The sight of them [my victims] brought me a bitter sweetness and a temporary peace and fulfilment. The newlyweds moved into her parents' house.[3]. [n 3], Initially, Nilsen experienced domestic contentment with Gallichan, but within a year of their moving to Melrose Avenue, the superficial relationship between the two men began to show signs of strain. Kenneth P Ockenden, born 1934 Kenneth P Ockenden was born on month day 1934, to Agnes S Ockenden. Contrary to the prosecution claims, the defence counsel asserted that Nobbs' testimony reflected Nilsen's rational self being unable to control his impulses. One hour later, Nilsen unsuccessfully attempted to rouse Howlett, then sat on the edge of the bed drinking rum as he stared at Howlett before deciding to kill him. The image of my dead grandfather would be the model of him at his most striking in my mind. Nilsen also admitted to having unsuccessfully attempted to kill approximately seven other people, who had either escaped or, on one occasion, had been at the brink of death but had been revived and allowed to leave his residence. He had been touring. Although Nilsen initially resented his stepfather (whom he viewed as an unfair disciplinarian) he gradually came to grudgingly respect him. [46] Nilsen engaged Stottor in conversation, discovering he was depressed following a failed relationship. They produced ten children, all registered in the Epsom district. When Nilsen enquired as to Barlow's welfare, he was informed the medication Barlow was prescribed for his epilepsy had caused his legs to weaken. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. After caressing the sleeping youth, Nilsen decided Holmes was to "stay with me over the New Year whether he wanted to or not". The body was repeatedly kissed, complimented and caressed by Nilsen, both before and after he had masturbated while sitting upon the stomach of the corpse. I could oscillate between the two with instant ease." Untold story of Dennis Nilsen's victims is told in new documentary Fly Us to the Moon | Memorial Spaceflights - Celestis Three neighbourhood children stood to watch this particular bonfire, and Nilsen later wrote in his memoirs that he felt it would have seemed "in order" if he had seen these three children "dancing around a mass funeral pyre". "[143] This, the prosecution attested, reflected Nilsen's rational, cool presence of mind in that he hoped to be overheard by other tenants. There was practically no discoloration and his skin was pale white. On one of his solo excursions to the beach at Inverallochy, in 1954 or 1955, Nilsen became submerged beneath the water and was almost dragged out to sea. This included the cooking pot in which Nilsen had boiled the heads of the three victims killed at Cranley Gardens, the cutting board he had used to dissect John Howlett, and several rusted catering knives which had formerly belonged to victim Martyn Duffey. A further search for additional remains at Cranley Gardens on 10 February revealed the lower section of a torso and two legs stowed in a bag in the bathroom, and a skull, a section of a torso, and various bones in the tea chest. [n 7]. [145] Nobbs had not reported the attack to police for fear of his sexuality being discovered. He described himself and his colleagues as a "hard-working, boozy lot"; his colleagues recalled he often drank to excess in order to ease his shyness. [30] These fantasies gradually evolved to incorporate his own near-death experience with the Arab taxi driver; the dead bodies he had seen in Aden; and imagery within a 19th-century oil painting entitled The Raft of the Medusa, which depicts an old man holding the limp, nude body of a dead youth as he sits aside the dismembered body of another young male. [74], The following day, Nilsen purchased a Polaroid camera and photographed Ockenden's body in various suggestive positions. Following each murder, Nilsen would perform a ritual in which he bathed and dressed the victim's body, which he retained for extended periods of time, before dissecting and disposing of the remains by burning them in a bonfire or flushing them down a toilet. [106] Nilsen approached Sinclair, knelt before him and said to himself, "Oh Stephen, here I go again",[107] before strangling Sinclair with a ligature constructed with a necktie and a rope. His final three victims were killed at 23 Cranley Gardens. To counteract this argument, Green added: "The Crown says that even if there was mental abnormality, that was not sufficient to diminish substantially his responsibility for these killings". Find a Grave. But one man that didn't quite fit the same pattern was Kenneth Ockenden. Nilsen was initially resistant to the proposal, but accepted an offer of 1,000 from the landlord to vacate the residence. Noting a skull was still intact, he smashed it to pieces with his rake. DCI Jay later dismissed Nilsen's claims to have killed only twelve victims, stating that in the more than thirty hours of interviews police had conducted with Nilsen, when discussing the fifteen victims he had initially confessed to killing, he had never provided any inconsistencies in the physical characteristics, the date or place of encounter, the act of murder, or the ritual he observed with the body of any of the fifteen victims.