nursery rhyme book, my mother said years later he was creepy. I know from the both of them who I'd spend my time with any day of the week!

YourFinestPantaloons · 09/10/2021 19:28

My friend's dad murdered her mum in for t of her after finding out she'd been having an affair. My friend was 15 at the time and was sent to live with an auntie.

I knew this friend when she was 33 and he came out and they lived harmoniously together for a while. Seemed like a normal bloke on the odd occasion I met him but I could never have got passed what he did if I was her. I was amazed they were so close!

YourFinestPantaloons · 09/10/2021 19:32

@Roussette

I was the Kray's mother's welfare lady. Lovely boys. They gave me some black silk bedding for Christmas. Alleged that they had stolen it from Harrods specially for me, since I helped their dear old mum

I loathe how the Krays are glamorised. Lovely boys???? They were evil ruthless murderers enabled by their 'dear old mum'

I hate this too, they didn't just hurt other gangsters and it WAS often people who didn't deserve it
PraiseBee · 09/10/2021 19:35

@Cheeserton

What does "on holiday" with Rose West mean? Actually on holiday with her, or what?
This
Littleelffriend · 09/10/2021 19:43

Ive met some through my previous work, murderers, Peter Tobin.

HintofVintagePink · 09/10/2021 19:43

Knew this thread would be peppered with ‘ooh my relative knew the Krays’ stories.

I was taught at secondary school by a teacher who murdered his wife, who was also a teacher at the same school. She’d been having an affair with another teacher. Locally infamous man but apparently a completely normal family man and a popular teacher.

SommerTen · 09/10/2021 20:10

Yes I've met a local businessman also widely suspected to be a criminal ('probably' involved in multiple serious frauds, drug smuggling especially cocaine etc etc) but he seems to be untouchable despite the police's best efforts.

He's widely known to have local (Tory) town councillors in his back pockets - they pass every monstrosity he wishes to construct.

He was heard threatening to physically assault a pregnant woman by a relative of mine. This did not surprise me as he's a thuggish nasty piece of work.

I hope one day he gets what he deserves.

SommerTen · 09/10/2021 20:14

@KittyVonCatsworth Steven Lennon is a Nazi thug... I could never be friendly with someone who is that extreme.

Pinkandpink · 09/10/2021 20:15

Not me, but my sister. Peter Tobin stopped introduced himself and offered her a lift about 30 years ago.

Thisshitiscrazy · 09/10/2021 20:19

My friend married one of the vicarage farm rapists.
He had been allowed to change his name and they met in rehab.
He treated her appallingly. She had to go into hiding to get away. She didn't survive 😢.

KittyVonCatsworth · 09/10/2021 20:23

@SommerTen I thought exactly the same when I was introduced to him but I kept an open mind and despite some of his views (he's an anti extreme Islamist) we found common ground on the contradiction on feminism and the Islamic ideology.

Toomanymemoriestohandle · 09/10/2021 20:23

A lad I went to school with killed his girlfriends baby. She told him it wasn't his. He was 17.
He always had a temper, sad upbringing. But no excuse for what he did. Horrific.

Biscoffee · 09/10/2021 20:26

@Griefmonster

I have met a notorious (in certain circles) criminal rather than infamous (niche gangland type). Was charismatic, intellectual, gently spoken. Couldn't help feeling he enjoyed the contrast and was perhaps playing a part. By all accounts a vicious past and this was his reformed character after a long prison spell.
Was he Scottish and did he go on to write a book about his experiences.
Greatballsoffireandbrimstone · 09/10/2021 20:30

I met Levi Bellfield.
My then bf and I were in a pub. Levi was there with his enterage. He was young then but still giving it the big I AM.
Unfortunately for him not as big (or bad) as my bf......
Still, he definitely gave me the creeps. (Bf was an utter twat btw)

Biscoffee · 09/10/2021 20:52

My DBs friend threw one punch at a guy who was trying to pick fights with everyone outside a takeaway after a night out, he was also harassing all the girls. When he started on my DBs friend the friend was trying to calm it all down but in the end had enough and punched the guy once. That was all it took. I actually felt sorry for him. He was the type of gentle guy who tried to calm things down. The guy that died was known to be a thug who was always causing trouble and beating up his girlfriends. Thankfully there was cctv and it was plain to see that my DBs friend wasn’t out for trouble

Swansea?

Redscarfjamjar · 09/10/2021 21:02

Name changed for this as it was deeply stupid.

At about 14 I'd been arrested and released without charge to a children's home as they couldn't find a responsible adult to release me to.

Decided "sod this I'm going to my friends house" and walked out with the intention of getting the bus back to Kingston. I didn't have any money but thought I could blag it.

Bloke pulled up and offered me a lift. My stupid teenage brain decided this was a decent idea and I got in, we stopped at a pub and he bought me a vodka and orange. Cheeky and quite funny, I knew he was probably some kind or wrong-un to be giving a lift to a girl my age but I was quite cocky and already thinking about how to get out of the car without having to give him a kiss or something.

Got to the bottom of Kingston Hill and he started asking me if I wore stockings or tights to school, I laughed it off, but he became much more earnest and quite sweaty. Kept my cool and laughed, said I wore regulation socks.

Jumped out of the car at the lights before Kingston hospital and high-tailed it to friends house.

When Levi Bellfield was arrested I had horrible flashbacks to that day, whilst I can't say for certain it was him, I count my lucky stars every day that I made it out of that car. Whoever it was they were a nasty piece of work.

I've also met Howard Marks the infamous drug smuggler (Mr Nice). He was lovely.

mollypuss1 · 09/10/2021 21:09

My DH met Mary Bell when she was an adult. He didn’t know her history at the time and said she was lovely.