| Name | Years active | Proven victims | Possible victims | Status | Notes | Ref |
|---|
| Akinmurele, Stephen | 1995–1998 | 8 | 8 | Committed suicide before trial | Known as "The Cul-de-sac killer"; Nigerian immigrant suspected of killing elderly people inBlackpool and theIsle of Man | [4] |
| Allitt, Beverley | 1991 | 4 | 4 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Known as "The Angel of Death";Lincolnshire paediatric nurse who killed children in her care | [5] |
| Balls, Jonathan | 1824–1845 | 22 | 22+ | Committed suicide prior to identification | Poisoned relatives and acquaintances with arsenic inHappisburgh | [6] |
| Bellfield, Levi | 2002–2004 | 3 | 3+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "The Bus Stop Stalker"; convicted of the 2002murder of Amanda Dowler and two fatal hammer attacks on young women inSouth West London. | [7] |
| Bierton, Lawrence | 1995–2023 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Killed two elderly sisters inRotherham in 1995. In 2023 he was convicted of a third murder he committed while released on licence. | [8] |
| Bishop, John | 1830 | 3 | 3 | Executed in 1831 | Leader of "The London Burkers"; together withThomas Williams and two accomplices, formed a gang ofbody snatchers that drugged and killed victims for money | [9] |
| Bourne, Geordie | 1590s–1597 | 7 | 7 | Executed in 1597 | Scottish bandit who killed seven people around theEast English Marches | [10] |
| Brady, Ian | 1963–1965 | 5 | 5 | Died in prison | Committed the so-calledMoors murders with girlfriendMyra Hindley, killing five children and burying four of their bodies onSaddleworth Moor | [11] |
| Britland, Mary Ann | 1886 | 3 | 3 | Executed in 1886 | Poisoned her daughter, husband, and the wife of her lover in 1886; first woman to be executed by hanging atStrangeways Prison | [12] |
| Brumfitt, Paul | 1979–1999 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Strangled two men, one inTilbury and another in Denmark, in 1979; sentenced to life, but released in 1994, and later killed a prostitute inWoodsetton in 1999. | [13] |
| Bryan, Peter | 1993–2004 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Institutionalized for fatal hammer attack on woman in 1993; re-apprehended forcannibalizing a friend in 2004, but able to batter a fellow patient to death months later | [14] |
| Burgess, David | 1966–1967 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to 27 years imprisonment | Murdered three young girls inBeenham; originally convicted of two murders, he was released in 1996, only to be convicted of the third murder in 2012 after newDNA evidence was found. | [15] |
| Chapman, George | 1897–1902 | 3 | 3 | Executed in 1903 | Known as "The Borough Poisoner"; Polish-born barber who poisoned his wives in London'sEast End | [16] |
| Childs, John | 1974–1978 | 6 | 6 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Apparentcontract killer who killed six people inEast London, although none of the bodies were ever found | [17] |
| Christie, John | 1943–1953 | 8 | 8+ | Executed in 1953 | Known as "The Rillington Place Strangler"; gassed, raped and strangled at least five women from 1943 to 1953, hiding the bodies at his house inNotting Hill, London; also strangled his wife Ethel, as well as the wife and baby daughter of neighbourTimothy Evans, who was wrongfully executed for their murders. | [18] |
| Chua, Victorino | 2011 | 3 | 7 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Nurse atStepping Hill Hospital who poisoned patients with insulin | [19] |
| Cotton, Mary Ann | 1852–1872 | 21 | 21+ | Executed in 1873 | Poisoned family members and acquaintances for their insurance policies | [20] |
| Cream, Thomas Neill | 1881–1892 | 5 | 5+ | Executed in 1892 | Known as "The Lambeth Poisoner"; Scottish-Canadian doctor who poisoned women withstrychnine in the United States and then England | [21] |
| Cummins, Gordon | 1941–1942 | 4 | 6 | Executed in 1942 | Known as "The Blackout Ripper";RAF pilot who murdered four women in London during the wartime blackout in 1942, and suspect in two previous murders from 1941 | [22] |