[187]. [157], Following his conviction, Nilsen was transferred to HMP Wormwood Scrubs to begin his sentence. [16] Shortly after this incident, Nilsen's mother moved out of his grandparents' home and into a flat with her three children. Nilsen recalled that the putrefaction of these victims' bodies made this task exceedingly vile; he recalled having to fortify his nerves with whisky and having to grab handfuls of salt with which to brush aside maggots from the remains. While stationed at Aldershot, Nilsen's latent feelings began to stir, but he kept his sexual orientation well hidden from his colleagues. Nilsen served at these barracks for one year before being transferred with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to Cyprus in 1969. He kept "three or four" bodies stowed beneath the floorboards before he dissected the remains, which he would wrap inside plastic bags and either return under the floorboards or, in two instances, place inside suitcases which had been left at the property by a previous tenant. Kenneth Ockendon (1953-1979) - Find a Grave Memorial [88], The final victim to be murdered at Melrose Avenue was 23-year-old Malcolm Barlow,[90] whom Nilsen discovered slumped against a wall outside his home on 17 September 1981. Several days later, the pair viewed a vacant ground floor flat at 195 Melrose Avenue, also in Cricklewood, and they decided to move into the property. After Nilsen and this victim had consumed several beverages, Nilsen strangled him with a tie and subsequently placed the body beneath the floorboards. [180][181][182], On 10 May 2018, Nilsen was taken from HMP Full Sutton to York Hospital after complaining of severe stomach pains. View our online Press Pack. Dennis Andrew Nilsen (23 November 1945 - 12 May 2018) was a Scottish serial killer and necrophile who murdered at least twelve young men and boys between 1978 and 1983 in London.Convicted at the Old Bailey of six counts of murder and two of attempted murder, Nilsen was sentenced to life imprisonment on 4 November 1983, with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 25 years. He discarded these innards both upon the waste ground behind his flat, and in his household rubbish. He had no memory of the assault. For almost two months, any acquaintances Nilsen encountered and lured to his flat were not assaulted in any manner,[44] although he did attempt to strangle a 19-year-old student named Paul Nobbs on 23 November 1981,[96] but stopped himself from completing the act. Nilsen later stated that, following a heated argument in May 1977, he demanded Gallichan leave the residence. Albert Ockenden was born in 1897 (GRO reference Mar 1897 Epsom 2a 15) to George Edmund and Elizabeth Harriet Ockenden (nee Dudley). Stottor's voice frequently quavered with emotion as he recounted how Nilsen had repeatedly attempted to drown him in his bathtub as he pleaded in vain for his life to be spared, and how he later awoke to find Nilsen's mongrel dog licking his face; on several occasions, the judge had to allow Stottor time to regain his composure. Who was Dennis Nilsen? Sadistic Scots serial killer who had sex with He was found to have a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, which was repaired, although he subsequently suffered a blood clot as a complication of the surgery. Case 144 of, This page was last edited on 27 April 2023, at 11:53. Nilsen never showered in the company of his fellow soldiers for fear of developing an erection in their presence; instead opting to bathe alone in the bathroom, which also afforded him the privacy to masturbate without discovery. This service was held with only five mourners present, including three prison officers and the individual with whom Nilsen had corresponded while in prison. Kenneth Ockenden was a Canadian student visiting relatives in Britain when he encountered Dennis Nilsen. Kenneth Hagans Obituary. His attendance record was mediocre, although he frequently volunteered to work overtime, leading several colleagues to suspect he was something of a loner. Throughout 1978, he devoted an ever-increasing amount of his time, effort and assiduity to his work,[54] and most evenings he spent