London, UK – Robert Maudsley, infamously known as Hannibal the Cannibal, has become the longest-serving inmate in the UK penal system. Spending his 50th consecutive Christmas behind bars, the 70-year-old criminal has also set a world record by spending 45 years in isolation.
Maudsley was locked up in 1974 at the age of 21 for the murder of a child sex offender. Following his incarceration, he was sent to the high-security hospital, Broadmoor, where he later took a fellow inmate hostage, tortured, and murdered him with a cut-down plastic spoon. This gruesome act earned him the moniker Hannibal the Cannibal, referencing the character from the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs.
After being convicted of manslaughter for the killing, Maudsley was transferred to HMP Wakefield. In 1978, he murdered two inmates, leading to him being deemed too dangerous to remain among the general prison population. As a result, special provisions were made for him at the prison, including a cell with bulletproof windows and a concrete slab for a bed.
Despite his violent history, Maudsley’s nephew, Gavin Maudsley, claimed that his uncle’s victims were “really bad people.” In contrast, former detective Paul Harrison, who had interviewed numerous mass murderers, described Maudsley as an “intelligent guy” who could engage in everyday conversations.
The Ministry of Justice faced scrutiny over Maudsley’s prolonged isolation, with the department emphasizing that there is “no such thing as solitary confinement” in the UK prison system. They stated that offenders are segregated only if they pose a risk to others and are provided with similar privileges as other inmates.
As of now, the Ministry of Justice has not disclosed the specific prison where Maudsley is being held.