25 prisoners serving whole life sentences

Straffen was convicted of murdering two young girls in 1951. The following year, he escaped and was convicted of murdering another girl during his short time on the run. He died, aged 77, in November 2007. For the last five years of his life, he was the oldest prisoner known to be serving a whole life sentence, following the death of Archibald Hall.

One of the Moors Murderers, Brady was convicted in May 1966 for the murders of three children between 1963 and 1965. He was convicted just six months after the abolition of the death penalty in Britain. The judge said it was unlikely that Brady would ever be rehabilitated and be considered for parole.

The other of the Moors Murderers, Hindley was convicted of two of three murders, and of being an accessory in the third murder. Hindley's trial judge recommended she should serve at least 25 years in prison, which was endorsed in 1982 by the Lord Chief Justice, but her tariff was increased to 30 years in 1988 and, finally, to a whole life tariff two years later, although she was not informed of the whole life tariff until 1994. She died in pirson at the age of 60 in November 2002, less than two weeks before a law lords' ruling could have secured her freedom.

Nicknamed, the Black Panther, Nielson shot dead three postmasters during robberies before abducting a 17-year-old girl. He asked for a ransom, but her body was found two months later in a drain in Staffordshire. In 2008, Neilson lost an appeal to have his sentence reduced to 30 years. He remained in prison until his death in 2011, having served 35 years.

Trevor Hardy murdered three teenage girls between December 1974 and March 1976. During the hunt for the serial killer, 23,000 people were stopped and searched. Despite the alibi provided by his girlfriend, Hardy was found guilty of the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment. He remained in prison until his death 36 years later, by which time he was one of the longest serving prisoners in Britain.

Maudsley, known as 'Hannibal the Cannibal', is a serial killer who killed four people. Three of these murders were commited in prison after receiving a life sentence for a single murder in the mid 1970s. He was alleged to have eaten part of the brain of one of three men he killed in prison. He has served most of his sentence in solitary confinement to stop him from attacking any more inmates.

Hall AKA The Monster Butler AKA Roy Fontaine was a Glaswegian trickster who murdered his victims whilst serving members of the British aristocracy as a butler. After police found the body of Hall's half-brother in the boot of his car, plus burial sites for three more murders. Hall received four life sentences, with one judge recommending that Hall should never be freed. He died of a stroke in 2002, while still in prison at the age of 78.

Childs was a 'killer for hire' who was convicted of the murder of six people in the 1970s. He implicated two others and they were convicted in 1980, but were released on appeal in 2003 after his evidence was questioned.

Nilsen, a former police officer, murdered and dismembered 15 men at his homes in North London. He was arrested when workmen investigating a blocked drain, found human flesh. The judge at Nilsen's trial recommended a 25-year minimum sentence, but successive Home Secretaries decided that he should never be released from prison.

In 1983 Hutchinson raided a wedding reception in Sheffield just after the couple had left, stabbing to death the bride's father, mother and brother, and raping her sister. On the run for a previous rape charge, Hutchinson was identified by a handprint on a champagne bottle and a bitemark in a piece of cheese. Convicted in 1984, he was sentenced to life imprisonment but remains in prison more than 30 years later, having been issued with a whole life tariff by at least one Home Secretary.

In 1985 Bamber shot dead his adoptive parents along with his sister, and twin nephews, at the family's home in Essex, in order to claim a six figure inheritance. He tried to fool police into thinking his schizophrenic sister had commited the murders but this was unsuccessful and Bamber was charged with five murders.

His trial judge told Bamber that he found the idea of ever seeing Bamber free again "difficult to foresee", and advised that he should serve at least 25 years. At least one Home Secretary has told him that his life sentence would mean life.

Duffy attacked numerous women in the south of England, murdering three of them, before psychological profiling helped police to catch him. Sentenced to 30 years two murders and seven rapes, after 12 years in prison, Duffy admitted to a third murder and named David Mulcahy as his accomplice.

Ireland, known as 'The Gay Slayer', became a serial killer as a New Year's resolution, torturing and killing men he had met at a pub frequented by gay men. He was eventually caught when his fingerprint was found in one of the men's home. He confessed to the other murders whilst in custody. His sentence was never publicised but Ireland remained in prison for nearly 20 years where he died on 21 February 2012, aged 57.

Black abducted and killed four girls aged 5-11 between 1982 and 1986, dumping their bodies hundreds of miles from their homes. He was already serving a life sentence for previous attempted abduction when he was convicted of the murders. The trial judge recommended a minimum term of 35 years and he was later given a whole life tariff by the home secretary. He died in jail in Northern Ireland on 12th January 2016.

West was convicted for the murder of ten women at her home in Gloucester, including her own daughter and step-daughter. Her husband, Fred West, committed suicide in prison before his trial. West is one of only two women serving a whole life sentence.

Shipman, a former GP is thought to have killed over 200 of his female patients at his surgery in Manchester. He was convicted for 15 of these murders, after the daughter of his final victim found that Shipman had forged her monther's will. Shipman was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2000, with the trial judge recommending that he should never be released. He never confessed to the murders and hung himself in his prison cell on 13th January 2004.

Bellfield attacked 3 young women in London and Surrey between February 2003 and August 2004, killing two of them and seriously injuring the third. One of his victims was teenager Milly Dowler, whose body was found in Hampshire in September 2002. Bellfield was found guilty of her murder in June 2011. The judge in this case sentenced Bellfield to life in prison with the recommendation that life should mean life.

Tobin is currently serving three life sentences with a whole life order, at HM Prison Edinburgh for three murders committed between 1991 and 2006.
In 2007 he was convicted for the rape and murder of Angelika Kluk in Glasgow in 2006. Remains of two other young women, Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol, who went missing in 1991, were subsequently found at his former home in Margate, Kent.

Sutcliffe, known as 'The Yorkshire Ripper', murdered 13 women and attacked seven others between 1975 and 1980. He made a full confession in January 1981 after being arrested for having false number plates on his car. A whole life tariff was imposed by the High Court on 16 July 2010.

Bridger was found guilty on 30 May 2013 of the murder of five-year old April Jones, in Machynlleth, Wales. He claimed he accidentally ran her over with his car and that he could not remember where he had hidden her body. Although April's body has never been found, police found bone fragments and blood in Bridger's house that matched April's DNA.

Cregan was found guilty of the murders of two Manchester police officers, Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone, and a gun and grenade attack on 18 September 2012. He received a whole life prison term on 13 June 2013.

On 22 May 2013, British soldier, Lee Rigby was attacked and killed by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale near his barracks in Woolwich. On 26 February 2014, after the High Court ruled that whole life sentences were still lawful, provided they were reviewed after 25 years, Adebolajo was sentenced to a whole life term. Adebowale received a 45-year minimum term.

Dennehy was convicted of murdering three men in 2013. Sentencing was delayed until 28 February 2014, when she was jailed with a whole life tariff, making her one of only three women to ever be handed a whole life sentence.

Griffiths, known as the Crossbow Cannibal, was convicted of murdering three women in Bradford in 2010, including one murder that involved the use of a crossbow. He dismembered his victims before dumping their remains in the River Aire. He claimed to have also eaten parts of his victims but this has never been proven.

In 2012, Halliwell was sentence to life in prison for the murder of Sian O'Callaghan, after he picked her up from a nightclub before stabbing her to death. After his arrest he also confessed to the murder of Becky Godden who had been missing since 2003. Due to the investigating officer failing to caution Halliwell before the confession, this charge had to be dropped. Four years later, new evidence allowed Halliwell to be tried for Becky's murder and on 23rd September 2016 he was handed a whole life sentence.