consuming spirits and/or lager as he listened to music. [66], "I eased him into his new bed [beneath the floorboards] A week later, I wondered whether his body had changed at all or had started to decompose. One unidentified victim killed in November had moved his legs in a cycling motion as he was strangled (Nilsen is known to have absented himself from work between 11 and 18 November,[79] likely due to this particular murder); another unidentified victim Nilsen had unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate, before sinking to his knees and sobbing, then spitting at his own image as he looked at himself in the mirror. In a practice which he had conducted upon several victims killed at Melrose Avenue, he also boiled the heads, hands and feet to remove the flesh off these sections of the victims' bodies. You look bloody awful!" Nilsen later recollected that he was sexually attracted to Gallichan, but the pair seldom had intercourse. The dismembered body parts were the bodies of three men, all of whom he had killed by strangulationusually with a necktie. Dennis Andrew Nilsen (23 November 1945 12 May 2018) was a Scottish serial killer[1] and necrophile who murdered at least twelve young men and boys between 1978 and 1983 in London. Kenneth F Adkison Obituary. Her parents, Andrew and Lily (ne Duthie) Whytewho had never approved of their daughter's choice of husbandwere supportive of their daughter following her divorce and considerate of their grandchildren. [61], Nilsen killed his first victim, 14-year-old Stephen Holmes, on 30 December 1978. Kenneth Ockenden was one of his first victims and one of the few to be reported missing. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Created by: Jen Added: 20 Aug 2021 Find a Grave Memorial ID: 231005313 Source citation "The Muswell Hill Murderer" Dennis Nilsen Pt. 2: The Murders Staring out of the window of the police car, he replied, "Fifteen or sixteen, since 1978. Throughout his service with this regiment, he was required to cook for thirty soldiers and two officers on a daily basis. Almost exactly a year after the first murder, this 23-year-old Canadian student was killed on December 3, 1979. . One bag was found to contain two dissected torsos, one of which had been vertically dissected, and a shopping bag containing various internal organs. He also stated that, beginning in December 1978, he had killed "twelve or thirteen" men at his former address, 195 Melrose Avenue. TRUE: Victim Kenneth Ockenden, 23, a missing Canadian student, was identified after officers were able to match his fingerprints to those found on the pages of a London A-Z guide found in. [163], In 2003, Nilsen was again transferred to HMP Full Sutton, where he remained incarcerated as a Category A prisoner. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.dailystar.co.uk/tv/tragic-story-kenneth-ockenden-how-22687397?msclkid=33def74acf9e11ec94964358c15ba4e2 Stephen Dean Holmes (1964-1978). Two psychiatrists testified on behalf of the defence. [n 1], Following a brief period with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in Inverness, Nilsen was selected to cook for the Queen's Royal Guard before, in January 1971, being reassigned to serve as a cook for a different regiment in the Shetland Islands, where he ended his 11-year military career at the rank of corporal in October 1972. Dennis Nilsen details that weren't included in ITV's drama Des As had been the case with several previous victims, Nilsen stated he could not recall the precise moment he had strangled Allen, but recalled approaching him as he sat eating an omelette with the full intention of murdering him. Nilsen then invited the student to his house on the promise of a meal and further drinks. As a result, he was an unpopular inmate with successive governors at the various prisons in which he was incarcerated. [163] In October 2001, Nilsen brought a judicial review against the prison service, citing that the gay softcore pornography magazines Vulcan and Him, to which he subscribed regularly, had some images and articles of a more explicit nature removed before the magazine reached him. His ashes were later handed to his family. His skin was very dirty. Nilsen feigned shock and bewilderment, stating, "Good grief, how awful!" [36] Nilsen never spoke to his older brother again, and maintained only sporadic written contact with his mother, stepfather and younger siblings. When Stottor had regained enough strength to question Nilsen as to his recollections of being strangled and immersed in cold water, Nilsen explained he had become caught in the zip of the sleeping bag following a nightmare, and that he had placed him in cold water as "you were in shock". [46] He was officially promoted to the position of executive officer, with additional supervisory responsibilities, in June 1982, and transferred to another Jobcentre in Kentish Town,[47] continuing in this job until his arrest. As further details were revealed in the press, including that Nilsen had confessed to murdering more people than any other person in British criminal history. