Detectives pleaded with Peter Tobin in the last few hours of his life to confess to any other murders. Officers made several visits to his hospital bedside to get the twisted serial killer to reveal his secrets.
But Tobin, 76, serving a whole life term for the murders of Angelika Kluk, Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol, refused to speak and died yesterday morning at 6.04am. Police made the last-ditch attempt with Tobin, linked to at least seven other murders or missing women cases, after we used an image of him chained to a bed in hospital as families begged him for answers.
Nicola Stork, whose teenage sister Louise Kay vanished from Eastbourne in 1988 and is believed to be another of Tobin’s victims, said she was grateful that the police had tried to get answers.
She said: “I’m pleased that the police tried but it’s difficult for us as we feel now that we may never know. I wanted him to confess if he had anything else to say and obviously the police thought he did. I’m pleased he is dead.”
Tobin had worked at a nearby hotel and had been strongly linked the death of Louise – who would have been 53 next month – and art student Jessie Earl, 22, whose body was found in 1989 after she went missing in 1980. Jessie’s remains were found at Beachy Head near Eastbourne, close to where 18-year-old Louise had said she was going to sleep in her car.
Her mum Valerie, 90, said they too were grateful that Police Scotland had tried and had always hoped Tobin might “tell somebody something”. She said: “Our family liaison officer was granted an interview with Tobin. He was delightful, attractive, intelligent and personable, until you started talking about what you wanted to talk about and then that was it. We’ll never know if he killed our daughter.”
We can now reveal the details of last days of his life in a private sideroom at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
The killer had been admitted six weeks ago. Tobin, who had cancer, received an emergency operation after falling and breaking a hip at HMP Edinburgh at the end of August – but died before plans to return him to an adapted prison cell.
A source said: “The police made repeated attempts to encourage Tobin to share any information he had. Sadly all attempts were unsuccessful.”
Tobin had been refusing food and medication at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where he’d been under constant prison guard. The Sunday Mail revealed an exclusive picture of him wasting away in a hospital bed in a private side room in the hospital.
It became clear on Friday night that his life was slipping away. Retired Strathclyde Police detective David Swindle, who led Operation Anagram which uncovered Tobin’s murderous trail, said: “No tears will be shed for Tobin.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Laura Thomson said: “Recent attempts to encourage him to do the right thing and share any knowledge he may have which could assist the police were unsuccessful.”
Vicky Hamilton’s family said Tobin “does not deserve any more of their thoughts”.
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