The brother of one of Britain's most notorious serial killers has revealed that he's currently on hunger strike.
Said to have been held in solitary confinement since 1983 at HMP Wakefield, Robert Maudsley holds the controversial title of the UK's 'most dangerous prisoner' due to his grisly behaviour behind bars.
Born in Liverpool in 1953, Maudsley is said to have had a troubled upbringing as a child, including allegations of physical abuse at the hands of his father.
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He would kill his first victim in 1974, leading to his incarceration in Broadmoor Hospital. Maudsley would kill again while housed in the psychiatric facility, prompting him to be moved to Wakefield prison. It was here in 1978 that he would kill two more inmates, prompting him to be considered too dangerous for mainstream prison and moved into solitary confinement.
He has reportedly remained segregated from other prisoners to this very day.
Little about Maudsley's living conditions has been revealed over recent years - it was last revealed that he'd been denied the request for a pet in 2000 - until now, as his brother has revealed the killer is currently on hunger strike after having his possessions confiscated.
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Speaking in a new interview with The Mirror, Robert's brother Paul Maudsley, 74, explained that his sibling had made the decision to go on hunger strike after items such as a Playstation, non-fiction books and a music system were confiscated from his lonely cell.
Explaining how things had allegedly escalated after an 'operational exercise' was held in response to a prisoner allegedly smuggling in a gun, Paul said his brother had complained about his section of the prison being treated differently, which prompted his belongings to be confiscated.
"For some reason, the main prison went back to normal after the operational exercise, but Bob’s section was out for a couple of days. Bob complained and he’s normally polite, but the prison officers accused him of being abusive," he claimed.
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"When he finally got back in his cell, they had taken everything – his TV, PlayStation, books and radio."
Sharing further concerns about his brother's wellbeing, Paul continued: "He’s been refusing food since last Friday so we are very worried about him. He called me from prison that day and he sounded angry and anxious. He told me, 'I’m going on hunger strike so don’t be surprised if this is the last time I call you.'
"He used to have access to a phone inside his cell, but he’s stopped calling us back so we think they must have taken it away. Bob is 71 now so we don’t know how long he will be able to survive without food."
The Ministry of Justice declined to comment on The Mirror's report.
Brenna Cooper