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Kenneth . Three months after Nilsen's June 1982 promotion to the position of executive officer in his employment, he encountered a 27-year-old named Graham Allen attempting to hail a taxi in Shaftesbury Avenue. He moved into an attic flat at 23D Cranley Gardens[94] in the Muswell Hill district of North London on 5 October 1981. The primary dispute between the prosecuting and defence counsel was not whether Nilsen had killed the victims, but his state of mind before and during the killings. His second victim, killed in late 1979, was Canadian student Kenneth Ockenden, who was visiting relatives in the capital. [72][n 5] Nilsen encountered Ockenden as they both drank in a West End pub. Kenneth Ockenden, 23. [176] Several items confiscated from Nilsen's Cranley Gardens addresssome of which had been introduced as evidence at Nilsen's trialare on display at New Scotland Yard's Crime Museum. Nilsen did not lodge an appeal, accepting that the Crown's casethat he had had the capacity to control his actions and that he had killed with premeditationwas essentially correct. He had been on a tour of Britain when he came across Nilsen in a pub and he was taken around London. Following Duffey's murder, Nilsen began to kill with increasing frequency. On approximately four occasions over the following fortnight, Nilsen disinterred Ockenden's body from beneath his floorboards and seated the body upon his armchair alongside him as he himself watched television and drank alcohol. His earliest memories were of family picnics in the Scottish countryside with his mother and siblings, of his grandparents' pious lifestyle (which he later described as "cold and dour"),[6] and of being taken on long countryside walks carried on the shoulders of his maternal grandfather, to whom he was particularly close. Ockenden was one of the nine victims killed at 195 Melrose Avenue, Nilsens first address in the Muswell Hill Area. [116] Nilsen questioned further as to why the police were interested in his drains, to which he was informed the blockage had been caused by human remains. Throughout this committal hearing, he was represented by a solicitor named Ronald Moss, whom he had previously dismissed as his legal representative on 21 April,[137] before Moss was reappointed to the role after Nilsen had complained to magistrates he had been afforded no facilities with which he could mount his own defence. First look at Britain's biggest EVER stage for King Charles' coronation concert, Souness fights back tears as he announces emotional retirement on Sky Sports, Sky Sports' Martin Tyler slammed for 'racist' comment about Spurs star Son, Iconic high street favourite to return after 4 years as shoppers 'can't wait', News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. The first witness to testify for the prosecution was Douglas Stewart, who testified that in November 1980, he had fallen asleep in a chair in Nilsen's flat only to wake to find his ankles bound to a chair and Nilsen strangling him with a tie as he pressed his knee to his (Stewart's) chest. Nilsen strangled him with a headphone cord. Dennis Nilsen dead: Notorious serial killer and necrophiliac - mirror When Nilsen returned home, DCI Jay introduced himself and his colleagues, explaining they had come to enquire about the blockage in the drains from his flat. I disinterred him and pulled the dirt-stained youth up onto the floor. [28], Unlike his previous postings, Nilsen had his own room while stationed in Aden. Birth 12 July 1929 - Leatherhead, Surrey, England, United Kingdom. Born in Fraserburgh, he was dubbed the Muswell Hill Murderer after the North London suburb where he strangled and drowned his victims at two homes. He respected his parents' efforts to provide and care for their children, but began to resent the fact that his family was poorer than most of his peers, with his mother and stepfather making no effort to better their lifestyles; thus, Nilsen seldom invited his friends to the family home. History of Dennis Nilsen Crimes Murders and Victims All present viewed the topic with derision, except Nilsen, who ardently spoke in defence of gay rights. His father did not view married life with any seriousness, being preoccupied with his duties with the Free Norwegian Forces and making little attempt to spend much time with or find a