Peter Manuel

Infobox Serial Killer
name=Peter Manuel


caption=Peter Manuel mug shot
birthname=Peter Thomas Anthony Manuel
alias=
birth= birthdate|1927|03|01
location=New York, United States
death=Death date and age|1958|07|11|1927|03|01
cause= Hanging
victims=7
country=Scotland
states=
beginyear=1956
endyear=1958
apprehended=January 13, 1958
penalty= Death

Peter Thomas Anthony Manuel (March 1, 1927 – July 11, 1958) was a U.S.-born Scottish serial killer who committed his crimes in Scotland. He was the second last person to be hanged in HM Prison Barlinnie and the third last to be hanged in Scotland.

Early life

Born in New York to Scottish parents, Manuel and his family moved to Coventry, England in 1932. Considered a juvenile delinquent throughout childhood, Manuel's first jail term was at age 16 for sexual assault. He served further sentences for rape before moving to Glasgow in 1953 to join his family, who had moved there.

Murders

He began his killing spree in northwest Lanarkshire. He was questioned in 1956 for the murder of 17-year-old Anna Knielands, who had been attacked with a length of iron and whose body was discovered on East Kilbride golf course. He was released without charge, but would confess to the murder two years later. On September 17, 1956, the bodies of 45-year-old Marion Watt, her 16-year-old daughter Vivienne, and Marion's sister Margaret were found dead at the Watts's home in Burnside, Glasgow. They had all been shot at close range. The police officer in charge suspected Manuel, who had been out on bail for a burglary at a local colliery. Manuel was questioned again to no avail and two weeks later was jailed for 18 months for the colliery burglary.

On his release, Manuel visited Newcastle Upon Tyne in early December 1957, where he shot and killed taxi driver Sydney Dunn. Returning to Lanarkshire, Manuel's random killings continued, and a sense of fear gripped the county and suburbs of eastern Glasgow. On December 27, 1957, 17-year-old Isabelle Cooke left her home in Mount Vernon to go to a dance at Uddingston Grammar school but never returned. Her body was found buried in a field at nearby Burntbroom. On January 1, 1958, Manuel gunned down 45-year-old Peter Smart, his wife Doris, and their 10-year-old son Michael in Uddingston.

Arrest, trial, and execution

On January 13, 1958, Manuel was arrested when the new banknotes he stole from the Smarts' home aroused the suspicion of a local bartender. The police traced the notes to Peter Smart and arrested Manuel, who was charged with eight murders. After Manuel's arrest he took the police to the field where he had buried Isabella Cooke. As they were standing there, he was asked where exactly the body was buried. He replied, "I'm standing on her now." At his trial at Glasgow High Court, Manuel conducted his own defense but was unable to convince the judge of his insanity plea. dubious|date=July 2008 He was found guilty in May 1958 of seven of the nine murders, although many connected with the case believe he killed up to 15 people. He was hanged in Barlinnie prison, Glasgow at 8.00 am [http://www.nas.gov.uk/about/080619.asp] on Friday, July 11, 1958.

Contrary to what is sometimes believed, Manuel was not the last criminal to be executed in Scotland, but the third-last. Anthony Miller followed Manuel on to the Barlinnie gallows in December 1960, while Henry John Burnett suffered a similar fate at Craiginches Prison, Aberdeen in August 1963.

In fiction

Scottish actor Brian Cox based his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in "Manhunter" on Manuel.Fact|date=August 2008

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7374285.stm BBC News Website (April 2008) Call to examine 50s killer case]
* [http://www.nas.gov.uk/about/080619.asp National Archives of Scotland Website (June 2008) The Mind of a Killer - the Peter Manuel Case]