Mass Killer Jailed For Life (Press, 7 November 1983)

Dennis Nilsen, a former London policeman, was sentenced to life imprisonment on 5 November 1983 after being convicted of murdering six identified victims, although he claimed to have killed 15 young drifters. The 37-year-old Nilsen, who exhibited a detached demeanor during the court proceedings, was not found to be mentally ill, despite assertions from defence psychiatrists. They suggested he suffered from a mental disorder but could not ascertain a clear motive, while the prosecution argued that he simply derived pleasure from killing. The murders were committed during a period of extreme loneliness, as Nilsen took young men, predominantly aged between 16 and 28 and often homeless or jobless, from London bars to his home. Although he identified as homosexual, Nilsen rarely engaged sexually with his victims. Instead, after hours of drinking, he would strangle them with neckties, claiming to have started with 15 ties, leaving him with just one clip-on after the killings. Nilsen's methods of body disposal included burning the remains of 12 victims on bonfires in his back garden and later boiling and flushing the remains of his last three victims down the toilet. This change in disposal method ultimately led to his arrest when blocked plumbing resulted in the discovery of human remains. The police were alerted after a plumber stumbled upon the blockage. Born to a Norwegian Army officer and raised in Scotland, Nilsen had a troubled early life. He joined the British Army at 15 and later worked as a probationary policeman before becoming a civil servant. He struggled with his relationships and admitted to a yearning for companionship, saying, "Everybody keeps walking out on me." His trial revealed that he often viewed his victims as mere objects rather than individuals, as noted by defence experts. The investigation following his confession in February 1983 was extensive, resulting in the recovery of more than 1,000 pieces of human bone. However, identifying the victims proved challenging, with only 50 teeth found, many of which were distorted due to the fires he had used to dispose of the bodies. Nilsen's detailed recollections of his crimes and the names of some victims ultimately formed the basis of the evidence against him. Nilsen, who described himself as “the murderer of the century,” exhibited a chilling awareness of the gravity of his actions while expressing no remorse for his crimes.

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