new home for his wife. [10][11] When he replied that he did, he was taken into the room where his grandfather lay in an open coffin. Great Crimes and Trials of the 20th Century, List of prisoners with whole-life tariffs, List of serial killers by number of victims, List of serial killers in the United Kingdom, "Dennis Nilsen: Eight Chilling Facts About the Scottish Serial Killer", "Serial Killer who Murdered 'At Least' 15 Men Dies in Jail", "Netflix to Produce True-crime Documentary Based on Dennis Nilsen's Posthumously Published Autobiography", "Nilsen Describes How he Murdered his First Victim", "Free BMD Entry Information: Ockenden, Kenneth J. To Nilsen, this ruse created the ideal circumstance in which he could visually "split" his personality: in these masturbatory fantasies, Nilsen alternately envisaged himself as being both the domineering and the passive partner. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Following the closing arguments of both prosecution and defence, the jury retired to consider their verdict on 3 November 1983. Nilsen's scholastic record was above average. Who was Kenneth Ockenden? | The Sun Tragic story of Kenneth Ockenden and how he fell into Dennis Nilsen's depraved clutches. England & Wales Births, GRO Indexes, 1911 - 1954 Kenneth J. Ockenden, born 1953 Kenneth J. Ockenden was born in month 1953, at birth place, to Jefferys. This ruling ensured Nilsen would never be released from prison, a punishment he accepted. [178][179], In January 2021, a former confidant of Nilsen's named Mark Austin revealed that an edited version of The History of a Drowning Boy was to be posthumously published by RedDoor Press. [133], On 11 February 1983, Nilsen was officially charged with the murder of Stephen Sinclair. Nilsen grew to resent what he saw as the unfair amount of attention his mother, grandmother and later, stepfather displayed towards his older brother and younger sister. [34][n 2], Between October and December 1972, Nilsen lived with his family as he considered his next career move. He initially panicked, flailing his arms and shouting. Nilsen was. After they'd go to sleep in his . If the victim had been strangled into unconsciousness, Nilsen then drowned him in his bathtub, his sink or a bucket of water before observing a ritual in which he bathed, clothed and retained the bodies inside his residences for several weeks or, occasionally, months before he dismembered them. Four lives on BBC 1 at 9pm 3rd January - Page 12 Digital Spy He died at York Hospital on 12 May 2018 of a pulmonary embolism and a retroperitoneal haemorrhage, which occurred following surgery to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Nilsen then led Stottor to a nearby railway station, where he informed the young man he hoped they might meet again before he bade him farewell. Each victim killed between 1978 and 1981 at his Cricklewood residence was disposed of via burning upon a bonfire. The prosecuting counsel, Allan Green QC, argued that Nilsen was sane, in full control of his actions, and had killed with premeditation. He was loved and cherished by many people including : his spouse . [24] He relished the travel opportunities afforded him in his training, and recalled as a highlight his regiment taking part in a ceremonial parade attended by both the Queen and Field Marshal Lord Montgomery of Alamein. He frequented the Black. In an interview conducted on 10 February, Nilsen confessed there were further human remains stowed in a tea chest in his living room, with other remains inside an upturned drawer in his bathroom. On one occasion, Nilsen and a German youth drank themselves into a stupor. [170][171] The legal case he brought against the prison service was dismissed because he could not establish that any breach of his human rights had occurred.[172]. According to Nilsen, he had been drinking heavily alone on the day he met Holmes before deciding in the evening that he must "at all costs" leave his flat and seek company. Immediately after the testimony of Nobbs had concluded, Carl Stottor took the stand to recount how, in May 1982, Nilsen had attempted to strangle and drown him, before bringing him "back to life". Months later, the regiment was transferred to West Berlin, where, the same year, Nilsen had his first sexual experience with a female: a prostitute whose services he solicited. At the flat, Stottor consumed further alcohol before falling asleep upon an open sleeping bag; he later awoke to find himself being strangled with Nilsen loudly whispering, "Stay still". [38], In April 1973, Nilsen completed his police training and was posted to Willesden Green. "[9], By 1951, Nilsen's grandfather's health was in decline, but he continued to work. (n.d.). Nilsen