THE imposing Victorian walls have held some of Britain’s worst murderers, rapists, and criminals - including Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and Ronnie Kray.
But tales about what life is really like inside Broadmoor are almost as rare as successful escapes.
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But now, one man who worked inside the heart of the hospital for over two decades has revealed to The Sun just what it was like to come face to face with those who committed unspeakable crimes, day in, day out.
Neil Wheatcroft, now aged 73, worked at Broadmoor between 1987 and 2009, first as the hospital’s head chef, and then as a nursing assistant.
“You became cold to the things that happen. Gratuitous violence was nothing,” told Neil.
“The things we’ve seen and witnessed, the patients that arrive, you read their notes and about what they’ve done.
“You had, for example, a patient that cut off a policeman’s arm, took his head off, put it in a Tesco’s bag, and cooked the arm just to see what it would taste like.
“One minute you read about it - the next minute you’re standing opposite them.”
First opened in 1863 as Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, to this day it remains the most well-known high security psychiatric hospital in England.
Other notable patients include serial killer Robert Maudsley, nicknamed “Hannibal the Cannibal”, Charles Bronson, dubbed Britain’s “most violent prisoner”, and Kenneth Erskine - a.k.a. the Stockwell Strangler.
Paedophile entertainer Jimmy Savile was a regular visitor, and bosses even gave him his own set of keys - yet we now know he abused dozens of patients.
But to Neil, crossing paths with evil was just another day on the job.
A series of phone conversations with Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe made during his time in prison
“My family could never understand how I could work there and come home like nothing had happened,” he said.
“There was another one - I can’t remember his name - who ate somebody. They used to call him Peckish. He would have eaten anybody.
“Others would have slit their throats with anything they could find.”
Ripper's 'dinner parties'
The Yorkshire Ripper brutally murdered at least 13 women between 1975 and 1980 and was sent to Broadmoor in 1985, after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
But, as Neil recounts, his life in Broadmoor wasn’t as stark as many might imagine - despite face the occasional attack from other inmates.
Sutcliffe would often hold “after hours” evening dinner specials on his ward, along with others in his crew.
It made a welcome change from the usual food they were given, with treats like barbecued smoked chicken, steak ribs, and chips on offer - paid for out of their own pocket.
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Even here, at the dinner table, he was able to strike fear into the heart of seasoned staff at Broadmoor.
“From the very first meal I did with my colleague, you would look across the room and see him sitting round the dinner table - and he’s looking back at you,” recounted Neil.
“There’s absolutely nothing behind his eyes. They were black like death, and not one bit of emotion.
“There are a lot of prisoners in there who have done bad things - but he stood out.
“The others at that table were more affable and appreciative."
Bizarrely, despite his horrendous crimes, the serial killer had a legion of female fans who would regularly write him letters.
And sometimes, they’d even come to Broadmoor to meet him in the flesh.
We always used to liken it to the scene in the Italian Job, when Mr Bridger comes down the stairs - that was the aura he had
Neal Wheatcroft
“He had visits, and used to get women truck drivers coming onto the ward,” recalled Neil.
“He just sat and talked. It was strange - why would an ordinary woman want to go out with a murderer?"
Wedding feast
Sutcliffe is far from the only long term resident of Broadmoor to have entertained romance while living behind bars.
Ronnie Kray, the notorious East End gangster, was convicted along with his twin Reggie for the murders of George Cornell and Jack ‘The Hat’ McVitie in 1969, and sentenced to life with a minimum of 30 years.
A decade later, Ronnie was diagnosed with schizophrenia and transferred to Broadmoor where he lived until his death in 1995 from a heart attack, aged 61.
Being who he was, he had quite the reputation among both patients and staff - and never let standards slack, recalled Neil.
“We always used to liken it to the scene in the Italian Job, when Mr Bridger comes down the stairs,” Neil said.
“That was the aura he had.
“The others would slob about in tracksuit bottoms, but he was always dressed in pristine suits and really smart.”
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But Ronnie’s mind wasn’t always as put together as his outfits.
“He would be lucid one day, and then black in the next.
“He had a very, very quick fuse, but it would be equally quick going.”
Despite these outbursts, Ronnie ended up marrying twice while locked up.
His first, in 1985, was to Elaine Mildener, though the couple divorced in 1989.
The second was to Kate Howard, who was 23 years his junior.
He sent me a list - on it was quail’s eggs, dressed ham, and jellied eels
They wed the same year as his divorce from his first wife, tying the knot in a romantic ceremony in the hospital's chapel.
But it was down to Neil to look after the celebrations that followed.
“He said, what can you give me? And I just said, well, it’s your day - what do you want?,” said Neil as he recalled organising his wedding feat.
