‘Hannibal the Cannibal’ serial killer Robert Maudsley’s brother has claimed that the prisoner, who is normally “polite,” is furious after his Playstation and TV were confiscated behind bars. Paul Maudsley, 74, told The Mirror that his serial killer brother is on hunger strike and has been refusing food after some of his luxury items were confiscated by prison guards, including the games console, non-fiction books and a music system. Robert, 71, is being held alone in a locked glass cell in Wakefield prison, West Yorkshire, after going on a killing rampage in prison.
“Bob is held inside a prison within the prison. For some reason, the main prison went back to normal after the operational exercise, but Bob’s section was out for a couple of days. Bob complained and he’s normally polite, but the prison officers accused him of being abusive. When he finally got back in his cell, they had taken everything – his TV, PlayStation, books and radio,” Paul said.
“He’s back to how he was 10 years ago when he didn’t have anything to stimulate him and he would just sit there and vegetate and was in danger of going mad. He loves playing war games and chess on his PlayStation and he’s always watching old films on TV and reading factual books,” he continued.
Paul added, “They’re so important to him, it’s not fair to take them away without a good reason. We can’t get through to anyone to find out what’s going on and we are very concerned."
{{/usCountry}}Paul added, “They’re so important to him, it’s not fair to take them away without a good reason. We can’t get through to anyone to find out what’s going on and we are very concerned."
{{/usCountry}}Paul said that his brother has vowed not to eat until his belongings, including his non-fiction books and music system, are returned. Paul stated, “He’s been refusing food since last Friday so we are very worried about him. He called me from prison that day and he sounded angry and anxious. He told me, ‘I’m going on hunger strike so don’t be surprised if this is the last time I call you.’”
“He used to have access to a phone inside his cell, but he’s stopped calling us back so we think they must have taken it away. Bob is 71 now so we don’t know how long he will be able to survive without food,” he added.
An "operational exercise" carried out at Wakefield on February 26 is believed to have triggered the hunger strike. The family learned that the jail went into crisis mode after reports of a man smuggling in a gun emerged. The inmates were brought out of their cells and searched.
Who is Robert Maudsley?
Robert, nicknamed ‘Hannibal the Cannibal,’ is the longest-serving British prisoner in solitary confinement, having been kept apart from other prisoners for nearly 46 years. As a child, Robert was miserable, often being beaten by his parents. He was first put behind bars in 1974, when he was 21 years old, for the murder of child abuser John Farrell. While already serving life, Robert brutally slaughtered two fellow prisoners in Wakefield jail on July 28, 1978. At the time, he reportedly told a prison guard, “There’ll be two short on the roll call.”
Since that day, Robert has been kept in solitary confinement. A special cell was built for him at Wakefield in 1983 after prison staff, including barbers, refused to see him alone. He spends 23 hours a day in an 18ft by 15ft glass cell.
Robert, called “Bob” by his family, killed three men during his time in prison. He believed that the men he murdered were rapists and paedophiles. He was eventually separated from the rest of the prison population, and dubbed Britain’s most dangerous prisoner.
Robert once said staying in his cell was "like being buried alive in a coffin.” After Moors murderer Ian Brady died, Robert became UK's longest-serving prisoner. Brady, who served 51 years behind bars, died in 2017.