asked why the police were interested in his drains and also whether or not the two officers present with Jay were health inspectors. I'll tell you everything. I stripped myself naked and carried him into the bathroom and washed the body. Serial killer Dennis Nilsen boasted of smoking cannabis in his prison Prior to Nilsen's trial, Bowden had interviewed the defendant on sixteen separate occasions in interviews totalling over fourteen hours. [108] Nilsen attempted to dispose of the flesh, internal organs and smaller bones of all three victims killed at Cranley Gardens by flushing their dissected remains down his toilet. [134] He was transferred to HMP Brixton to be held on remand until his trial. Kenneth Hagans Obituary (1941 - 2023) | Seneca, Missouri - Echovita The remains stowed inside suitcasesthose of Ockenden and Duffeywere placed inside a shed in the rear garden, and were disposed of upon the second bonfire Nilsen had constructed at Melrose Avenue. After plying him with alcohol,[102] Nilsen invited Stottor to his flat, assuring his guest he had no intention of sexual activity. [10] His body was brought ashore and returned to the Whyte family home prior to burial. With reference to one victim, Kenneth Ockenden, Nilsen noted that Ockenden's "body and skin were very beautiful", adding the sight "almost brought me to tears". On 26 May, Nilsen was committed to stand trial at the Old Bailey on five counts of murder and two of attempted murder (a sixth murder charge was later added). Gallwey conceded that Nilsen was intellectually aware of his actions, but stressed that, due to his personality disorder, Nilsen did not appreciate the criminal nature of what he had done. [23] After three weeks at the factory, Nilsen informed his mother that he intended to join the army, where he intended to train as a chef. Nilsen died on 12 May. The torsos and limbs of the three victims killed at this address were dissected within about one week of their murder before being wrapped in plastic bags and stowed in the three locations he had indicated to police; the internal organs and smaller bones he flushed down the toilet. At Nilsen's home, both he and Holmes drank heavily before they fell asleep. In response, Jay informed Nilsen that the other two were also police officers, and requested access to his flat to discuss the matter further. [27], Following two years of service in Osnabrck, Nilsen returned to Aldershot, where he passed his official catering exam before being deployed to serve as a cook for the British Army in Norway. [114] These remains were taken to the mortuary at Hornsey, where pathologist David Bowen advised police that the remains were human,[115] and that one particular piece of flesh he concluded had been from a human neck bore a ligature mark. [112] Opening a drain cover at the side of the house, Cattran discovered the drain was packed with a flesh-like substance and numerous small bones of unknown origin. [31] In Nilsen's most vividly recalled fantasy, a slender, attractive young blond soldier who had been recently killed in battle is dominated by a faceless "dirty, grey-haired old man" who washed this body before engaging in intercourse with the spreadeagled corpse. [93] The day before he vacated the property, Nilsen burned the dissected bodies of the last five victims he had killed at this address upon a third and final bonfire he constructed in the garden behind his flat. The Nilsen Files: New Dennis Nilsen documentary analyses sick serial [156] Croom-Johnson sentenced Nilsen to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 25 years' imprisonment. [82], When questioned as to whether he had any remorse for his crimes, Nilsen replied: "I wished I could stop, but I couldn't. The Nilsen Files: The shocking truth I found in the archives Once the victim had been killed, he typically bathed the victim's body, shaved any hair from the torso to conform it to his physical ideal,[128] then applied makeup to any obvious blemishes upon the skin. After briefly succeeding in raising his head above the water, Stottor gasped the words, "No more, please! Not hereat the police station." Family tree. The autobiography, based upon the 6,000 pages of typewritten notes Nilsen authored while incarcerated, examines his life and crimes, and is edited by Austin, who became a pen pal of Nilsen's in the years prior to his death and who exchanged more than 800 letters with him. War Memorials - WW1 - Surnames O - Epsom & Ewell History Explorer He decided to join the Metropolitan Police,[37] and moved to London in December to begin the training course. The second bag contained a human skull almost completely devoid of flesh, a severed head, and a torso with arms attached, but hands missing.