Peter Tobin

This article is about the serial killer. For the businessman, see Peter J. Tobin. For the Irish politician, see Peadar Tóibín.

Peter Tobin
Tobin in 2006
Born
Peter Britton Tobin

(1946-08-27)27 August 1946
Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Died8 October 2022(2022-10-08) (aged 76)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Other namesUp to 40 aliases,[1] including:
  • Peter Wilson
  • James Kelly
  • Paul Semple
  • John Tobin
  • Peter Proban
  • Pat McLaughlin[2]
OccupationHandyman
Spouses
Margaret Mountney
​
​
(m. 1969; div. 1971)​
Sylvia Jefferies
​
​
(m. 1973; div. 1976)​
Cathy Wilson
​
​
(m. 1989; div. 1993)​
Children3
Conviction(s)Burglary, forgery, murder, rape
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment (whole life order)
Details
Victims3+
Span of crimes
10 February 1991  –  26 September 2006
Imprisoned atHM Prison Edinburgh

Peter Britton Tobin (27 August 1946 – 8 October 2022) was a Scottish convicted serial killer and sex offender who served a whole life order at HM Prison Edinburgh[3] for three murders committed between 1991 and 2006.[1] Police also investigated Tobin over the deaths and disappearances of other young women and girls.[4]

Tobin served 10 years in prison for the rape, buggery and indecent assault of two girls in 1993, following which he was released in 2004. Three years after his release, he was sentenced to life with a minimum of 21 years for the rape and murder of Angelika Kluk in Glasgow in 2006. Remains of two teenagers who went missing in 1991 were subsequently found at his former home in Margate, Kent. Tobin was convicted of the murder of Vicky Hamilton in December 2008, resulting in his minimum sentence being increased to 30 years, and of the murder of Dinah McNicol in December 2009, resulting in a whole life order.

Tobin was diagnosed as a psychopath by a senior psychologist[5] and it was thought he might be connected with the Bible John murders of the late-1960s, although police eventually ruled him out of those murders.[6] Tobin reportedly claimed in prison to a psychiatrist of having murdered 48 people.

  1. ^ a b Cacciottolo, Mario (16 December 2009). "Piecing together serial killer Peter Tobin's past". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  2. ^ Cacciottolo, Mario (10 August 2012). "Serial killer Peter Tobin taken to hospital". BBC News. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  3. ^ Greenwood, Chris; Marsden, Sam (12 July 2010). "Police search serial killer Peter Tobin's former homes". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022.
  4. ^ Ross, Shan (17 December 2009). "Peter Tobin: Dozens of murders re-examined". The Scotsman. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2022 doc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).