Son of 'Patrick Mackay's victim' says serial killer 'needs to stay locked up'

22 April 2023 , 17:04

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Victor Davies is convinced his mum Ivy died at Patrick Mackay's hands (Image: Copyright unknown)

A man who believes his mum was murdered by the twisted Devil’s ­Disciple serial killer has made an 11th hour plea to keep him behind bars.

Evil Patrick Mackay, 70, has been in jail for 47 years after being convicted of three murders – and parole chiefs will this week make a decision on his latest ­application to walk free.

But Victor Davies, who is convinced his mum Ivy also died at Mackay’s hands, said the fiend still needs to face justice for a string of unsolved killings.

The 66-year-old said: “He needs to stay locked up. I can only hope that they come to the right decision and he never sees the light of day again.”

Ivy owned a cafe (Copyright unknown)

Mackay was jailed in 1975 for strangling Isabella Griffiths, 87, and Adele Price, 89, and splitting open the head of Catholic priest Anthony Crean, 63, with an axe. The Nazi-obsessed psychopath, who dubbed himself the Devil’s Disciple, admitted eight other slayings in London, Essex and Kent before then retracting the confessions. These included the murder of cafe owner Ivy, 48, who was beaten to death in Southend, Essex, in February 1975 – while Mackay was a patient at a nearby psychiatric facility.

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Another unsolved murder Mackay initially confessed to was that of Heidi Mnilk, 17, who was stabbed and thrown off a train near New Cross, South East London, in 1973.

Mackay was quizzed at a Parole Board hearing last week after failing in previous bids. He claims he is no longer a threat to society and believes he has the backing of jail staff and psychiatrists. But Victor said: “I can’t see him admitting the other murders.

“He’s not going to come clean. You have to remember, those eight murders he admitted and then retracted, not one has been solved in the meantime. He needs to face justice for what he did.

Patrick Mackay has been behind bars since 1975 (PA)

The serial killed made a bid for parole

“People may say it was a long time ago but it still affects me now. For victim’s families, it’s still as raw as the first day.”

A source said: “The Parole Board will look beyond Mackay’s behaviour in jail, any remorse and focus on his prior criminal history. This includes the murders he was jailed for but there will be questions on other crimes. He will have to convince the panel his ‘confession’ to other murders was the ramblings of a man who was mentally ill at the time.”

Mackay, who has changed his name to David Groves, is in an open prison.

The Parole Board said: “Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”

Andy Gardner