The besotted girlfriend of Britain’s longest-serving prisoner wants to wed her quadruple killer boyfriend Robert Maudsley, but prison authorities will not allow it.
Loveinia Grace MacKenney, 71, has been penning love letters with her ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’ serial killer boyfriend for the last five years.
Maudsley, 72, who is Britain’s longest serving prisoner, was once regarded as Wakefield’s most dangerous prisoner and had been kept in a glass cell since 1983 after he went on a killing spree behind bars.
And from his Perspex Box in HMP Wakefield, the prisoner expressed his love for his enamoured partner in several heartfelt letters, describing her as ‘beautiful’ and ‘thoughtful’.
Ms MacKenney has never met Maudsley in person as she claims prison bosses won’t allow her to, and the likelihood of the inmate, who is serving life behind bars, is little to none.
She confessed that she would ‘hug and show him that [she] love[s] him’, and would even marry him if Maudsley proposed and prison authorities allowed.
But due to laws ushered into legislation under the Victims and Prisoners Act in 2024, that will no longer be a possibility, with Britain’s most heinous murderers locked up for life being stripped of the right to wed behind bars.
‘If I could see him, if they would let me visit him, I would be on the train there tomorrow,’ she told The Mirror. ‘If he wanted to marry and I thought that was going to help him, then I would say yes.’
Divulging how she felt ‘unconditional love’ for the quadruple killer, she also revealed she was trying to help and ‘do the right thing by him’, as much as she possibly could.
Loveinia Grace MacKenney, 69, who has written to Robert Maudsley (pictured) for nearly five years, revealed she would marry Britain’s longest serving inmate
The inmate, once regarded as Wakefield’s (pictured) most dangerous, had been kept in a glass cell since 1983, after he went on a killing spree behind bars
She insisted Maudsley deserved to be treated ‘like a human being’ during his incarceration, while also insisting, from her perspective, that he deserved unreserved love.
‘I am not one of these people who is trying to make themselves famous. I feel an unconditional love for Robert,’ she said, before adding she was the only person he had ever confessed his love to.
Ms MacKenney, who is a carer for her disabled 46-year-old son, Thomas, previously revealed she felt tied to the serial killer after watching a documentary about him titled: ‘A Killer in the family’.
The show told of Maudsley’s traumatic childhood, and the abuse he suffered whilst in care after being separated from his family in Liverpool.
The infamous killer was originally incarcerated in 1974 for the murder of child abuser John Farrell, 30, and during his time in prison, he went on to kill three other men he believed were paedophiles and rapists, leading to his current solitary confinement.
His chilling nickname, ‘Hannibal the Cannibal,’ stemmed from false reports claiming he ate one of his victims’ brains, a story that has remained part of his twisted legend.
In truth, Maudsley has never eaten human flesh, but the nickname stuck, cementing his place in British criminal history.
The killer views Ms MacKenney as his ‘partner’, regularly writing and calling her from prison, where he has spent most of his 51-year prison sentence in solitary confinement.
After going on hunger strike last year he was moved to Whitemoor Prison in Cambridgehsire (pictured)
Maudsley’s (pictured) brother Paul previously said he was ‘happy’ living in his glass cell underneath HMP Wakefield
Their shared favourite songs include ‘Catch the Wind’ by Donavan as well as ‘Someday We’ll Be Together’, by Diana Ross.
Last year, Maudsley sent her one Christmas card with the words ‘Someone Special’ inscribed on the front, while writing inside: ‘As my sweet girlfriend, you have been there for me.’
Elaborating how he hoped to see his nearest and dearest during the festive holidays, he added: ‘I truly hope you can find someone to love you, in a physical sense, as I long to do for you,’ whilst thanking her for giving him so many ‘beautiful’ dreams.
Mausdley, who has spent an incredible 46 years in solitary confinement, was previously refusing to eat until his prized belongings – including books, a music system, and his beloved gaming console – were returned to him.
An ‘operational exercise’ carried out at Wakefield on February 26, 2024, saw inmates removed from their cells for thorough searches, and as such, several possessions were stripped from Maudsley.
This included his PlayStation, books and music system, which he claims are essential for his mental well-being.
After their removal he went on hunger strike, but was then moved 125 miles down south to ‘Monster Mansion’, also known as HMP Whitemoor in April, Cambridgeshire.
The quardruple killer was placed on an F wing, specifically built for prisoners with personality disorders, in what his friend describes as a ‘disaster waiting to happen’.
Maudsley (pictured) was last pictured more than 40 years ago for a documentary on his life in prison
Maudsley, seen as a child, is serving four life sentences in his glass cell which measures 18ft by 14ft
Friends of the serial killer at the time claimed he was being ‘persecuted’ without reason, as they believed he was ‘targeted’, by having had his TV as well as his radio stripped away.
Ms MacKenney previously revealed Maudsley had been placed on a wing with 70 other prisoners, dubbing it a ‘disaster waiting to happen’.
‘It is a disaster waiting to happen. He does not want to be alongside other men because of the abuse he suffered as a child,’ she told The Mirror.
‘You can tell from his letter to me what a terrible state he is in, his handwriting is shaky.
‘He no longer has his TV, he has no radio. He was a model prisoner on his own, but I think they have targeted him.’
It is understood there was no evidence to suggest Maudsley is without TV or radio and that the Ministry of Justice do not comment on individual prisoners.
Maudsley’s lengthy confinement and notorious status have made him one of Britain’s most infamous criminals such as Ian Brady.
His 18ft by 15ft glass cell was his only world, where he was previously kept isolated for 23 hours a day.
A once-promising youth from Toxteth, Liverpool, Maudsley’s life descended into violence after years of physical and sexual abuse in care homes and at home.
After committing his first murder at the age of 21, Maudsley was sent to Broadmoor Hospital for the criminally insane.
It was there, in 1977, that he began his killing spree, murdering fellow inmates he believed to be paedophiles.
Neil Samworth, a veteran prison officer, told Daily Mail: ‘I think it’s wrong the way he’s been treated’ (pictured: HMP Wakefield)
Maudsley’s actions and his continued confinement have drawn both condemnation and sympathy over the years.
While his brutal murders were undeniably horrific, some have questioned whether his current treatment is humane.
Neil Samworth, a veteran prison officer, previously told the Daily Mail: ‘I think it’s wrong the way he’s been treated.
‘He’s in total isolation, and it’s not fair. He represents no real danger now – he’s an old man. He should be allowed to live out his days in a more humane manner.’
However, Maudsley remains unrepentant, his brother Kevin revealing Robert has always viewed his victims as deserving of their fates.
‘He won’t apologise for what he did. He believes they were all paedophiles, so in his mind, he was justified,’ Kevin explained.
