Known for its breathtaking views, friendly folk and rich culture, Wales has also been home to some of the most notorious serial killers in UK history. While it is generally a safe country, several sadistic individuals have left a stain on this proud nation.
From Harold Shipman and Peter Moore to John Cooper and David Morris, there are many names you’ll recognise from various news reports. However, you might not have realised that they have more than just killing in common. The names listed below are serial killers who were born or lived in Wales.
1. Harold Shipman - 15 convicted murders
Top of the list must be one of the most notorious names to come out of the dark side of Wales, Harold Shipman.
Although Shipman was born in Nottingham and primarily known for his heinous activities in England, he had strong connections to Wales through his medical practice. One of the most infamous serial killers in British history, the killer doctor was convicted in 2000 for the murder of 15 patients, mainly elderly women, using lethal doses of painkillers.
Investigators suspect he may have killed over 250 people during his career, leading to widespread reforms in the way doctors are monitored.
2. Peter Moore - 4 convicted murders
Peter Moore, dubbed the 'Man in Black' due to his trademark black shirt and tie, murdered four innocent men ‘just for fun’ in North Wales between September and December 1995.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murders of Henry Roberts, Edward Carthy, Keith Randles, and Anthony Davies after luring each one of his victims with promises of sexual encounters and then killing them with extreme violence.
Remaining one of the most chilling cases in Welsh criminal history, Moore was called the 'most dangerous man in Wales' by the judge at his court hearing.
3. John Cooper - 4 convicted murders
John Cooper, also known as the 'Bullseye Killer', was convicted in 2011 for the murders of Richard and Helen Thomas and Peter and Gwenda Dixon in 1989.
Cooper was already a career criminal before the murders – his illegal activities included 30 robberies and other violent assaults. Cooper gained his nickname after being identified following an appearance on the gameshow Bullseye, aired in May 1989.
The police were able to use this footage to compare to the sketch and finally convict him. The case garnered further attention in 2009 when he was linked to a series of other violent crimes in Pembrokeshire. His crimes spanned decades, and he was implicated in numerous other cold cases, although only these two double murders were definitively linked to him through conviction.
4. David Morris - 4 convicted murders
Known as 'The Clydach Murderer', native Welshman David Morris was convicted of killing three generations of the same family.
Morris was jailed in 1999 for killing his girlfriend Mandy Power, her two young daughters and her 80-year-old mother Doris Dawson. Originally from Craig-cefn-parc in the Swansea Valley, the suspect murdered his then-girlfriend Power fuelled by a cocktail of drink and drugs.
After a tumultuous seven-year investigation – the biggest hunt in Welsh criminal history at that time – Morris was sentenced to 22 years but later died after collapsing outside his cell at HMP Long Lartin.
5. Joseph Kappen - 3-4 attributed murders
Born in 1941 in Port Talbot, Joseph Kappen was a Welsh serial killer identified posthumously for the brutal rape and murders of three teenage girls, all aged 16.
It was reported that Kappen lured the women into his car and drove them to rural locations before raping and killing them by strangulation.
Although Kappen was never arrested for his crimes following his death from lung cancer in 1990, 'The Saturday Night Strangler', as he was later known, was caught 30 years after the tragic murders happened in the early 2000s due to advances in DNA testing.
Joseph Kappen is also suspected of committing a fourth murder in February 1976.