| Dawson, Andrew | 1982–2010 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | "The Angel of Mercy"; stabbed three men to death with no provocation | [23] |
| Dennehy, Joanna | 2013 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Stabbed three men to death and tried to kill two others selected at random in what became known as the "Peterborough ditch murders". | [24] |
| Duffy, John | 1985–1986 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Together with accompliceDavid Mulcahy, known as "The Railway Rapists"; killed three women near railway stations inSouthern England | [25] |
| Dyer, Amelia | 1869–1896 | 6 | 400+ | Executed in 1896 | Known as "The Ogress ofReading";baby farmer who murdered infants in her care | [26] |
| Erskine, Kenneth | 1986 | 7 | 11 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Known as "TheStockwell Strangler";gerontophile who murdered elderly citizens in London | [27] |
| Grieveson, Steven | 1990–1994 | 4 | 4+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Known as "The Sunderland Strangler"; murdered four teenage boys inSunderland | [28] |
| Griffiths, Stephen | 2009–2010 | 3 | 3+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "The Crossbow Cannibal"; convicted of murdering three prostitutes inBradford | [29] |
| Haigh, John | 1944–1949 | 6 | 9 | Executed in 1949 | Known as "The Acid Bath Murderer"; murdered people for money and then dissolved their bodies insulphuric acid | [30] |
| Hardy, Anthony | 2000–2002 | 3 | 8+ | Died in prison | Known as "TheCamden Ripper"; abducted, murdered and dismembered women across London | [31] |
| Hardy, Trevor | 1974–1976 | 3 | 3 | Died in prison | Known as "The Beast of Manchester"; killed three teenage girls inManchester | [32] |
| Herbert, Philip | 1678–1680 | 3 | 3 | Died a free man | Nobleman known for assaulting and sometimes killing fellow peers for no discernible reason; although he faced lesser charges, research indicates that he was responsible for all the murders attributed to him | [33] |
| Hindley, Myra | 1963–1965 | 5 | 5 | Died in prison | Committed the so-calledMoors murders with boyfriendIan Brady, killing five children and burying four of their bodies onSaddleworth Moor | [34] |
| Ireland, Colin | 1993 | 5 | 5 | Died in prison | Known as "The Gay Slayer"; killed five gay men in London to seek attention from the media | [35] |
| Jebson, Ronald | 1970–1974 | 3 | 3 | Died in prison | Paedophile responsible for the 1970Babes in the Wood murders and the murder of another child | [36] |
| Johnson, Theodore | 1981–2016 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to 30 years imprisonment | Jamaican immigrant who murdered his wife and two girlfriends | [37] |
| Lee, Bruce George Peter | 1973–1979 | 12 | 26 | Sentenced to involuntary commitment | Arsonist responsible for multiple deaths during acts of arson inKingston upon Hull; some convictions have been quashed | [38] |
| Letby, Lucy | 2015–2016 | 7 | 7+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | NHS nurse convicted of killing 7 babies and attempting to kill 6 others whilst working as a neonatal nurse atCountess of Chester Hospital | [39] |
| Ligus, Robin | 1994–1996 | 3 | 4 | Died in prison | Drug addict convicted of robbing and bludgeoning three men to death with an iron bar inShropshire | [40] |
| Lupo, Michael | 1985–1986 | 4 | 4 | Died in prison | Known as "The Wolf Man"; Italian immigrant who killed fellow gay men in London | [41] |
| Mackay, Patrick | 1974–1975 | 3 | 11 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Thrill killer who killed people during thefts and robberies | [42] |
| Martin, Mark | 2004–2005 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "TheSneinton Strangler"; murdered homeless women inNottingham with two accomplices to become famous | [43] |
| Maudsley, Robert | 1974–1978 | 4 | 4 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Killed a man in London, and later two cellmates in prison and one fellow patient inBroadmoor Hospital | [44] |
