"The Gay Slayer" - Colin Ireland wanted to be a serial killer

In the spring and summer of 1993, fear quietly moved through London’s gay community - although, at first, hardly anyone realised a serial killer was already hunting in plain sight.

He wasn’t lurking in alleyways. He wasn’t breaking into homes. Instead, he walked into pubs, struck up conversations, bought drinks, flirted, and blended in. Charming when he wanted to be, organised to an almost terrifying degree, he specifically targeted men who enjoyed BDSM and the passive role during sex, knowing they would initially trust him, believing they were stepping into a consensual encounter. But behind closed doors, what began as fantasy would turn into something unimaginably sinister.

This week on REDRUM, I dive into one of Britain’s most disturbing yet lesser-known serial killers: Colin Ireland, later dubbed “The Gay Slayer” by the press. A man who made a chilling New Year’s resolution - to become a serial killer - and then methodically set out to achieve it.

From the coded world of London’s 1990s gay scene and the now-infamous Coleherne Arms pub, to a deeply troubling investigation riddled with missed opportunities, assumptions, and devastating failures, this case raises uncomfortable questions about prejudice, vulnerability, and whether these murders could have been stopped sooner.

Why were multiple deaths initially ruled accidental? How did a killer manage to evade capture while returning to the same hunting ground over and over again? And what happens when the person police are searching for starts calling them directly?

This is a story of manipulation, control, hidden lives, and a predator who understood exactly how to weaponise trust.

Stonewall: ⁠https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are⁠

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