Kill Total 5 - 1993 - London
Known in London as the "Gay Slayer", Colin Ireland aimed to become a serial killer, he had read an article that said to be a serial killer you must have killed 5. So, this was the number he aimed for. Born 16 March 1954, in West Hill Hospital in Dartford, Kent, Ireland was raised by his mother after his father vanished before he was born, his mother being just 17.
For this purpose he strangled five homosexual men. Robert Ressler states in "Whoever Fights Monsters" that one has to commit five murders to become a serial killer. Colin read the book and used it almost as a manual in his quest to become a serial killer. He meticulously planned each murder as he set out to become a famous serial killer. He chose gay sado-masochistic men because they were willing to get tied up. Also, he believed that the public would feel less sympathy for them. Before his arrest he taunted the cops with rambling calls claiming responsibility for the murders and threatening to keep striking once a week. He even stated "I have got the book, I know how many you have to do..."
It has been rumoured that Colin has killed again in prison. It is suggested that Colin has strangled a convicted child murderer in his cell, but because he was serving life with no possibility of parole it was a waste of time and money to prosecute him. The murder was carried out while Colin was in Wakefield Prison, Yorkshire. Two weeks after, he was moved to Whitemoor Prison, Cambridgeshire.
