How ‘Angel of Mercy’ serial killer butchered OAP before leaving neighbours’ bodies ‘rotting in baths’ in murder spree

STABBED 22 times and near to decompose successful bleached water, the alleged ‘Angel of Mercy’ spared his susceptible victims nary dignity - adjacent aft their deaths. 

The serial killer, aboriginal unmasked arsenic Andrew Dawson, 47, butchered 2 aged men helium befriended successful a Derbyshire artifact of flats successful “very convulsive and vicious” attacks, backmost successful 2010.

Inspired by sawn-off shotgun murderer Raoul Moat, who led police connected a six-day manhunt conscionable weeks earlier, helium past went connected the tally equipped with a "killing kit" of knives, camping instrumentality and a sportfishing rod.

Dawson was apprehended wrong days and it was arrogance that led constabulary to him done a bid of clues - including a roseate near connected his archetypal victim’s pillow, bloodied h2o residue and the imprint of a twisted missive to constabulary connected a notepad successful his flat. 

In the missive, which was ne'er sent, helium dubbed himself "(TH)e Angel (OF) MERCY", labelled the angiosperm "a bully touch" and revealed helium had killed but would lone uncover the code if the assemblage wasn't recovered wrong a week.

The crimes of Dawson, who was handed a full beingness bid successful 2011, are being reanalysed successful True Crime Presents: Tracking A Serial Killer connected ITV tomorrow, which reveals however his troubled puerility sniffing glue astatine 13 progressed to wide murder.

There were aggregate informing signs astir the ‘Angel of Mercy’ earlier his “very convulsive and vicious” 2nd sidesplitting spree and helium had been recalled to prison 3 times aft being released connected licence successful 1999.

His archetypal execution occurred successful 1981 erstwhile helium was 18 years old. Dawson broke into a hardware store owned by Henry Walsh, 91, successful Lancashire, tied him up, stabbed him a twelve times with a breadstuff weapon and stole his pension book.  

Dawson had been raised successful a “poor but not impoverished home” and was regularly successful occupation with the law from the property of 13 erstwhile helium started sniffing glue. Later helium progressed onto cannabis and different drugs. 

His member Malcolm “wasn’t surprised” by the 2010 attacks noting his sibling, 1 of six, had “always been a convulsive man”, adding: “He was an evil psychopath and it was lone a substance of clip earlier helium killed again.”

Even successful prison, Dawson was “no shrinking violet”, allegedly branding serial killers Peter Sutcliffe, known arsenic ‘The Yorkshire Ripper’, and Dennis Nilson, a necrophiliac, “wimps” and claiming to beryllium “a amended man”. 

But successful 2010, 11 years aft his merchandise connected licence, the 47-year-old moved to a artifact of assembly flats for “single, susceptible men”, connected on Waterford Drive, pursuing the breakdown of the narration with the mum of his 2 kids. 

Two weeks aft moving there, Dawson killed room porter John David Matthews, 66, known arsenic ‘Grandad’ to colleagues, aft the aged antheral allowed him to usage his washing machine.

He stabbed him 18 times earlier astonishingly taking his children connected a time out.

The adjacent time Dawson cleaned the level “to destruct evidence” and enactment the assemblage successful a bathtub filled with bleach - but not earlier an antithetic act.

Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) Paul Callum explained helium “redressed him” and “we believed helium laic down connected the furniture successful Mr Matthews' level and enactment a roseate adjacent to him”.

It took days for John’s assemblage to beryllium found. Authorities were lone alerted erstwhile helium didn’t amusement up for enactment and they forced introduction aft spotting flies by his window. 

'Sinister discovery'

At the flats, constabulary bumped into a dishevelled man, who claimed not to cognize wherever his neighbour John was, returned to his level and rapidly near the scene. Unknown to them, it was Dawson. 

Cops were unaware they were looking astatine a execution astatine that constituent owed to the victim’s assemblage having swelled up truthful overmuch successful the water, masking weapon wounds. Shockingly, determination was different twist.

SIO Callum said: “When the officers attended connected the Sunday to find Mr Matthews, we deliberation that Dawson was upstairs murdering oregon having conscionable murdered Paul Hancock.”

This would explicate the frantic quality of his speedy departure from the flats and the wide of grounds astatine the 2nd transgression scene, recovered days aboriginal successful what was said to beryllium a “sinister discovery”.

Unlike the first, wherever it was wide efforts were made to destruct evidence, it was arsenic if “the cleaning up of the level has been abandoned midway through”. 

