A former wife of the notorious serial killer Peter Tobin has said she is relieved at the news of his death. The murderer, rapist and paedophile died in hospital on Saturday aged 76 after becoming unwell at HMP Edinburgh, where he was serving three life sentences.
Detectives have long suspected Tobin had more victims, but the killer refused to admit to any more murders despite officers questioning him on his deathbed. Cathy Wilson, 52, told the Sunday Mirror : “He was a monster and there is a feeling of relief that he is now dead.”
Ms Wilson, who reportedly met Tobin when she was 16 and is said to have been his third wife, told the publication her late ex-husband enjoyed having power and control, and treated her like a slave. While she said she was glad he was dead, she added: “Everyone knows there were other victims, and he could have made all the difference in the world to grieving families who still don’t know for sure what happened to their loved ones.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Laura Thomson, head of major crime at Police Scotland, said the final attempts to encourage Tobin to “do the right thing and share any knowledge he may have which could assist the police were unsuccessful”. She said: “While we have no current lines of investigation into Peter Tobin, we welcome any information in relation to his activities.”
Former Strathclyde Police detective David Swindle, who led the investigation into Tobin, said he had no doubt the serial killer had murdered more people. Speaking to the BBC, he described Tobin as “pure evil”, adding: “This is a coward who has taken his secrets to the grave.”
The Sunday Mail previously reported Tobin had cancer and had fallen and broken his hip and was refusing food and medication. Last month a photo was circulated of Tobin “chained to a hospital bed” in a hospital gown, looking frail and appearing seriously ill.
Tobin was serving a life sentence for raping and murdering Polish student Angelika Kluk, 23, and hiding her body under the floor of a Glasgow church in 2006. The killer was also serving life terms for the murders of 15-year-old schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton, of Redding, near Falkirk, in 1991, and 18-year-old Dinah McNicol the same year. Their bodies were found 17 years later, buried in the garden of one of his former homes, in Margate, Kent.
Police believe Tobin was responsible for the murders of other women because he had at least 40 aliases and 150 cars during his lifetime. Earlier, the family of Vicky Hamilton said they no longer wished to talk about Tobin.
The statement from siblings Sharon, Lee and Lindsay on Facebook read: “We remember Vicky, we remember her laughter, her smile and we want to keep that memory after all the years of having no idea what had happened to her, followed by the heartbreak of losing our mum not long after Vicky went missing. He does not deserve any more of our families' thoughts.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed officers had attended the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at 6.04am following the death of a 76-year-old man, adding: “The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
The Scottish Prison Service declined to comment.
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