12 February 2024 , 16:47
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HMP Wakefield is home to some of the country's most depraved criminals, including 'Hannibal the Cannibal' and a paedophile rockstar.
The prison, dubbed 'Monster Mansion' after its Category A sex offenders and killers, is located in West Yorkshire and has around 750 inmates. One of its most notorious prisoners, evil child killer Roy Whiting, has reportedly been attacked behind bars, the Mirror exclusively revealed today.
The paedophile, caged for life in 2002 for murdering eight-year-old Sarah Payne, was repeatedly stabbed inside Wakefield over the weekend, it's claimed. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. A source said: "Whiting is hated in prison. He was stabbed and was covered in blood. They were trying to kill him."
Other infamous inmates at the jail include 'Britain's most dangerous killer' Robert Maudsley, mass murderer Jeremy Bamber, and serial killer 'Dr Death' Harold Shipman. Here, we take a look at Wakefield's sinister criminals and their time spent behind bars...
Robert Maudsley
Robert Maudsley spends all of his time alone, entombed in a glass box deep in the bowels of the prison (Unknown)Robert Maudsley has killed four people, with one of the killings taking place in a psychiatric hospital and three in prison after receiving a life sentence for murder. Maudsley - dubbed Hannibal the Cannibal - has been in jail since the age of 21, after he was found guilty of murdering convicted child molester John Farrell, aged 30, in 1974.
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He surrendered himself to police and was later sent to Broadmoor Hospital after being deemed unable to stand trial. While under psychiatric care, Maudsley and another patient, David Cheeseman, tortured a third patient to death over a period of nine hours. Maudsley was convicted of manslaughter and sent to Wakefield Prison.
In 1978, Maudsley killed two fellow prisoners at Wakefield Prison in one day. After stabbing two inmates to death, Maudsley is said to have calmly walked into the wing office and told guards there would be 'two short' on the next roll call.
Last year, the twisted triple murderer set a new world record for the most days spent in solitary confinement. The specially-built cell, where he is kept at Wakefield, is said to be 18ft by 15ft - which is slightly bigger than average - and has a concrete slab for a bed.
Maudsley is now deemed to be so dangerous that he is no longer allowed to associate with other prisoners or even guards, and spends all of his time alone, entombed in a glass box deep in the bowels of the prison. He will never again be a free man and instead remains in the tiny see-through room that has been his home for decades.
Jeremy Bamber
Jeremy Bamber is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole (PA)
HMP Wakefield is home to some of the UK's worst murderers (Crown copyright)Jeremy Bamber is serving life with no chance of parole after he was convicted of the White House farm murders - a desperate attempt to steal a large inheritance and blame his schizophrenic 28-year-old sister. He killed his adoptive parents, sister, and nephews in the 1985 massacre.
The now 63-year-old has tried repeatedly to have his conviction overturned. As of this year, Bamber has spent 39 years behind bars making him one of the longest-serving prisoners in the UK.
Roy Whiting
Roy Whiting was found guilty of the abduction and murder of seven-year-old Sarah Payne in July 2000. Ineligible for parole until 2051, Whiting has been the target of a number of revenge attacks while inside HMP Wakefield.
In 2002, he was attacked with a razor while fetching hot water. Then in 2004, murderer Rickie Tregaskis slashed Whiting and left him with a six-inch scar across his right cheek, adding a further six years to his sentence.
In July 2011 Whiting was attacked again after being stabbed in the eye but decided not to press charges. He was attacked for a fourth time in 2018 when he was stabbed by two other prisoners and taken to hospital for treatment.
Paedophile Roy Whiting has been attacked multiple times in prison (PA)
Harold Shipman was found hanging dead in his cell in Wakefield on January 13, 2004 (Getty Images)Harold Shipman
British doctor Harold Shipman is thought to be one of the most prolific serial killers of all time. Before his suicide, the man dubbed 'Dr Death' had been convicted of murdering 15 patients but was thought to have killed far more.
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He is suspected to have killed as many as 250 people, and would kill elderly patients by either lethally injecting them with a drug, or prescribing abnormal amounts. He died at Wakefield on January 13, 2004.
Reynhard Sinaga
Reynhard Sinaga, 36, lured drunk men back to his apartment before poisoning and raping them (MEN Media)Reynhard Sinaga, an Indonesian PhD student at Leeds University, would lure victims to his flat before sedating and raping them - then taking to WhatsApp to boast about his actions. Known as 'Britain's worst rapist', he was sent to Wakefield in 2020 after sexually assaulting up to 200 men - including 136 rapes of young men committed in Manchester between 2015 and 2017.
Ian Watkins
Paedophile and disgraced Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins is serving 29 years behind bars after pleading guilty to 13 sex offences, including two of attempting to rape a baby.
After being caught with a mobile phone behind bars in 2019, Watkins told a court that he was locked up with "murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers". "The worst of the worst," he told the judge, before another 10 months were added to his sentence for the rule break.
In August 2023, the Mirror revealed that Watkins was fighting for his life after three inmates held him hostage at Wakefield. Officers had to wait for an armed 'Tornado' team of specially trained riot officers to break up the situation with grenades. It was claimed that the former musician suffered from stab wounds and beatings.
A Channel 5 documentary, HMP Wakefield: Evil Behind Bars, heard how sex offenders were considered the "lowest form of life" in the prison. They aren't segregated at Wakefield, and one contributor to the programme referred to the inmates as the "dregs of society".
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson, regarded as the country's 'most violent prisoner' has also enjoyed a spate of time at Wakefield. Bronson, who was born under the name Michael Peterson, was convicted of armed robbery in 1974 and gone on to spend most of his life behind bars.
Britain's 'most violent prisoner' Charles Bronson has served time in Wakefield (REX/Shutterstock)
Caretaker Ian Huntley was attacked with boiling water in Wakefield in 2005 (PA)Ian Huntley
Ian Huntley's crimes shocked the nation when he was found guilty of murdering 10-year-old school girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, in 2003. He was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment, with the High Court later imposing a minimum term of 40 years.
Huntley, who will not be considered for release until 2042 at the earliest, now resides in HMP Frankland, in Durham. The murderer is at constant risk of attack from other prisoners and has had a string of health problems and suicide attempts behind bars.
In 2005, while in Wakefield, Huntley was scalded with boiling water by convicted spree killer Mark Hobson. Two years after being transferred to HMP Frankland in 2008, Huntley had his neck slashed by convicted armed robber Damien Fowkes and received hospital treatment.