Infamous Prisoners
John Straffen
John Straffen was a serial killer and paedophile. He strangled and bludgeoned to death three little girls; two five year olds and a nine year old. His victims were Cicely Batstone, Brenda Goddard and Linda Bowyer. Cicely and Brenda were murdered in the summer of 1951. Linda Bowyer was murdered in 1952 when Straffen escaped from Broadmoor high security hospital. He only went missing for a few hours but managed to murder the defenseless five year old.
Alan in 1958 came face to face in uncomfortable circumstances with John Straffen in Cardiff prison. Alan was only 16 and was sent to Cardiff prison until they could locate a borstal where he could serve out the rest of his sentence for petty burglary.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Straffen
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2007/nov/22/guardianobituaries.obituaries
Edwin Bush
Edwin Bush killed 59 year old Mrs Elsie May Batten on May 12th 1961. Edwin killed her by stabbing her with an antique dagger in the neck and chest at the antique shop in London where she worked. He was caught for his crime through the Identikit system. He was the first ever criminal to be caught using the Identikit system making his case notable in the British legal system. At 21 he was executed at Pentonville Prison in London on July 6 1961. Bush was the second last person to be executed in London.
Alan met Bush whilst being incarcerated in Hollesley Bay Borstal in Woodbridge, Suffolk. They spent over a year together in the borstal and became good friends. It was a great shock to Alan when he learnt about what he had done and then a greater shock when he was sentenced to death. He can't believe how such a nice boy could go out and murder, even knowing that Mrs Batten was reported to have made racist comments.
Sources:
http://www.met.police.uk/history/bush.htm
http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/edwin_bush.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Bush
Mad Frankie Fraser
Frank Davidson Fraser aka "Mad" Frankie Fraser is infamous for being in criminal gangs and for spending over four decades in prison for various violent offences. In his criminal career he has been a racecourse swindler, train robber, racketeer, contract strong-arm, club owner, club minder, company director etc. In the 60's he was asked by Ron and Reggie Kray to join them but Frank decided to join with Charlie and Eddie Richardson in their alleged 'Torture gang'. As an inmate he has stayed in 20 prisons across Britain including Broadmoor hospital. In prison he habitually fought with prison offers, fellow inmates and attacked some prison governors. He was also involved in and an instigator of numerous prison riots.
Mad Frankie Fraser was in the neighbouring cell to Alan in Bristol prison in1973.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Fraser
http://www.madfrankiefraser.co.uk/frankiefraser.htm
Patrick Joseph Hill
Patrick Joseph Hill is better known as one of the Birmingham Six. In 1975 Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker were called the Birmingham six after being sentenced to life imprisonment for the Birmingham pub bombings in the UK. The bombings of two central Birmingham pubs, The Mulberry Bush and the Tavern happened on November 1974 and were attributed to the Provisional IRA. From the blasts 21 people were killed and 162 people were injured. All the men denied their involvement and appealed. On their third appeal on 14 March 1991 their convictions were declared unsafe and they were compensated with payouts ranging from £840,000 to £1.2 million.
At Bristol prison Alan was in the cell next door to Patrick Joseph Hill. Alan saw how Hill was victimised by other prisoners on the crimes he was suggested to have committed. He heard Hill's screams when other prisoners tipped boiling hot drinks over him.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Six
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/14/newsid_2543000/2543613.stm
Manuel Delgado Villegas
Manuel Delgado Villegas was a Spanish serial killer who alleged 48 murders but was convicted for 8. He killed seven of his victims between 1964 to 1971. The Spanish police reported that after he abducted his victims and killed them he practiced necrophilia. He was never tried for his crimes as he was diagnosed with a severe mental disorder and the Audiencia Nacional of Spain ordered Villegas to be permanently detained in a prison medical centre, which was a mental hospital contained within Carabanchel's prison. After being sent to the mental hospital he was diagnosed as having XYY syndrome which could have been responsible for his mental disorder.
Alan met Manuel Delgado Villegas whilst working the unusual prison job of being a psychiatric nurse in Carabanchel's prison mental hospital.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Delgado_Villegas
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1762160/manuel_delgado_villegas.html
