Serial killer Peter Tobin remained undetected in society for decades after killing two teenagers, and a new Disney+ documentary uncovers how he was caught and convicted.
The Documentary and Its Focus
Scottish serial killer Peter Tobin was serving three life sentences in prison, without parole, when he died on 7 October 2006 in Edinburgh. Before his death, the killer refused to divulge information about other potential crimes.
The police's investigation into Tobin is now explored in a new documentary, A Monster In Their Midst, which focuses on the murders of three victims: Vicky Hamilton, Dinah McNicol, and Angelika Kluk. The episode is part of a six-part series on Disney+ that explores five other criminal cases from across the UK.
Angelika Kluk's Murder
On September 24, 2006, a church cleaner named Angelika Kluk went missing in Glasgow. The church's handyman, Pat McLaughlin, became a suspect but fled after being questioned. In a twist, the media released a photograph of the suspect, and police were quickly informed that the suspect was convicted sex offender Peter Tobin, who had lied about his name. Tragically, on September 29, 2006, Angelika's body was discovered beneath the floor of the church. The murder case sparked a nationwide investigation into Tobin, named Operation Anagram.
How Peter Tobin Was Caught
Forensic scientist Carol Rogers from the Scottish Police Authority told the Disney+ documentary how the force caught Tobin on forensic evidence. She said: "We had DNA and semen on the jeans that matched Peter Tobin, so we had links between Peter Tobin and Angelika Kluk's body, but we had to establish where she had been assaulted and murdered."
Officers then shifted their inquiry to a garage workshop where Angelika had last been spotted alive. At first, there didn't seem to be any clear evidence inside, but detectives quickly made a breakthrough. Rogers explains: "There wasn't obvious blood, but then we started to look at the floor, my colleague noticed what looked like a small blood spot, and then we started seeing more. We carried out DNA profiling on those blood stains and it matched a profile of Angelika. At that point, we are confident that is where the assault took place."
Connections to Earlier Murders
On 10 February 1991, 15-year-old Vicky Hamilton vanished while traveling to her residence in Redding, Falkirk. The Anagram team discovered that when she went missing, Tobin was residing just over a mile away in Bathgate. Anagram additionally connected Tobin's 1991 location to the vicinity where 18-year-old Dinah McNicol disappeared after hitchhiking home from a music festival. He was in his 40s when he murdered Vicky and Dinah.
Both victims were subsequently discovered buried in the garden of a previous Kent property Tobin occupied during their disappearances. Tobin was found guilty of murdering all three women and given a life sentence with no possibility of parole.
Tobin's Imprisonment and Death
Tobin was officially charged with the murder of Angelika Kluk on 7 October, 2006, and in May 2007, he received a minimum sentence of 21 years imprisonment. In July 2007, Tobin was found guilty of Vicky Hamilton's murder and given a life sentence with an instruction to serve at least 30 years. In 2009, while already serving life, Tobin was convicted of murdering Dinah McNicol and sentenced to a full life term.
He died aged 76 on 8 October 2022, after a fall in his cell at HMP Edinburgh. According to BBC News, Tobin was battling dementia, vascular disease, and prostate cancer and had developed pneumonia. Following his death, with nobody coming forward to claim his remains, his ashes were scattered at sea.
20/20 Britain's Most Notorious Crime Investigations is on Disney+.
