One of the UK's most feared murderers engaged in a bitter dispute with infamous inmate Charles Bronson, according to a new book.
Robert Maudsley, the killer known as Hannibal the Cannibal due to allegations he consumed a victim's brain, has been incarcerated for over four decades. His dangerous reputation has led to him being kept in solitary confinement within a glass box underground.
During his long years inside, he encountered notorious prisoner Charles Bronson, often labelled as Britain's most violent inmate. A new book reveals that the two developed a mutual animosity while inside HMP Wakefield, also known as "Monster Mansion".
In the book titled 'Inside Wakefield Prison', authors Jonathan Levi and Emma French share an account from a prison guard named Jo, who detailed the extent of their feud.
"Robert Maudsley – Bob as he is known – hates Bronson, they simply do not get on," he explained. "When I was on the unit, RM would play rock music loudly to annoy Bronson."
The sound would echo through the cell walls, causing Bronson to "shout" at Maudsley, who would ignore him.
In a peculiar act of retaliation, Bronson was allegedly known to whistle outside Maudsley's cell – cruel reminder of how Maudsley's mother used to lock him in a cupboard and whistle outside the door.
Bronson, now at HMP Woodhill, still appears to have bad blood with Maudsley. He once said he sent Maudsley a watch as a gift, which was harshly rejected Maudsley told a guard to bin it.
Bronson blew his top, labelling him "an ungrateful b***ard" and threatening to clobber the 70 year old convict: "I pray to one day bump into him at 300mph and, unlike him, I don't need a blade."
Maudsley's been in solitary for 43 years, 23 hours a day, after offing four people who were alleged sex offenders, three while already locked up. His extended stay in the high-security glass cell at Wakefield has stirred controversy.
Speaking on his confinement, Jo commented "all he did was kill a couple of b****y nonces".
The 'Hannibal the Cannibal' killer justifies his crimes from his own dark past experiences, having written in 2005: "I have been raped and, yes, I have been sexually abused by such people, and consequently I do detest these people enough to have killed them in the past."
While shunning fellow inmates, Maudsley is said to be friendly with the guards. Bronson, aged 71 and dubbed the "most violent prisoner in Britain", has been behind bars for nearly five decades. With a notorious rap sheet for assaulting prison staff and other inmates, he remains infamous under his bare-knuckle brawler alias from the grimy streets of East London.
However, he's distanced himself from his fearsome image by stating: "I'm a nice guy, but sometimes I lose all my senses and become nasty. That doesn't make me evil, just confused."
Inside Wakefield Prison: Life Behind Bars in the Monster Mansion, by Jonathan Levi and Emma French, is out now in paperback.
