08 October 2023 , 08:00
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One of Britain's most notorious female serial killers today attempted to take her first steps towards freedom by applying to be moved from her secure mental health unit into a regular prison. Beverley Allitt was jailed in 1993 for killing four children, attempting to murder three others and causing grievous bodily harm to a further six during a harrowing crime spree.
Over a period of two months in 1991, the evil killer attacked babies and children more than 36 times while working on the children's ward at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire, where she injected syringes full of insulin or potassium chloride into her victims, sparking lethal hypoglycaemia or cardiac arrest.
Killer nurse Beverly Allitt was sentenced in 1993 to 13 life sentences for murdering and attacking children (PA)
Beverly Allitt pictured at home with a young baby (Brian Bould / Rex Features)Suspicions were raised when records revealed missing nursing logs, and investigators concluded that she was the only nurse on shift during every single incident. In May 1993, Allitt received thirteen life sentences and was told by a judge that it was unlikely she would ever be released.
Although she became eligible for parole in November 2021 she remains at the secure mental health unit. Her victims' families have called for her to be locked up for life. Steve Gibson's five-year-old son and David Crampton's five-month-old baby were attacked by Allitt but thankfully survived. David, 68, said: "If it was down to me, I would not want to see her ever released." Meanwhile, Steve, 66, compared Allitt to Moors murderer Myra Hindley and said she should "stay in custody until she dies."
So what does her life behind bars look like?
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'Vampire' husband
Allitt was in a relationship with Tracy Jobson while the attacks at Grantham Hospital were under investigation. After being jailed, she met fellow convict Mark Heggie at Rampton Hospital. Former slaughterhouse worker Heggie was branded a "vampire" after the attempted murder of 63-year-old Alison Da Costa in her London home.
A jury at his trial was told he battered the pensioner with a bottle before drinking her blood following a booze binge. Reports claim they bonded during discos and bingo sessions. In 2001, Allitt and Heggie reportedly married at the psychiatric hospital's St Francis Chapel. Officials at Rampton, which houses some of Britain's most notorious killers, refused to comment on the couple's wedding plans. A spokesman said: "Relationships do develop between patients."
Sepsis battle
In 2018, Allitt was rushed from Rampton high-security hospital to Bassetlaw hospital in Worksop, Notts, in a serious condition. At the time, a source told The Sun: "There are genuine concerns as to whether she'll pull through."
Sepsis, also known as septicemia, is a condition that causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissue and organs as it attempts to fight infection.
£10,000 inheritance
Last December, Allitt was left a £10,000 trust fund inheritance. The twisted nurse - who has served more than 30 years for killing four kids under her care in 1991 – could access the cash if she is freed.
Allitt was left £10,000 by her late father (REX/Shutterstock)
It is not known if Allitt can access the money (PA)Documents show that Allitt’s father Richard, 78, set up a £10,000 trust fund before he died in August 2022. He bequeathed a £300,000 estate to his family when he died of a heart attack at home in Corby Glen, near Grantham. But he made special provisions for a £10,000 trust fund for his killer daughter.
It is unclear if Allitt will have access to the cash while she is still in jail. But in his will, Richard wrote: "While my daughter Beverley Gail Allitt is still alive, I want you to treat her as the main beneficiary of the trust so that if she needs money or wishes to receive money that she can do so as easily as possible."
In 1993, as Allitt awaited sentence, Richard said he believed his daughter was innocent and that he would be asking his solicitors to appeal her convictions.
He said: "We have always had complete trust in her and still do." Mr Allitt, whose wife Lilian died in 2019, said: "We believe Beverley is innocent because we do not think she had it in her to do the things they say she did.
"She has always looked after babies in the village and lots of parents have trusted her with their children. They thought she was marvellous."
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Why is she in a psychiatric hospital?
Allitt murdered seven-week-old Liam Taylor, 11-year-old Timothy Hardwick, two-month-old Becky Phillips and 15-month-old Claire Peck.
She has been serving her prison sentence at Rampton Secure Hospital since 1993 after psychiatrists diagnosed her with Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, a condition where a caregiver harms those in their charge to receive attention.
She was given a minimum of 30 years but was sent to Rampton after medics ruled she was a risk to herself.