Episode 619: Peter Bryan

Nov 18, 2024

Dive into the chilling case of Peter Bryan, a man with a turbulent upbringing who became a notorious cannibal. Explore the shocking events leading to his third murder in a supposedly secure psychiatric hospital. The discussion analyzes the failures of the mental health system that allowed him to slip through the cracks. Prepare for a reflection on the complexities of mental illness, crime, and the profound implications for public safety. This dark narrative intertwines serious themes with lighter moments, creating a compelling blend of horror and insight.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Nisha Sheth's Murder

Peter Bryan, after a supposed intimate relationship with Nisha Sheth, attacked her and her 12-year-old brother with a hammer.
Nisha died from her injuries, and Bryan was later arrested after attempting suicide.

ANECDOTE

Bryan's Delusional Account

While hospitalized, Bryan claimed Nisha wanted him to kill her and that he had the hammer coincidentally.
Her brother refuted this, stating she screamed in terror, and doctors noted Bryan's fragmented, delusional thinking.

INSIGHT

Systemic Failure

Despite violent behavior at Rampton Hospital, Bryan was deemed fit for release after almost 10 years.
This highlights a critical failure of the mental health system in assessing his dangerousness.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

On April 25, 2004, Broadmoor Hospital inmate Peter Bryan attacked a killed fellow inmate Richard Loudwell, a man awaiting sentencing for the murder of an eighty-two-year-old woman. The fact that the murder occurred in England’s most famous and supposedly secure psychiatric hospital was shocking, but more shocking was that this was Bryan’s third murder, and the second in as many months. Indeed, just two months earlier, while he was under the care of doctors and social workers in an open in-patient mental health hospital, Bryan left the facility in February and a few hours later he’d killed, dismembered, and partially cannibalized forty-three-year-old Brian Cherry.

Peter Bryan’s murders were highly sensationalized by the press, particularly the tabloids, who fueled the ongoing moral panic over the abysmal state of England’s mental health system. While the reporting did little more than exacerbate the public’s growing anger with the government, they nonetheless highlighted a very important question everyone wanted answered: How was a man with Bryan’s mental health and criminal history able to get released institutional care, and moreover, why was he not under surveillance when he murdered a third time—this time in heavily guarded psychiatric hospital?

References

Bennetto, Jason. 2005. "Care in the community patient sought `buzz' from killing and eating his victims." The Independent, March 16.

Bowcott, Owen. 2009. "Cannibal who killed three had seemed normal, NHS finds." The Guardian, September 3.

Chelsea News. 1994. "Grudge ended in murder." Chelsea News, March 3: 1.

Cheston, Paul. 2005. "Cannibal set free to kill in London." London Evening Standard, March 15.

Feller, Grant. 1993. "Police hunt evil King's Road murderer." Chelsea News, March 24: 3.

Garvey, Geoff, and Peter Dobbie. 1993. "Girl battered to death in King's Road." Evening Standard (London, England), March 19: 73.

Mishcon, Jane, Tim Exworthy, Stuart Wix, and Mike Lindsay. 2009. Independent Inquiry into the Care and Treatment of Peter Bryan - Part I. Mental Health Treatment Review, London, England: National Health Service (NHS).

Raif, Shenai, and Andrew Barrow. 2005. "Triple-killer 'cannibal' told: you'll never be freed." The Independent, March 14.

Tendler, Stewart, and Laura Peek. 2004. "Cannibal fears after body found cut apart." The Times (London, England), February 19.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.