STABBED 22 times and left to decompose in bleached water, the so-called ‘Angel of Mercy’ spared his vulnerable victims no dignity – even after their deaths.
The serial killer, later unmasked as Andrew Dawson, 47, butchered two elderly men he befriended in a Derbyshire block of flats in “very violent and vicious” attacks, back in 2010.
PASo-called ‘Angel of Mercy’ serial killer Andrew Dawson who savagely killed three elderly, vulnerable men[/caption]
SkyWhile on the run, he bought a ‘killing kit’, inspired by monster Raoul Moat[/caption]
SkyShortly after the killing, he took his kids on a day out[/caption]
Inspired by sawn-off shotgun murderer Raoul Moat, who led police on a six-day manhunt just weeks earlier, he then went on the run armed with a “killing kit” of knives, camping equipment and a fishing rod.
Dawson was apprehended within days and it was arrogance that led police to him through a series of clues – including a rose left on his first victim’s pillow, bloodied water residue and the imprint of a twisted letter to police on a notepad in his flat.
In the missive, which was never sent, he dubbed himself “(TH)e Angel (OF) MERCY”, labelled the flower “a nice touch” and revealed he had killed but would only reveal the address if the body wasn’t found within a week.
The crimes of Dawson, who was handed a whole life order in 2011, are being reanalysed in True Crime Presents: Tracking A Serial Killer on ITV tomorrow, which reveals how his troubled childhood sniffing glue at 13 progressed to mass murder.
There were multiple warning signs about the ‘Angel of Mercy’ before his “very violent and vicious” second killing spree and he had been recalled to prison three times after being released on licence in 1999.
His first murder occurred in 1981 when he was 18 years old. Dawson broke into a hardware shop owned by Henry Walsh, 91, in Lancashire, tied him up, stabbed him a dozen times with a bread knife and stole his pension book.
Dawson had been raised in a “poor but not impoverished home” and was regularly in trouble with the law from the age of 13 when he started sniffing glue. Later he progressed onto cannabis and other drugs.
His brother Malcolm “wasn’t surprised” by the 2010 attacks noting his sibling, one of six, had “always been a violent man”, adding: “He was an evil psychopath and it was only a matter of time before he killed again.”
Even in prison, Dawson was “no shrinking violet”, allegedly branding serial killers Peter Sutcliffe, known as ‘The Yorkshire Ripper’, and Dennis Nilson, a necrophiliac, “wimps” and claiming to be “a better man”.
But in 2010, 11 years after his release on licence, the 47-year-old moved to a block of council flats for “single, vulnerable men”, on on Waterford Drive, following the breakdown of the relationship with the mum of his two kids.
In prison, Dawson said serial killers Dennis Nilsen (left) and Peter Sutcliffe (right) were ‘wimps’
SkyJohn David Matthews was stabbed 18 times by Dawson[/caption]
Two weeks after moving there, Dawson killed kitchen porter John David Matthews, 66, known as ‘Grandad’ to colleagues, after the elderly man allowed him to use his washing machine.
He stabbed him 18 times before astonishingly taking his children on a day out.
The next day Dawson cleaned the flat “to destroy evidence” and put the body in a bathtub filled with bleach – but not before an unusual act.
Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) Paul Callum explained he “redressed him” and “we believed he lay down on the bed in Mr Matthews’ flat and put a rose next to him”.
It took days for John’s body to be found. Authorities were only alerted when he didn’t show up for work and they forced entry after spotting flies by his window.
SkyThe first crime scene was ‘ridiculously clean’ but it was a different story with the second[/caption]
BPMDawson murdered two neighbours in the same flat[/caption]
‘Sinister discovery’
At the flats, police bumped into a dishevelled man, who claimed not to know where his neighbour John was, returned to his flat and quickly left the scene. Unknown to them, it was Dawson.
Cops were unaware they were looking at a murder at that point due to the victim’s body having swelled up so much in the water, masking knife wounds. Shockingly, there was another twist.
This is no hoax if you don’t find him in a week I will give you his address. The pink rose was a nice touch. Yours (TH)e Angel (OF) MERCY.
Andrew Dawson’s taunt to police
SIO Callum said: “When the officers attended on the Sunday to find Mr Matthews, we think that Dawson was upstairs murdering or having just murdered Paul Hancock.”
This would explain the frantic nature of his quick departure from the flats and the mass of evidence at the second crime scene, found days later in what was said to be a “sinister discovery”.
Unlike the first, where it was clear efforts were made to destroy evidence, it was as if “the cleaning up of the flat has been abandoned midway through”.
Paul Hancock, 58, was found in a bathtub “full of sludgy water”, bleach, discarded clothes, inside-out marigolds and the tip of a broken knife.
SIO Callum said this crime scene was “very rushed, untidy and with lots of blood spatter over the lounge”, unlike the home of first victim John, which was “ridiculously clean”. It would ultimately lead to Dawson’s conviction.
