British Male Criminals

Jack the Ripper was anl unidentified serial killer who predominantly targeted female prostitutes living and working in the ghetto of the East End of London. Since the murders were never solved, Jack the Ripper became infamous folklore in England. The murders were so cleverly done that the authorities were not even able to ascertain the killer's gender.

Ronald Kray was a British criminal involved in organized crime in the East End of London in the 1950s and 1960s. Along with his twin brother, Reggie, he ran a gang that was notorious for committing murders, armed robberies, and arson among other criminal activities. The brothers were arrested in 1968 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Blackbeard was a notorious English pirate who struck fear into the hearts of his opponents during the early 18th century. His life has inspired several video games, TV miniseries, and films. Tim Powers' novel On Stranger Tides houses a fictionalized version of Blackbeard; the novel was later adapted into a film titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

English serial killer Peter Sutcliffe was dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper as he was likened to the infamous unidentified serial killer, Jack the Ripper, by the press. Convicted of killing 13 women and injuring nine other, Peter Sutcliffe was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 2000, ITV aired a crime drama miniseries based on Peter Sutcliffe's murders titled This Is Personal.

One of history’s most infamous serial killers, Harold Shipman was a British GP who is believed to have killed over 200 patients before being nabbed by the police. He was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment for 15 murders but later committed suicide in prison. The case led to grave concerns about powers and the responsibilities of the Britain’s medical community.

Former bare knuckle boxer Charles Salvador, also known as Charles Bronson, is also a highly infamous criminal, who was once convicted for an armed robbery. Known for his violent temper, he later penned several books, one of them on fitness. He is also a talented painter and poet.

Fred West was a serial killer who derived pleasure from acts, such as voyeurism, sexual assaults, murder, and various sexual fetishes that pushed his victims beyond their sexual limits. He committed murders and sexual assaults along with his wife Rose, who worked as a prostitute at their residence. Fred committed suicide at HM Prison Birmingham in 1995.

Derek Bentley was 19 when he was hanged for murdering a policeman during a burglary attempt. An illiterate, he had the mental age of 11 and also suffered from epilepsy. The controversial case led to a 45-long battle for a posthumous pardon, which was granted, and then a reversal of the murder charge.

Henry Every was an English pirate who was active during the mid-1690s. Nicknamed The King of Pirates, Every is remembered as one of the few major pirate captains to have escaped with his loot without being killed or arrested. Despite operating as a pirate for only two years, Every caught the public's imagination and inspired others to take up piracy.

Robert Maudsley is an English serial killer currently serving life imprisonment at Wakefield Prison, England. He committed three of his four murders in prison, forcing the authorities to keep him in solitary confinement. Maudsley's case was sensationalized as it was claimed that he had eaten part of the brain of one of his victims, although the PCC refuted such claims.

Calico Jack was a British pirate captain who operated in Cuba and in the Bahamas during the early 18th century. Active towards the end of the Golden Age of Piracy, Calico Jack is best remembered for having two female pirates, including his lover Anne Bonny, as part of his crew. 

Henry Morgan was a Welsh privateer who later served as lieutenant governor of Jamaica. He is best remembered for raiding settlements on the Spanish Main. From the wealth acquired through his raids, Morgan became a plantation owner, buying three large sugar plantations in the Caribbean. His life and career inspired several films, such as Captain Blood and Morgan, the Pirate.

John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan was an English peer who disappeared on 8 November 1974 after being suspected of murder. Lucan's personal problems, gambling losses, and mounting legal expenses had a dramatic effect on his life. In 1974, the nanny of Lucan's children, Sandra Rivett, was bludgeoned to death and Lucan went missing, never to be seen again.

Charles Vane was an English pirate who was active during the dusk of the Golden Age of Piracy. Renowned for his cruelty, Vane often tortured and killed the sailors from the ships that he captured. Charles Vane and his crew have been portrayed in films and video games like Treasure of Pirate's Point and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. 

Best known as the villain Dirty Den from the BBC soap EastEnders, Leslie Grantham initially worked as a soldier with the Royal Fusiliers of the British Army. Convicted of the murder of a cab driver in Germany, he spent a decade in prison. He later attempted suicide as aftermath of a sex scandal.

John Billington was an Englishman best remembered for his voyage to the New World on the famous Mayflower. He was one of the co-creators and signers of the Mayflower Compact. John Billington murdered another white settler named John Newcomen. He was tried by a jury in September 1630 and executed at the age of 40.

Known as the Acid Bath Murderer, John George Haigh was Known for shooting or beating his victims to death and then dissolving them in sulphuric acid. To his friends, he seemed to be a wealthy man of culture. Though he initially got away with 5 murders, he was caught after his 6th murder.

Bruce Reynolds was a British criminal who was the mastermind behind the Great Train Robbery in 1963. Although he was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 1969, Reynolds was released in 1978 post which he published three books and became a popular public figure, performing alongside Alabama 3. His life and career have inspired several films and TV series.

British drug dealer Dale Cregan had started dealing in cannabis soon after high school. He was later convicted of killing 2 female police officers, the first case in the UK in which 2 female cops were killed on duty. He was also known as One Eye because of his missing left eye.

Alfred Rouse was a British murderer who killed an unknown hitchhiker after rendering him unconscious inside his car and setting the car on fire in an attempt to fake his own death. The crime was dubbed the Blazing Car Murder and the identity of the victim remains unknown. Rouse was convicted and executed for the murder of an unknown man!

John Felton was a British soldier who served as a lieutenant in the British Army. He is best remembered for assassinating George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham on 23 August 1628. Buckingham was unpopular due to his incompetence and corruption and his murder was rejoiced in England. In 1844, the murder was fictionalized in Alexandre Dumas' novel, The Three Musketeers.

Tommy Robinson is a British anti-Islam, far-right activist. The co-founder of an Islamophobic organization called the English Defence League, Robinson has been convicted on multiple counts of fraud and violence as well as other crimes. From 2017 to 2018, he also contributed as a writer for a Canadian far-right political website called Rebel News.

Jihadi John was a Kuwaiti-born British militant who is believed to have been the person seen in several ISIL videos that showcased the beheadings of numerous hostages in 2014 and 2015. In November 2015, officials from the US reported that John was hit by a drone strike and his death was confirmed in 2016 by the extremist group ISIL.

Levi Bellfield is an English sex offender, serial killer, rapist, burglar, and kidnapper. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 after he was found guilty of the murders of Amélie Delagrange and Marsha McDonnell. Levi Bellfield is currently imprisoned at HM Prison Frankland. The investigation that led to Levi Bellfield's arrest was dramatized in a TV drama titled Manhunt.

Better known as the A6 Murderer, James Hanratty was one of the last people to be executed before capital punishment was abolished. He was convicted of murdering scientist Michael Gregsten and raping and shooting Gregsten’s mistress, Valerie Storie. The controversial case led to a motion to prove his innocence.

John Christie was a British serial killer who was active during the 1940s and early-1950s. He killed at least eight people and was sentenced to death for the murder of his wife Ethel. The killings were dramatized in the 1971 film 10 Rillington Place, in which Christie was played by Richard Attenborough. Christie's murders also inspired other works of art.   

Not many suspected physician John Bodkin Adams of being a serial killer till it was revealed that his name had appeared in the wills of at least 132 of his patients who had died, while 163 died in coma. Though never convicted of the killings, he faced punishment for forgery.