Peter Tobin is a convicted Scottish serial killer and sex offender now serving a sentence of life imprisonment for three murders. But authorities believe there were many more.
Prior To The First Murder Conviction of Peter Tobin
Prior to his first murder conviction, Pete Tobin served ten years in prison for a double rape committed in 1993. He was released in 2004. In 2007, he was sentenced to life with a minimum of 21 years for the rape and murder of Angelika Kluk in 2006. Skeletal remains of two further young women, who went missing in 1991, were subsequently found at his former home in Margate. Tobin was convicted of the murder of Vicky Hamilton in December 2008, when his minimum sentence was increased to 30 years, and of the murder of Dinah McNicol in December 2009.
Early Life of Peter Tobin
Peter Tobin was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, the youngest of seven children. He was a difficult child. In 1953, at age seven, Peter was sent to an approved school. A bit later, he spent time in a young offender institution. By 1970 he was convicted and served jail terms in England for burglary and forgery.
In 1969, Peter Tobin moved to Brighton, Sussex, with his 17-year old girlfriend, Margaret L. R. Mountney, whom he married in August of that year. They split after only a year and she divorced him in 1971.
In 1973, while living in Brighton, Peter married a local nurse, 30-year-old Sylvia J. A. Jefferies. They had a son and daughter, the latter of whom died soon after birth. This second, violent, marriage lasted until 1976, when Sylvia finally left with their son.
Peter Tobin then had a relationship with Cathy D. Wilson, who gave birth to a son in December 1987. Tobin married her in 1989, when she was just 17 years old. In 1990, they moved to Bathgate, West Lothian. Cathy left Peter in 1990. All three women later gave similar accounts of falling for a charming well dressed Tobin who turned violent and sadistic during their marriages.
In May 1991, Peter Tobin moved to Margate, Kent. Then, in 1993, he moved to Havant, Hampshire to be near his younger son.
The Previous Convictions of Peter Tobin
On August 4th in 1993, Peter Tobin attacked two 14-year old girls who were babysitting his son at his flat in Havant, Hampshire. After holding them at knife point and forcing them to drink strong cider and vodka, he sexually assaulted and raped them. To avoid arrest, Tobin went on the run and hid in a religious retreat in Warwickshire under a false name. He was soon recognized however and arrested after appearing on the BBC Crime Watch program.
On May 18th of 1994, Peter Tobin pleaded guilty to the rapes of two juveniles and received a 14 year prison sentence. He was released in 2004 and moved to Paisley, Renfrewshire. In May 2007 he received a further 30-month sentence for breaching the terms of the Violent and Sex Offender Register from this case.
The Murder of Angelika Kluk
In September of 2006, Peter Tobin was working as a church handyman at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Anderston, Glasgow. He had assumed the name “Pat McLaughlin” to avoid detection, as he was still on the Violent and Sex Offender Register, but not compliant with it, following his 1994 convictions for rape and assault.
Angelita Kluk was a 23-year-old student from Skoczow, near Krakow in Poland. She was staying at the chapel house of St Patrick’s Church, where she worked as a cleaner to help finance her Scandinavian Studies course at Gdańsk University.
Angelita was last seen alive in the company of Peter Tobin, on September 24th in 2006. It is thought to be the day that she may have been attacked by Peter in the garage attached to St Patrick’s chapel house. She was beaten, raped, and stabbed to death. Her body was then concealed in an underground chamber beneath the floor near the confessional in the church. Forensic evidence suggested that Angelita was still alive when she was placed under the floorboards.
The Body Was Discovered and Peter Tobin Was Arrested
Police found Angelita’s body on Septembe 29th. Peter Tobin was arrested in London shortly afterwards. He had been admitted to hospital under a false name, with a fictitious complaint.
The six-week long trial resulted from the evidence gathered. Peter denied raping and murdering Angelita and claimed she had consented to having sex with him. He was found guilty of both charges and was sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 21 years.
The Murder of Vicky Hamilton
In June 2007, Peter Tobin’s former home, in West Lothian, was searched in connection with the disappearance of a 15-year old girl. Vicky Hamilton was last seen on February 10th in 1991, as she waited for a bus home to Redding, near Falkirk. She had been visiting her older sister, Sharon, in West Lothian and was waiting to change buses in Bathgate. The last sighting of her was as she was eating chips on a bench in the town center. Peter Tobin is believed to have left the town a few days after her disappearance.
On November 14th of 2007, Lothian and Borders Police confirmed that human remains, found in the back garden of a house, once occupied by Peter Tobin, were those of 15 year old Vicky Hamilton.
Peter was convicted of Vicky Hamilton’s murder on 2 December 2008 at the High Court in Dundee.
Peter Tobin Sentenced To Life
When sentencing Tobin to life imprisonment, the judge, Lord Emslie, said:
“You stand convicted of the truly evil abduction and murder of a vulnerable young girl in 1991 and thereafter of attempting to defeat the ends of justice in various ways over an extended period. Yet again you have shown yourself to be unfit to live in a decent society. It is hard for me to convey the loathing and revulsion that ordinary people will feel for what you have done. I fix the minimum period which you must spend in custody at 30 years. Had it been open to me I would have made that period run consecutive to the 21 year custodial period that you are already serving.”
On December 11th in 2008, Peter Tobin gave formal notice to court officials that he intended to challenge the guilty verdict and overturn the prison sentence imposed on him. Peter, however, did not proceed with his appeal and it was dropped in March of 009.
The Murder of Dinah McNicol
Dinah McNicol was last seen alive on August 5th in 1991. She was hitchhiking home with a male companion from a music festival in Liphook, Hampshire. Her friend was dropped off at Junction 8 near Reigate. Dinah continued on alone with the driver. She was never seen again. However, after her disappearance, regular cash withdrawals were made from her building society account. Then, on November 16th, a second body was found at 50 Irvine Drive in Margate. It was Dinah McNicol.
On December 16th in 2009, a jury found Peter Tobin guilty of Dinah McNicol’s murder and he subsequently received his third life sentence, with a recommendation by the judge that his life sentence should mean life.
Police decided to trace the past movements of Peter Tobin and his possible involvement in a further 13 unsolved murders, which includes the three Bible John victims.
The Possible Bible John Connection
The conviction of Peter Tobin has led to speculation that he is Bible John. There are similarities between photographs of Tobin from that era and the photofit artist’s impression of Bible John. Peter had moved from Glasgow in 1969, the same year as the Bible John killings officially ended.
It is alleged that Tobin is driven to violence by the menstrual cycle, something which has long been suspected as the motive behind the Bible John murders. Additionally, Peter Tobin was a Roman Catholic with strong religious views.
credit – murderpedia