| Morris, Raymond Leslie | 1965–1967 | 3 | 3 | Died in prison | Raped and murdered prepubescent girls and left their corpses onCannock Chase. | [45] |
| Mulcahy, David | 1985–1986 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Together with accompliceJohn Duffy, known as "The Railway Rapists"; killed three women near railway stations inSouthern England | [46] |
| Napper, Robert | 1992–1993 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to involuntary commitment | Known as "TheGreen Chain Rapist"; raped, murdered and mutilated women and children | [47] |
| Neilson, Donald | 1971–1975 | 4 | 4 | Died in prison | Known as "The Black Panther"; killed post office clerks and heiressLesley Whittle | [48] |
| Nilsen, Dennis | 1978–1983 | 12 | 15 | Died in prison | Known as "TheMuswell Hill Murderer"; lured and murdered young men at his flat in London, ritually dissecting their bodies post-mortem | [49] |
| Norris, Colin | 2002 | 4 | 10 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Scottish nurse who poisoned elderly patients he considered "difficult" at a hospital inLeeds | [50] |
| Port, Stephen | 2014–2015 | 4 | 4 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "The Grindr Killer"; serial rapist who drugged, sexually assaulted and murdered men inBarking, London that he met ondating apps | [51] |
| Sach, Amelia | 1900–1902 | 20 | 20+ | Executed in 1903 | Together with accompliceAnnie Walters, known as "TheFinchley Baby Farmers"; murdered infants placed in their care | [52] |
| Shipman, Harold | 1975–1998 | 218 | 250+ | Committed suicide in prison | Known as "Dr Death";general practitioner who murdered patients placed in his care; only British doctor to be convicted of such charges. Convicted of 15 murders and responsible for the deaths of 218 patients identified byinquiry, but is believed to have killed around 250 people.[53][54] | [55] |
| Smith, George Joseph | 1912–1914 | 3 | 3 | Executed in 1915 | Bigamist who murdered three women by drowning them in his bath in what became known as the "Brides in the Bath Murders" | [56] |
| Smith, Rebecca | 1830s–1849 | 8 | 8 | Executed in 1849 | Poisoned eight of her newborn children; last British woman to be executed forinfanticide of her own child | [57] |
| Straffen, John | 1951–1952 | 3 | 3 | Died in prison | Murdered a young girl to get revenge on police; confined to mental hospital, escaped and killed two others | [58] |
| Sutcliffe, Peter | 1975–1980 | 13 | 14+ | Died in prison | Known as "The Yorkshire Ripper"; murdered women aroundWest Yorkshire and Manchester; the manhunt for him was one of the most extensive and expensive in British history | [59] |
| Walters, Annie | 1900–1902 | 20 | 20+ | Executed in 1903 | Together with accompliceAmelia Sach, known as "TheFinchley Baby Farmers"; murdered infants placed in their care | [60] |
| West, Fred | 1967–1987 | 12 | 13+ | Committed suicide before trial | Together with his wifeRose, known as "The House of Horrors Murderers"; tortured and murdered teenage girls and young women aroundGloucestershire; Fred committed some separate killings on his own | [61][unreliable source?] |
| West, Rose | 1971–1987 | 10 | 10 | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Together with her husbandFred, known as "The House of Horrors Murderers"; tortured and murdered teenage girls and young women aroundGloucestershire | [61][unreliable source?] |
| Williams, Thomas | 1830 | 3 | 3 | Executed in 1831 | Member of "The London Burkers"; together withJohn Bishop and two accomplices, formed a gang ofbody snatchers that drugged and killed victims for money | [62] |
| Wright, Steve | 2006 | 5 | 5+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order | Known as "The Suffolk Strangler";killed five women in six weeks aroundIpswich | [63] |
| Young, Graham | 1962–1971 | 3 | 3+ | Died in prison | Known as "The Teacup Poisoner"; poisoned school friends and family at age fourteen in 1961, killing his stepmother in 1962. Detained atBroadmoor Hospital. Released in 1971, he began poisoning coworkers, murdering two. His case sparked debate on the treatment of mentally-ill offenders, leading to legislation being passed | [64] |