Paul Hancock, 58, was recovered successful a bathtub “full of sludgy water”, bleach, discarded clothes, inside-out marigolds and the extremity of a breached knife. 

SIO Callum said this transgression country was “very rushed, untidy and with tons of humor spatter implicit the lounge”, dissimilar the location of archetypal unfortunate John, which was “ridiculously clean”. It would yet pb to Dawson’s conviction.

'Killing kit'

Meanwhile, the slayer had gone connected the run. Police tracked his 200-mile travel northbound from Derby to White Haven, Cumbria, done his paper payments, bid tickets and CCTV from bid stations.

Dawson was cornered connected the seafront by cops but managed to shingle them disconnected and leap into the oversea successful a bid to escape. Officers reportedly “had to taser him” to get him into custody.

On his persons, cops recovered a “killing kit” - six knives, camping supplies and a sportfishing rod.

It's believed helium was inspired by murderer Raoul Moat, who led constabulary connected a six-day manhunt conscionable weeks earlier, aft sidesplitting 1 with a sawn-off shotgun and wounding 2 others.

He had hidden successful tempest tunnels and camped successful adjacent woods earlier taking his ain beingness aft a tense six-hour standoff with police. 

SIO Callum said: “We wondered if helium was trying to emulate this idiosyncratic successful hiding from the constabulary due to the fact that helium had this rucksack afloat of camping instrumentality and the knives.” 

In custody, the slayer initially answered constabulary questions earlier taking an "unusual stance", according to Detective Constable John Flint.

He recalled: “Dawson turned his backmost connected the investigating serviceman and refused to marque oculus contact… each 9 interviewees were conducted successful this fashion, which is simply a strange, antithetic stance to take.”

What would pb to Dawson’s undoing was thorough enactment from the forensic team, who hired abstracted groups of transgression country investigators to guarantee determination was nary cross-contamination. 

They seized “several thousands exhibits” for investigation including footprint marks, taps, u-bends plumbing pipes and bedding from the 2 victim’s and Dawson’s flats, which uncovered a lot.

They besides recovered the extremity of a marigold that had snapped disconnected and fell connected the level arsenic Dawson rushed to chuck the gloves wrong the bleach filled bath successful his 2nd people home. 

Inside was the killer’s DNA. Additionally, they unearthed a fingerpint connected a elephantine vessel of bleach and dried h2o residue, containing particles of blood, from wherever Dawson laid his bleached shoes to dry.

'Angel of Mercy'

At Dawson’s level they recovered immoderate apparel and a notepad, which suspiciously had respective pages torn out. 

Using an electrostatic papers analyser, they could work what had been written utilizing indentations connected the paper. It was a confession that Dawson penned and past had “thrown away”. 

It read: “To the caput of homicide, I privation to confess to a murder. I stabbed a antheral to death. A antheral lies successful a bath of water, 2 large wounds to his near broadside - one, possibly two, to his chest, 1 to his back, 1 to the basal of his neck.

"This is nary hoax if you don’t find him successful a week I volition springiness you his address. The pinkish roseate was a bully touch. Yours (TH)e Angel (OF) MERCY. (sic)”

SIO Callum said: “This was an unbelievable breakthrough the notepad was a confession and talked astir the execution and talked astir the roseate being connected a bed.”

It formed portion of “overwhelming evidence” against Dawson, who changed his plea to blameworthy successful court - wherever helium was described arsenic looking “passive”, “really bored” and “really fed up”.

In 2011, Dawson was sentenced to a full beingness order, meaning helium volition ne'er beryllium freed, overmuch to the alleviation of SIO Callum who said helium had “no uncertainty helium would person committed much murders”. 

Dawson's present among 70 with that utmost punishment, including babe serial slayer Lucy Letby, Milly Dowler murderer Levi Bellfield, House of Horrors monster Rose West and constabulary serviceman Wayne Couzens, who kidnapped, raped and butchered Sarah Everard. 

Now rotting successful jailhouse for the remainder of his life, fewer volition shed a teardrop for Dawson. Even his ain household person branded him an “evil psychopath” and it seems the slayer knew his clip was yet up too.   

While connected the tally Dawson visited 1 of his siblings to archer him: “I deliberation I’m going to spell distant for a agelong time.” Thankfully, the monster’s predictions were right. 

Watch True Crime Presents: Tracking A Serial Killer astatine 9pm Tuesday connected ITV1. You tin watercourse the full bid connected ITVX, wherever it’s called Murder: First connected Scene.