Dennis Nilsen's loveless childhood was the catalyst for his murderous thoughts, he claimed before his death. Nilsen, nicknamed Des, was dubbed the Muswell Hill Murderer for slaying at least 15 boys and young men, many of them gay, in the North London suburb over five years.
His story is being turned into a three-part drama called Des, which starts on September 14 and stars former Doctor Who leading man David Tennant.
Evil Nilsen lured victims to his properties to strangle and drown them, keeping the corpses often for months and performing disgusting sex acts on them.
After cutting up the bodies, the Scottish Jobcentre clerk burned the parts in his garden or flushed them down the loo. What could turn someone to commit such horrific crimes?
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