Dennis Nilsen

[Ginger]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44097196

Another one bites the dust.

[GUT]

I heard a report that Nilsen had died but thought they meant Harry, who dies a few years back, was right confused for a while.

[Callmebill]

Cannibals

I can cope with many details regarding serial killers, but cannibals, nope. Stets my teeth on edge.

[Robert]

There wasn't any cannibalism, was there?

[Callmebill]

Well he cooked them. Perhaps he fed the parts to his dog.

[Sam Flynn]

Hello Bill.

Where's that quote from Prof David Wilson in your signature come from? Is it from a book he wrote or something?

[Pcdunn]

Did a search for Prof. David Wilson:

https://www.google.com/search?client=tablet-android-verizon&ei=kyYCW9KyIcqAtgWRv4KgBg&q=Professor+David+Wilson&oq=Professor+David+Wilson&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-serp.3..0i67j0i7i30j0l3.10598.14962..19058...0....339.2142.0j9j2j1......0....1.........35i39j0i13.6FuOlzhWOnc%3D

He has written quite a lot of books on serial killers and prisons, and might be an interesting read.

[Darryl Kenyon]

Prof. David Wilson also appeared on the tv series, Fred Dinenage: Murder Casebook

[Sam Flynn]

I know who Wilson is, but I was curious as to where that quote came from.

[Callmebill]

David Wilson

David Wilson quoting Soren Kierkegaard.
David Wilson also said, “... no such thing as coincidence when you're dealing with a serial killer" I believe that was loosely based on Sherlock Holmes.

[Joshua Rogan]

Prof Wilson presented a tv series where he tried to connect various serial killers with unsolved murders, I seem to recall him saying something similar in that.

[Sam Flynn]

Thanks, Joshua. It just struck me as a sweeping, and potentially unhelpful, statement to make. In other words, there surely must be coincidences when we're dealing with serial killers.

[Fisherman]

Thanks, Joshua. It just struck me as a sweeping, and potentially unhelpful, statement to make. In other words, there surely must be coincidences when we're dealing with serial killers.

I think serial killers are just as likely to attract coincidences as anybody else, no more, no less. Meaning that you are correct - we must allow for coincidences in that context too, just as we do otherwise.

A problem only arises if we start getting far too generous in allowing for - or even conjuring up ourselves - coincidences in heaps to explain away what otherwise seems to clearly point in a certain direction.

As an aside, the barrister James Scobie, of Lechmere docu fame, says in the documentary that when coincidences start to mount up in the Lechmere case, it becomes one coincidence too many. And since I have seen material that was not in the docu, I can say that Scobie spoke very critically about how people are too easily taken in by how possibilities open up escape routes.

I think he is very correct in that respect - many of us are way too happy about ourselves on account of our ability to cook up alternative suggestions in order to try and nullify what looks like damning material. It is a good thing to be cautious not to convict on too little, but when this ambition turns to an exercise in accepting coincidences, knee-jerk fashion, then we are doing research, history and logic a disservice.

Believe me, I know about this, since I have personally seen it happen.

Presumably, this is what David Wilson is after too: Let´s not get naive when dealing with serial killers.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Fish, does Sweden know something that we dont?

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/21/sweden-distributes-be-prepared-for-war-cyber-terror-attack-leaflet-to-every-home

[Pcdunn]

Fish, does Sweden know something that we dont?

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/20...-to-every-home

Well, they're not far from Russia, after all. Besides, the Swedes are practical people, and like to be prepared...