12 – The murders of Colin Ireland: The Gay Slayer

As spring changed to summer in London 1993, a man stalked his prey at the Coleherne Pub in Earls Court. He targeted gay men, particularly those interested in BDSM, as he knew that they were a vulnerable group with poor relations with the policing authorities. Colin Ireland tricked 5 men into taking him back to their homes, where he brutally attacked them. He then waited to hear about his crimes in the paper. Because Colin Ireland killed for no other reason than his desire to make something of himself. His journey for fame and notoriety, to make a mark, cost 5 lives and terrorised the London Gay scene. This is the story of the Gay Slayer.

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Sources:

Molly Rose Pike, “Jobless divorcee dubbed the ‘gay slayer’ made a New Year’s resolution to become a famous SERIAL KILLER (and used true crime books as a how-to guide), TV documentary reveals” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5070423/Colin-Ireland-serial-killer-gay-men-famous.html 13 November 2017

Emily Allen, “’Gay slayer’ Colin Ireland who tortured homosexual men to death dies in jail” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104572/Serial-killer-Colin-Ireland-tortured-gay-men-death-dies-jail.html 22 February 2012

Carey Latimore “Colin Ireland Infamous Murders: Crimes of Prejudice” from CrimeandInvestigation.co.uk, as referneced on http://murderpedia.org/male.I/i/ireland-colin.htm (last accessed 22 February 2018)

Mark Pulman, “The Gay Slayer” http://www.crimemagazine.com/gay-slayer (last accessed 22 Feb 2018) 12 August 2013

R v Brown [1993] UKHL 19, [1994] 1 AC 212

Lawrence v. Texas 539 U.S. 558 [2003]

NewNowNext Staff, “Tom Cruise Was Nearly Murdered By A Serial Killer Targeting Gay Men”

http://www.newnownext.com/tom-cruise-was-nearly-murdered-by-gay-slayer-in-1993-national-enquirer/12/2014/ 12 December 2014

Fergus Mason, The Gay Slayer: The Life of Colin Ireland Serial Killer (Absolute Crime Books, 2014)