EXCLUSIVE: Robert Maudsley, 72, has spent 52 years behind bars and more than 17,000 consecutive days in solitary confinement, setting a new world record for time alone in his cell
He has served 52 years in prison and endured more than 17,000 consecutive days in solitary confinement, establishing a new world record for time spent alone in his cell. And now, he hasn’t received a single visitor for over a year.
The peculiar dispute between Britain’s longest-serving prisoner and jail authorities has left quadruple murderer Robert Maudsley, 72, stranded, hundreds of miles from his family. He was moved from Wakefield prison – the facility dubbed “Monster Mansion” – and relocated 125 miles away in April 2025.
Mates say he hasn’t had a visitor since, adding to his sense of isolation. They caution that the transfer has effectively prevented him from receiving visits from loved ones because he is so distant from his native Merseyside.
A family member said: “His brothers used to visit him, but they are in poor health now and it will be hard for them to get to the new prison. It was complicated visiting Robert, with forms and meeting the police.”
His partner Loveinia Grace MacKenney, 71, a mother-of-one who lives in London, has also been unable to see him, reports the Mirror. “It is more than a year since his last visit,” she said.
“I speak to him every week on the phone but it is not right.” In an interview last year, Maudsley’s brother Kevin, 71, explained how he used to visit him once a month in Wakefield, and sat in an adjacent cell, speaking to him through metal bars.
“Not a dangerous man”
He stated: “He’d rather be on his own than in the normal prison. He just likes it.
“We just talk about things like outside – what’s it like, what’s going on, things like that.” He detailed how Maudsley played chess against himself to while away the time.
He also enjoyed reading about the game, and is reported to enjoy listening to classical music, including Schubert, in his cell. Other prisoners claimed they would see him “shuffling” around when he did get out for exercise in Wakefield, and was not the dangerous, violent man that he was previously.
But last year prison bosses announced he was being transferred “against his wishes”. They wrote: “We do however find ourselves in a difficult situation with regard to the growing population, and the available accommodation.
“As you will be aware, there have been a number of violent incidents in the segregation unit at HMP Wakefield. This means identifying a number of men to transfer….it is now an appropriate time to facilitate a transfer for yourself to another unit.”
It sparked a dispute about his privileges; Maudsley also went on hunger strike. Now he only purchases food from the prison shop in Whitemoor.
“Hannibal the Cannibal”
Another internal report from the authorities there confirmed that he is refusing to interact or “engage in conversation” with staff. Maudsley complains that his treatment was “far more restrictive, oppressive and punitive” than it had been in Wakefield.
Special precautions were implemented for Wakefield prison staff due to his history of violence. Maudsley received a life sentence in 1974 for the manslaughter of John Farrell, a 30-year-old child abuser.
He subsequently murdered three men while incarcerated. Following the killing of his final two victims, he reportedly informed a prison officer: “There’ll be two short on the roll call.”
He acquired his “Hannibal the Cannibal” moniker after one victim was discovered with a spoon lodged in his skull, sparking rumours – later debunked – that he had consumed the man’s brains. Maudsley spent decades at Wakefield, with special arrangements ensuring prison staff could observe him before entering his cell.
Because of the Perspex window on his cell, he has drawn comparisons to the fictional character Hannibal Lecter, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in the acclaimed 1991 film “The Silence of the Lambs”. In his correspondence to Loveinia, Maudsley has revealed his softer nature, writing to her: “All the kindness, thoughtfulness and love you have shared with me through these last short years can get me through anything.”
He continued: “My beautiful Loveinia, the more love we experience in our lives, the more the bad experiences tend to fade into the distance and we can live our lives to the full. Thank you for being there for me, and for giving me so many beautiful and wonderful dreams; I hope I have done the same for you when you think of me.”
The Ministry of Justice refused to comment on individual prisoners. A source emphasised that Maudsley has telephone access, plus half an hour outdoors for exercise, and shower time, daily.
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