On September 25th, 1952, Patrick David Mackay was born at Park Royal Hospital in London to parents Harold and Marion Mackay. His father Harold was a Scottish accountant and his mother Marion was of Creole descent. He had two sisters, one born in 1954 and 1957.
Growing up in Dartford, Kent, he was often physically abused by his father. He didn’t do well in school and often terrorized younger classmates, he was very much a bully and physically attacked other students. He also often terrorized animals, even tearing the wings off of birds.
By the time Patrick was ten years old, his father passed away from a heart attack. It’s said the heart attack was the result of alcoholism and a weak heart. His last words to Patrick, were, “Remember to be good.”
Patrick had a difficult time dealing with the death of his father and often would tell people his father was still alive.
As he got older, he filled in the shoes of his father by being abusive to his mother and sisters. The police were called to their Gravesend home as often as four times a week. Patrick would have fits of anger and beat his mother and sisters. During this time he attempted to murder a boy who was younger than him. He felt he would have succeeded in killing this boy, but he had been restrained.
By the time Patrick was 15 years old, he was diagnosed as a psychopath. His psychiatrist, Dr. Leonard Carr believed Patrick would grow to be a cold and psychopathic killer. Between the ages of 12 to 22 he had been removed from his home and placed in institutions and jails. One teacher felt he would become a murderer of women.
Finally, in 1968 he was committed to the Moss Side Hospital in Liverpool per his psychopath diagnosis. Though, he was released in 1972. Now a young adult and on his own, he developed a fascination with Nazism and often called himself, Franklin Bollvolt the First.
Now living in a London flat, he filled it with Nazi memorabilia and often abused alcohol and drugs.
The area surrounding Patrick’s flat was home to some of the wealthiest individuals in London and the area was known for its high-end shops and restaurants. During the time Patrick resided in this location, the area saw a rise in theft and muggings. The attacks were focused mostly on elderly women and the attacker at times would befriend the elderly women to gain access into their homes to rob them.
On February 14th, 1974, 84-year-old, Isabella Griffith was assaulted, strangled, and stabbed in her home. Authorities were not able to identify her attacker. By March 10th, 1975, 13 months later, Adele Price an elderly woman was murdered in her home, the perpetrator gained access to the home, by knocking on the door and asking for a glass of water. After the murder, the attacker left and passed Adele’s granddaughter as she was on her way home.
Police believed both attacks to be connected.
A week or more passed and another murder took place, this time a priest. Father Anthony Crean was brutally attacked in his home. His home was near Patrick’s mother’s home.
Father Crean was murdered with an axe and a very frenzied attack. The attacker left the axe at the scene of the crime.
During investigations, an investigator remembered Patrick Mackay who had befriended the priest and in time broke into his home and stole checks. He was arrested for that crime and Father Crean pleaded with authorities not to arrest him, but he was prosecuted and ordered to pay a fine, he never paid the fine. Father Crean and Patrick did not speak after this incident.
Though when the investigator remembered this crime, authorities approached Patrick and he admitted to killing Father Crean. He was arrested and processed and once his fingerprints were taken, it linked him to the murder of Adele Price. Authorities found jewelry and other items in Patrick’s home that he had taken during the many robberies.
Further investigations and tips from inmates that Patrick encountered while in prison led authorities to many other unsolved murders that Patrick had committed in the London area.
It was determined that he had previously murdered a 17-year-old German au pair, Heidi Mnilk, on July 9th, 1973. He stabbed her on a train, then opened the door and threw her out. There were witnesses on the train.
He then went on to murder Mary Hynes on July 20th, 1973 and he confessed to killing a drunken homeless man by pushing him off a bridge in January of 1974. Later in the same month, he went on to murder 57-year-old Stephanie Britton and her 4-year-old grandson Christopher Martin.
By June of 1974, he had murdered Frank Goodman, he beat him to death with a metal bar, and his motive… Was a pack of cigarettes. He was linked to this murder when his landlord recognized the bar from their house.
On December 23rd, 1974, he murdered 92-year-old Sarah Rodmell. He actually confessed this murder to authorities and stated he nailed the back door shut and put her stockings in her mouth… He stated “Killing her was as easy as washing my socks”
His final murder occurred in February 1975, he beat 48-year-old Cafe owner Ivy Davies with a tent peg.
Patrick Mackay denied his confessions to all but four of the murders. Isabella Griffith, Adele Price, Father Crean, and the homeless man.
He was only convicted for the murder of Adele Price, Isabella Griffith and Father Crean as there was insufficient evidence to charge him with the rest and since he denied his confessions, nothing further could occur.
During his trial, his defense had attempted to please insanity, but medical experts disagreed that he was a psychopath which is a personality disorder and not a mental disorder. Patrick Mackay was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years.
Patrick has filed for parole many times since 1995 and has always been denied on the basis that he is an incredible danger to society. Though in recent years he was transferred to an open prison with day-release provisions.
In 2020 authorities re-launched inquiries into the murders he denied, but once again they were unable to obtain sufficient evidence. In July 2022 his case had gone to the parole board again…
We can only hope a monster like this is never released. Hopefully, the parole board continues to make the right decision… But for now, we will just leave this to the realms of the unexplained…
