Convicted triple murderer Joanne Dennehy remains one of Britain's most dangerous and depraved criminals, continuing to pose a serious threat even from behind bars. The 43-year-old, who described killing as "moreish and fun", is serving a rare whole-life order for a horrific 10-day rampage in Peterborough in 2013.
A Spree of Unthinkable Violence
In March 2013, Dennehy embarked on a killing spree that shocked the nation. Her victims were three men she knew: her romantic partner Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, fellow resident John Chapman, 56, and her landlord-turned-lover Kevin Lee, 48. She stabbed each to death, showing what the court described as zero remorse.
After murdering the men, she discarded their bodies in a ditch at Thorney Dyke. She then fled and attacked two complete strangers, dog walkers Robin Bereza, 64, and John Rogers, 56, stabbing them in unprovoked assaults. Both men survived their injuries.
The details of the crimes were particularly grotesque. Kevin Lee's body was found dressed in a black sequin dress with his buttocks exposed. Prosecutor Peter Wright QC told the court this was "deliberately engineered in an act of post-death humiliation". Dennehy had also kept Mr Slaboszewski's body in a wheelie bin and showed it to a teenage girl.
Life Behind Bars: An Unending Threat
Dennehy's notoriety only grew after her imprisonment. She became just the fourth woman in British legal history to receive a whole-life tariff, meaning she will never be released. However, confinement has not curbed her dangerous behaviour.
Upon arrival at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, she immediately threatened another infamous inmate, serial killer Rose West, leading to West's relocation for her own safety. Dennehy was placed in solitary confinement, a measure that failed to deter her.
In 2016, she brazenly launched a High Court claim for damages, arguing her isolation breached her human rights. During proceedings, a truly chilling plan was revealed. Dennehy had plotted to murder a prison guard and use their severed fingers to bypass biometric door locks in an escape attempt. She dismissed a sketch of the prison layout found in her diary as a mere 'doodle'.
Representing the prison service, Jenni Richards QC described Dennehy as "arguably the most dangerous female prisoner in custody".
A Legacy of Evil and a Warning from Experts
Criminologists who have studied Dennehy's case believe she is beyond redemption. Professor David Wilson, a former prison service employee, notes she is one of the very few female spree killers in history, a phenomenon typically dominated by men.
He suggests she and her accomplice, Gary Stretch, may have operated under a folie à deux or shared psychosis, but that Dennehy was unequivocally the dominant, terrifying partner. "I don't know what can be done with her," Professor Wilson stated, citing her "extreme violent tendencies".
Author Christopher Berry-Dee, who interviewed Dennehy for his book Talking With Female Serial Killers, provided a visceral account. He labelled her "without doubt, the most evil person I have ever met", describing a "quiet and menacing" voice and an "acrid and dirty" smell of evil he felt emanating from her.
Her story continues to fascinate and horrify, with a new Amazon Prime show, Confessionals of a Female Serial Killer, set to explore her crimes in an episode airing on December 7. Meanwhile, in the prison system, she remains a potent symbol of irredeemable violence, a permanent threat managed but never neutralised.
