Britain’s longest-serving prisoner has spoken publicly for the first time in almost 50 years, revealing the extraordinary reality of spending decades behind bars — and admitting he still believes he could kill again.

Robert Maudsley, now 73, has spent 52 years in custody and almost 47 years in segregation or solitary confinement. Speaking from his cell at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire, the convicted quadruple killer described a life defined by extreme isolation, prison restrictions and a determination to remain behind bars for the rest of his life.

Maudsley became one of Britain’s most notorious prisoners after killing four men, including three fellow inmates. His case has repeatedly been compared with the fictional Hannibal Lecter, leading to the infamous nickname “Hannibal the Cannibal”. However, the claim that he ate one victim’s brain was later disproved by a post-mortem examination.

Now, in a wide-ranging hour-long interview, Maudsley has opened up about his childhood, his violent past, his years in solitary confinement and the first relationship in which he says he has ever experienced love.

“I COULD KILL AGAIN”

Despite spending more than five decades in prison, Maudsley gave a disturbing assessment of what might happen if he encountered someone who had sexually abused him.

He said he still has the potential to become violent again, although he believes therapy could help him control those impulses.

He also recalled experiencing intense anger towards his parents after returning to Liverpool, describing how he had once imagined killing them before turning those thoughts against himself.

Maudsley said his father had abused him during childhood and had locked him in a cupboard beneath the stairs. He said his family used nicknames for his parents rather than calling them “mother” and “father”.

His prison psychologist, Dr Bob Johnson, who also spoke to the Mirror, said Maudsley’s childhood experiences had played an important role in understanding his behaviour.

A LIFE SPENT ALMOST ENTIRELY BEHIND BARS

Maudsley was first sent to Broadmoor in 1974 after being convicted of manslaughter following the killing of child sex offender John Farrell.

Two years later, he killed another convicted child molester at the high-security psychiatric hospital.

He was subsequently transferred to Wakefield Prison, where he murdered two fellow inmates in 1977. Both victims were described as child sex offenders.

After those killings, Maudsley was considered such a serious threat that extraordinary security measures were introduced around him.

At one point, prison barbers refused to enter his cell. A Perspex barrier was installed to prevent him from throwing objects or liquids at guards, while officers had to cut his toenails through a small opening beneath the cell door.

He recalled deliberately growing his hair and beard for more than a year, saying he behaved like an animal because he felt he was being treated as one.

HIS YEARS BESIDE CHARLES BRONSON

During his time at Wakefield, Maudsley was housed next to notorious prisoner Charles Bronson.

The two prisoners could communicate through their windows and shared access to a television, although Maudsley said they frequently clashed.

He described Bronson as someone who wanted to dominate others and recalled one disagreement over which programme they should watch.

Maudsley said his treatment became even more restrictive after his transfer to HMP Whitemoor in April 2025.

He described the prison environment as “sinister” and complained about being placed in an isolated exercise yard surrounded by high walls.

According to Maudsley, he spends around 22½ hours each day inside his cell, with approximately 75 minutes available for exercise and showering.

“I WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE BEHIND BARS”

Perhaps most strikingly, Maudsley insists that he does not want freedom.

Despite Britain’s changing approach to prisoner release, he believes his whole-life sentence is justified.

“I want to spend the rest of my life behind bars to pay for what I have done,” he said.

For him, survival has become a matter of taking each day as it comes.

He said even the smallest experiences — feeling sunlight on his skin or a breeze coming through his window — have become meaningful after decades of confinement.

He dreams of experiencing the changing seasons again and says classical music can temporarily transport him beyond the walls of his cell.

A LOVE STORY AFTER FIVE DECADES IN PRISON

Away from the violence and notoriety surrounding his past, Maudsley also revealed an unexpectedly personal side of his life.

He says he has fallen in love with Loveinia MacKenney, 71, after almost five years of correspondence and telephone conversations.

However, he claims that he has not seen her in person since February 2025 and that requests for visits have been refused since his transfer to Whitemoor.

Maudsley said the relationship has given him something he had never experienced before: hope.

He described their bond as a source of strength and said that, if he were ever given the opportunity to live outside prison, he would want to share that life with her.

“IT IS A NEW DAY”

After 52 years in custody, Maudsley says he has learned to find meaning in routine.

He listens to classical music, watches television and keeps himself occupied with programmes including Gogglebox, The Chase, Pointless and Countdown.

He says music can take him back to his childhood, while Schubert’s “Ave Maria” can make him momentarily forget that he is inside a prison cell.

Asked what he would say to his younger self, Maudsley struggled to find a simple answer.

But despite everything that has happened, he said he still has the strength to continue.

And unlike the fictional characters often used to describe him, Maudsley says he has no desire to rewrite his past.

He believes the years he has spent behind bars are part of the price he must pay for the lives he took — and insists that, for him, remaining imprisoned for life is justified.