If you were abroad and a local from said country asked you who is the most well known serial killer in the UK...Who comes to mind first?

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Suspicious_Tea_7091@reddit

Yorkshire ripper. Think it’s probs because I’m from Leeds and my mum was 21 at the time and tells me story’s all time. Very fascinating

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LittleSadRufus@reddit

My first thought too, the cannibalistic activity and fact he was just nestled in a flat in suburbia is horrifying. But I suspect younger generations are less familiar with him now.

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SlanderousIntent@reddit

He always denied being a cannibal, or feeding human remains to his dog.

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PiercedX123@reddit

Maybe it’s my age, but Des didn’t come in my top five

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imtheorangeycenter@reddit

I realised as soon as I typed, and that was a couple of days after pointing out that Hercule Poirot wasn't a real person in a similar list. Shame on Me!

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minisrugbycoach@reddit

Having unfortunately lived in Ipswich at the time. Steve Wright. Though how you go from the UKs most loved DJ to becoming a serial killer, ill never know.

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evenstevens280@reddit

Shipman immediately came to mind But Jack the Ripper is probably the answer

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TroublesZoo@reddit

See, it's always slightly annoyed me that there's a wiki page about serial killers by most victims and it doesn't include Shipman because he was a medical professional who "killed in plain sight".

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Ok_Aioli3897@reddit

It's because he doesn't have a verified number

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It's not becauae of that, the table has columns for both legally proven and estimated victim counts, but it specifically says it doesn't count medical professionals like Shipman who were able to kill without suspicion.

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glasgowgeg@reddit

"It excludes medical professionals and pseudo-medical professionals with their ability to kill simply and in plain sight, and serial killer groups and couples. **Murderers falling into these two categories are listed separately further down**" There is still a list that includes medical professionals, and Shipman is listed.

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Jpmoz999@reddit

Sir Roger Bannister…because I’d be gettin’ out o’ there.

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imnotabotimafreeman@reddit

my mate was a deadringer for peter sutcliffe

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Kapika96@reddit

Jack the ripper.

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Wooden_Astronaut4668@reddit

Fred West Peter Sutcliffe

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Fattydog@reddit

Fred AND Rose West. She was just as bad.

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UnacceptableUse@reddit

Fred West is probably more well known though.

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smellyfeet25@reddit

About equal i would say

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Bunister@reddit

She was worse!

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smellyfeet25@reddit

AND his wife Rose West. DR Harold Shipman is another and Peter Sutcliffe

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I_am_notagoose@reddit

Harold Shipman

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approachingxinfinity@reddit

It was in the hundreds Griff!

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wordsfromlee@reddit

Jack the Ripper

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PickaxeJunky@reddit

All day long!

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opitypang@reddit

Answering this question from a local in their country isn't the same as answering it here. If I told a foreigner "Harold Shipman" they might not have heard of him. If I said "Jack the Ripper" they probably would.

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highrouleur@reddit

Moors murderers

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Dimac99@reddit

Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were the first to spring to mind for me.

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AeloraTargaryen@reddit

Fred West. But I also live in Gloucester so it’s like ingrained in me.

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_Daftest_@reddit

Jack the Ripper

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Mr_Bumcrest@reddit

Jack the Ripper

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TroublesZoo@reddit

Harold Shipman was my first thought. Though I suppose, globally, Jack The Ripper is probably one of the most famous.

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Head_Personality7626@reddit

It was actually solved, I can't remember the identity but it's Googleable, it came down to one of his victims locations being very close to where he operated from, and the fact he only operated in a small area of London at the time

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TroublesZoo@reddit

It is not proven. A Polish man called Aaron Kosminski was put forward as Jack The Ripper from disputed partial DNA evidence a few years ago, but it is disputed that the DNA in question (from a shawl of a victim) was definitely that if the person that killed her. It effectively can never be solved with current technology because he don't have a definitive DNA sample to start from that definitely belongs to the killer.

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Head_Personality7626@reddit

Another day clawed back *wipes brow*

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OllyDee@reddit

Noel Edmonds.

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limelee666@reddit

Shipman.

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hoody13@reddit

Jack the Ripper probably. If they were talking more recent then Harold Shipman

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WaxCatt@reddit

Jack the Ripper, probably because he is very well-known.

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Figgzyvan@reddit

Henry xiii

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thescx@reddit

Tony Blair

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bigmoxy@reddit

Lucy Letby

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Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

Dennis Neilson

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dbxp@reddit

I would think they're a serial killer wanting to network

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fatfreeyoghurt@reddit

Fred West

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Unemployable-Sunfish@reddit

No offence but I never understand these questions, why not just ask "Who is the most well known serial killer in the UK in your opinion?"?

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kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit

Because they are not the same question. Shipman is the first name that sprung to mind for me (which is what the OP was asking) but the actual most famous? Jack D. Ripper, not question.

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DeadBallDescendant@reddit

Innit. "if your house was on fire and you could only save three Beatles albums and take them to a desert island...etc etc...

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FinalBv@reddit (OP)

Because that would lead into a debate, I am wanting to know who the person off the top of your head would be answering someone with little knowledge of UK serial killers.

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MountainMuffin1980@reddit

Harold Shipman came to mind first. I supposed In terms of global recognition it is Jack the Ripper but I dunno if it really counts because he was never caught and noone knows who he was.

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Major-Feed5214@reddit

Male: Jack the Ripper Female: Myra Hindley

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Squidlypokidoodle@reddit

My parents are from Brazil, they say Jack the ripper. The most famous Brazilian serial killer is Pedrinho Matador. He killed over 100 people.

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PsychologyValuable75@reddit

Yorkshire Ripper...real name Peter Sutcliffe

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noddyneddy@reddit

Fred west

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Broad-Attention-6133@reddit

Peter Sutcliffe

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theboywhocanfly@reddit

Fred West, I hear people mention him constantly. Although I do live locally to where he was so it may be he’s just the most talked about here specifically.

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Arbernaut@reddit

Yorkshire Ripper.

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IndividualSound5365@reddit

Yorkshire Ripper

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ARobertNotABob@reddit

Mine would be "stop even mentioning their names". They don't deserve remembering, unlike their victims. How many of those do you remember?

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St0rmStrider@reddit

I’d say Jack the Ripper and then the Yorkshire Ripper. That might be more to do with my age though.

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Utilitarian_Proxy@reddit

Bloody Mary

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Fragrant-Attorney-73@reddit

In certain parts of the world they’d be thinking Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, Tony Blair etc

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geniusgravity@reddit

There's always one.

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Fragrant-Attorney-73@reddit

Taking off for the team

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Euphoric_Second9464@reddit

Probably that nurse now as it's recent

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snakeoildriller@reddit

Shipman, Reginald Christie...

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nothingnew09876@reddit

Tony Blair

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UrbanxHermit@reddit

Peter Sutcliffe, The Yorkshire Ripper.

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bahumat42@reddit

It's jack the ripper. He is the inspiration for so much fiction at this point.

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SCr3bl0rd@reddit

fred n rose, sutcliffe and shipman.

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yorkshireknobhead@reddit

Peter Sucliffe

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speccybob@reddit

Well known worldwide probably Jack the Ripper. Ask in the UK and it'd probably be Shipman.

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LimitTricky1452@reddit

Harold shipman

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Mission_Cow_6742@reddit

Jack the Ripper

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Strong-Librarian-OOK@reddit

Probably Myra Hindley

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Zealousideal-Low3388@reddit

Jack the Ripper

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