Britain's longest serving prisoner, Robert Maudsley, is reportedly considering legal action against the Prison Service, claiming a breach of his human rights following a transfer that has left him completely isolated.
A Life in Solitary Confinement
Robert Maudsley, 72, has now spent an astonishing 52 years behind bars, with the vast majority of that time—over four decades—in solitary confinement. He recently passed the grim milestone of 17,000 consecutive days held alone. His current stretch in isolation is believed to be among the longest in the world.
Maudsley was originally sentenced to life in 1974 for killing a child abuser. While incarcerated, he killed three other inmates he believed to be rapists and paedophiles, earning him the macabre nickname 'Hannibal the Cannibal' from fellow prisoners. Following the last two killings, he chillingly informed a guard: "There'll be two short on the roll call."
The Disputed Transfer and Visitor Ban
Nine months ago, Maudsley was moved 125 miles from HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire, where he had been held for decades, to HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire. The transfer followed a hunger strike he began in March 2025 in a dispute over the removal of privileges including his PlayStation and television.
Since the move, he has not had a single visitor. His girlfriend, 69-year-old Loveinia Grace MacKenney, and his brothers have been unable to see him despite repeated requests. Ms MacKenney, who speaks to him weekly by phone, describes the situation as "cruel and inhumane."
"He has not had any visits whatsoever and that obviously has a big impact on his mental well being," she stated. "He is suffering from anxiety... I now believe they are trying to hide something. It makes me think they are stopping us from visiting him so we do not see his state of health."
Legal Action and Mounting Concerns
Maudsley is now seeking legal advice regarding potential action against the Prison Service for a human rights breach. He is reportedly keeping detailed prison documents to record his treatment 'in case something happens to him.'
At Whitemoor, he is held on the F wing, a unit designed for inmates with personality disorders. His regime allows for just one hour out of his cell each day, which must also include time for showering. His nephew, Gavin Mawdsley, revealed that any shower time is deducted from his already limited yard time.
Ms MacKenney has written to the Prisons Minister, Lord James Timpson, who assured her Maudsley should be treated with respect. However, the Prison Service has declined to comment on the specific allegations.
Maudsley, who became the UK's longest serving prisoner after the death of Moors murderer Ian Brady in 2017, once described his previous specially built glass cell in Wakefield as "being buried alive in a coffin." His supporters now fear his profound isolation is only intensifying in his new environment.
