A heartless murderer who attempted to escape prison by feigning mental illness has spoken of his utter disbelief upon being admitted to the infamous Broadmoor hospital. David Copeland, responsible for the deaths of four and injuring over 140 in a horrific nail-bomb spree across London in April 1999, aimed to incite a race war by attacking ethnic minorities and the gay community with bombs loaded with approximately 1,500 100mm steel nails.
Caught on CCTV and apprehended, he sought to evade a jail term by claiming to be a paranoid schizophrenic. This tactic isn’t new; many perceive life in Broadmoor as far cushier than in a standard penitentiary, but it’s not always the case.
Mental health nurse Paul Deacon revealed in Channel 5’s documentary on Broadmoor: “We had a chap who was in prison, but he knew that it would be easier and quieter for him to act, as he put it, ‘mad,’ and get transferred to Broadmoor. And that’s exactly what happened. But when he walked in and he was on the wards, he was mortified. He cried to be sent back to prison.”
Copeland attempted the same ruse and might have pulled it off, but he was duped by a series of “fan” letters from a woman named Patsy, who was actually a pseudonym used by writer Bernard O’Mahoney.
During the weeks Copeland spent in Broadmoor awaiting trial, O’Mahoney gained his trust, leading him to reveal more about himself. According to O’Mahoney, Copeland “didn’t care who he blew up, he just wanted to blow the world up,” reports the Mirror.
In his increasingly romantic letters to the fictional Patsy, Copeland revealed his disdain for the institution: “He was critical of the doctors, saying ‘This place is a joke, so are the doctors. They think they’re clever, but they are as stupid as the fools in here’.”
O’Mahoney further shared, “In another letter, he was saying, ‘things are so boring as usual. Someone keeps writing ‘KILL’ on the walls. What he writes isn’t disturbing, but the fact he writes in his own s*** is. This is what this place is like’.”
Despite five psychiatrists diagnosing Copeland as a paranoid schizophrenic, the “Patsy” letters were damning at his trial.
On June 30, 2000, Copeland was found guilty of three counts of murder and handed six life sentences. Trial judge Michael Hyam stated it was unlikely Copeland would ever be safe to release.
Initially returned to Broadmoor Hospital after his trial, Copeland was moved to HM Prison Belmarsh in 2004, where he is expected to remain for life.