SkyOn a pillow in John’s bed, there was a pink rose that would prove important later on[/caption]
SkyCops were investigating John’s flat, while Dawson cleaned up after killing Paul Hancock on the floor above[/caption]
SkyDawson moments before jumping into the sea to escape police[/caption]
‘Killing kit’
Meanwhile, the killer had gone on the run. Police tracked his 200-mile journey north from Derby to White Haven, Cumbria, through his card payments, train tickets and CCTV from train stations.
Dawson was cornered on the seafront by cops but managed to shake them off and jump into the sea in a bid to escape. Officers reportedly “had to taser him” to get him into custody.
On his persons, cops found a “killing kit” – six knives, camping supplies and a fishing rod.
It’s believed he was inspired by murderer Raoul Moat, who led police on a six-day manhunt just weeks earlier, after killing one with a sawn-off shotgun and wounding two others.
He had hidden in storm tunnels and camped in nearby woods before taking his own life after a tense six-hour standoff with police.
SIO Callum said: “We wondered if he was trying to emulate this person in hiding from the police because he had this rucksack full of camping equipment and the knives.”
Who are the UK’s worst serial killers?
THE UK’s most prolific serial killer was actually a doctor.
Here’s a rundown of the worst offenders in the UK.
British GP Harold Shipman is one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history. He was found guilty of murdering 15 patients in 2000, but the Shipman Inquiry examined his crimes and identified 218 victims, 80 per cent of whom were elderly women.
After his death Jonathan Balls was accused of poisoning at least 22 people between 1824 and 1845.
Mary Ann Cotton is suspected of murdering up to 21 people, including husbands, lovers and children. She is Britain’s most prolific female serial killer. Her crimes were committed between 1852 and 1872, and she was hanged in March 1873.
Amelia Sach and Annie Walters became known as the Finchley Baby Farmers after killing at least 20 babies between 1900 and 1902. The pair became the first women to be hanged at Holloway Prison on February 3, 1903.
William Burke and William Hare killed 16 people and sold their bodies.
Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was found guilty in 1981 of murdering 13 women and attempting to kill seven others between 1975 and 1980.
Dennis Nilsen was caged for life in 1983 after murdering up to 15 men when he picked them up from the streets. He was found guilty of six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to life in jail.
Fred West was found guilty of killing 12 but it’s believed he was responsible for many more deaths.
In custody, the killer initially answered police questions before taking an “unusual stance”, according to Detective Constable John Flint.
He recalled: “Dawson turned his back on the investigating officer and refused to make eye contact… all nine interviewees were conducted in this fashion, which is a strange, unusual stance to take.”
What would lead to Dawson’s undoing was thorough work from the forensic team, who hired separate groups of crime scene investigators to ensure there was no cross-contamination.
They seized “several thousands exhibits” for analysis including footprint marks, taps, u-bends plumbing pipes and bedding from the two victim’s and Dawson’s flats, which uncovered a lot.
They also found the tip of a marigold that had snapped off and fell on the floor as Dawson rushed to chuck the gloves inside the bleach filled bath in his second target home.
Inside was the killer’s DNA. Additionally, they unearthed a fingerpint on a giant bottle of bleach and dried water residue, containing particles of blood, from where Dawson laid his bleached shoes to dry.
‘Angel of Mercy’
At Dawson’s flat they found some clothes and a notepad, which suspiciously had several pages torn out.
Using an electrostatic document analyser, they could read what had been written using indentations on the paper. It was a confession that Dawson penned and then had “thrown away”.
SkyIndents on Dawson’s notepad uncovered a confession note, signed by the ‘Angel of Mercy’[/caption]
SkyIn a rush to escape Paul’s flat he left his cleaning supplies[/caption]
SkyDawson also hadn’t noticed part of a marigold glove that contained his DNA[/caption]
It read: “To the head of homicide, I want to confess to a murder. I stabbed a man to death. A man lies in a bath of water, two major wounds to his left side – one, maybe two, to his chest, one to his back, one to the base of his neck.
“This is no hoax if you don’t find him in a week I will give you his address. The pink rose was a nice touch. Yours (TH)e Angel (OF) MERCY. (sic)”
SIO Callum said: “This was an unbelievable breakthrough the notepad was a confession and talked about the murder and talked about the rose being on a bed.”
It formed part of “overwhelming evidence” against Dawson, who changed his plea to guilty in court – where he was described as looking “passive”, “really bored” and “really fed up”.
In 2011, Dawson was sentenced to a whole life order, meaning he will never be freed, much to the relief of SIO Callum who said he had “no doubt he would have committed more murders”.
Dawson’s now among 70 with that utmost punishment, including baby serial killer Lucy Letby, Milly Dowler murderer Levi Bellfield, House of Horrors monster Rose West and police officer Wayne Couzens, who kidnapped, raped and butchered Sarah Everard.
Now rotting in jail for the rest of his life, few will shed a tear for Dawson. Even his own family have branded him an “evil psychopath” and it seems the killer knew his time was finally up too.
While on the run Dawson visited one of his siblings to tell him: “I think I’m going to go away for a long time.” Thankfully, the monster’s predictions were right.
Watch True Crime Presents: Tracking A Serial Killer at 9pm Tuesday on ITV1. You can stream the whole series on ITVX, where it’s called Murder: First on Scene.
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