“He sent me a list - on it was quails' eggs, dressed ham and jellied eels. We also did a whole salmon dressed on a blue aspic base.”
Broadmoor boyfriends
He added: “There were about 14 or 15 people there, and a lot of staff. His brothers came in from various establishments.
“They came under escort, would be escorted onto the chapel, and then the reception was up in one of the rooms.
“The wedding was paid upfront - he wasn’t short of money.”
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Broadmoor staff even discovered a business card in 1985 which revealed that the twins, from separate institutions, were operating a “bodyguard and protection” business for Hollywood stars while locked up.
Ronnie’s second marriage also ended in divorce five years later, and he passed away in 1995.
Being such a character and having lived in Broadmoor for so long, his death hit hard for a lot of the other patients.
They were losing a friend - and in some cases, a boyfriend, remembered Neil.
Ronnie Kray, who was bisexual, enjoyed same-sex relationships with others in Broadmoor even while married, though all visits were supervised by staff.
“There was only one that was sort of special, though,” said Neil.
“And I’m almost sure his bride knew as well.”
Daring escape
While Ronnie became accustomed to life on the inside, others had their mind focussed on escape.
Broadmoor, famously, was surrounded by air-raid sirens that were installed to warn locals if someone had made it out
Their frightening howl became a weekly staple for residents living in towns nearby, as the klaxons would be tested every Monday morning.
He was actually planning his escape - right down to the finest details
Neil Wheatcroft
But when the sirens sounded one day in 1991, it wasn’t a routine test - a child rapist was on the loose.
James Saunders was sentenced to life in 1985 after being convicted for the rape of two girls aged 11 and 15.
But he was clever - and devised a complicated plan to ensure others were distracted while he made his way to the outside.
“The one that went over the wall wanted to organise a pizza making event in the central hall, on Saturday night,” said Neil.
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“All the time this was happening, he was actually planning his escape - right down to the finest details.
“So, on the Saturday night when we’d put staff members in the hall to dish out the dough so they could have this competition, he was on his way getting ready to go over the wall.
“He’d arranged it purely for the fact that it would mean most people were in the central hall.”
Saunders - who was given the nickname “Wolfman” after living in the wild for three weeks after his escape - then managed to run across the courtyard and over two 20ft high walls to make his getaway.
“When the alarms go off at four o’clock in the morning, and then you realise it’s not Monday morning, you just think - oh bugger,” said Neil.
“Everybody had to go up to Broadmoor to sign in and be told where you had to go.
“I was on shift from half past four until half past two the next morning.”
Notorious inmates past and present
BROADMOOR is has housed hundreds of dangerous criminals over the years. Here are some of the other notorious inmates who've spent time inside its walls.
- Ian Ball tried to kidnap Princess Anne in 1974 while her car was on route to Buckingham Palace. He wanted to hold her for ransom and planned to donate the £3million to the NHS, apparently, he felt mental health services were not good enough.
- Robert Napper was convicted of murdering young mum Rachel Nickel on Wimbledon Common in July 1992 in front of her young son Alex. He was also previously convicted of the double murder of Samantha Bisset and her daughter Jazmine in 1993. Napper is thought to be the Green Chain Rapist who carried out at least 70 attacks over a four year period.
- Charles Bronson, also known as Charles Salvador, is often dubbed as Britain's "most violent prisoner". Infamously, while at Broadmoor he staged a three day protest on the roof, causing £250,000 worth of damage.
- Neo-nazi David Copeland, known as the "London nail bomber", killed three and injured 79 in a series of attacks with homemade nail bombs in the capital across three successive weekends in April 1999. On his diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, he was committed to Broadmoor, although his plea of manslaughter by diminished responsibility was not accepted by the jury.
- Daniel Gonzalez, then 25, murdered four people and injured two across two days in London and Sussex in September 2004. While at Broadmoor awaiting trial, he tried to bite himself to death and was so violent that he was accompanied by officers in riot gear everywhere. He was jailed for life in 2006 and then killed himself in Broadmoor Hospital the year after.
- Peter Bryan from London killed three people while on release from various mental hospitals. Once detained at Broadmoor, Bryan killed fellow patient Richard Loudwell, 59, and planned to eat him. Bryan is still at Broadmoor and is unlikely to ever be released.
Hundreds of cops descended on the area, with some even coming from as far as Aylesbury.
But as it turned out, Saunders had in fact made it all the way to Dorset.
He was eventually spotted by a policeman walking along a road, with a fishing rod and blanket in hand.
Held in Broadmoor ever since, in 2010 a nurse was alleged to have had sexual relations with him in the laundry room.
