John Straffen
longest-serving prisoner in British legal history
Active for 2 years
(1951-1952) in United Kingdom
3
CONFIRMED
VICTIMS
3
POSSIBLE
VICTIMS
Jump to:
- Summary
- Serial Killer Profile
- Serial Killer Type
- General Information
- Characteristics
- Childhood
- Cognitive Ability
- Incarceration
- Death
- 12 Timeline Events
- Serial Killers Active During Spree
- Boolean Statistical Questions
- 7 Books Written About John Straffen
- 5 External References
- Internal References
John Straffen (John Thomas Straffen) an English serial killer who killed two young girls in the summer of 1951. Straffen killed his third victim after escaping from the mental hospital where he was being held for the first two murders. Straffen's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment at Frankland Prison in County Durham, England. John Straffen died at Frankland Prison in 2007 at the age of seventy-seven. He had been in prison for a British record of fifty-five years and is currently the longest-serving prisoner in British legal history. Straffen taking the record from fellow serial killer Ian Brady.
John Straffen Serial Killer Profile
Serial Killer John Straffen (aka) longest-serving prisoner in British legal history, was active for 2 years between 1951-1952, known to have ( 3 confirmed / 3 possible ) victims. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: United Kingdom
John Straffen was born on February 27th 1930 in Bordon Camp, Hampshire, England. He was born 3rd of 3 children and raised by both parents. He was raised as a youngest child and had two older brothers or sisters. His father, John Straffen Sr, a soldier in the British Army. His mother, unnamed, homemaker. He had a head injury as well as a physically defect. During his education he had academic, social or discipline problems.
John Straffen a heterosexual male citizen of the United Kingdom. He took an intelligence quotient test before or after his crimes, John Straffen had an IQ of 64. He completed 9 years of school, no degree received. He never married. He had no children.
Prior to his spree he had commited crimes, served time in jail, and served time in prison. He saw a psychologist and spent time in a Forensic Hospital.
In 1951 (Age 20/21) John Straffen started his killing spree, during his crimes as a serial killer he was known to strangle, and murder his victims. He was known to kill at the home of the victim. At the time of his crimes he was living with his parents until (Age 10), residential school until (Age 16), alone until (Age 17) in custody until adulthood.
He was arrested on August 9th 1951 (Age 21), convicted on October 17th 1951 (Age 21), sentenced to death, commuted to life imprisonment at Frankland Prison in County Durham, England. He was convicted on charges of murder and other possible charges during his lifetime.
John Straffen died on November 19th 2007 (Age 77), cause of death: natural causes at Frankland Prison in County Durham, England.
Profile Completeness: 99%
serial killers by profile completenessJohn Straffen has been listed on Killer.Cloud since November of 2016 and was last updated 5 years ago.
John Straffen a known:
( 651 killers ) SERIAL KILLER
The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events. Serial Killer as defined by the FBI at the 2005 symposium.
( 251 killers ) STRANGLER
Strangulation is death by compressing the neck until the supply of oxygen is cut off. Stranglers kill by Strangulation.
John Straffen
Serial Killer Profile:
Updated: 2019-06-22 Collected by Killer.Cloud
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Name: | John Straffen |
| Nickname: | longest-serving prisoner in British legal history |
| Victims: | 3 - 3 |
| Years Active: | 1951 - 1952 |
| Ages Active: | 20/21 - 21/22 |
| Active Countries: | United Kingdom |
| Convicted Of: | murder |
| Life Span: | 1930 - 2007 |
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Citizenship: | United Kingdom |
| Sexual Preference: | heterosexual |
| Astrological Sign: | ♓ Pisces Feb 18 - Mar 20 |
| Birth Month: | February |
| Marital Status: | never married |
| Children: | no children |
| Living With: | his parents until (Age 10), residential school until (Age 16), alone until (Age 17) in custody until adulthood |
| Childhood Information | |
|---|---|
| D.O.B.: | Feb 27, 1930 |
| Given Name: | John |
| Birth Location: | Bordon Camp, Hampshire, England |
| Birth Order: | 3rd of 3 |
| Siblings: | two older brothers or sisters |
| Raised By: | both parents |
| Birth Category: | youngest child |
| Mother: | unnamed, homemaker |
| Father: | John Straffen Sr, a soldier in the British Army |
| Cognitive Ability | |
|---|---|
| IQ: | 64 |
| Highest School: | 9 years of school |
| Highest Degree: | no degree received |
| Incarceration | |
|---|---|
| Arrested: | Aug 9, 1951 (Age 21) |
| Convicted: | Oct 17, 1951 (Age 21) |
| Sentence: | death, commuted to life imprisonment |
| Prison Location: | Frankland Prison in County Durham, England |
| Executed: | N/A |
| Previous Crimes: | TRUE |
| Previous Jail: | TRUE |
| Previous Prison: | TRUE |
| Death Information | |
|---|---|
| Death Date: | Nov 19, 2007 (Age 77) |
| Cause of Death: | natural causes |
| Death Location: | Frankland Prison in County Durham, England |
| Killed In Prison: | FALSE |
| Suicide: | FALSE |
12 Timeline Events of Serial Killer
John Straffen
The 12 dates listed below represent a timeline of the life and crimes of serial killer John Straffen. A complete collection of serial killer events can be found on our Serial Killer Timeline.
| Date | Event Description |
|---|---|
| Feb 27 1930 | John Straffen was born in Bordon Camp, Hampshire, England. #19300227 |
| Feb 27 1950 (Age 20) | 20th Birthday |
| 1951 (Age 20/21) | John Straffen started his serial killing spree. #1951 |
| Aug 09 1951 (Age 21) | John Straffen arrested. #19510809 |
| Oct 17 1951 (Age 21) | John Straffen was convictedand sentenced to death, commuted to life imprisonment at Frankland Prison in County Durham, England. #19511017 |
| 1952 (Age 21/22) | John Straffen ended his serial killing spree. #1952 |
| Feb 27 1960 (Age 30) | 30th Birthday |
| Feb 27 1970 (Age 40) | 40th Birthday |
| Feb 27 1980 (Age 50) | 50th Birthday |
| Feb 27 1990 (Age 60) | 60th Birthday |
| Feb 27 2000 (Age 70) | 70th Birthday |
| Nov 19 2007 (Age 77) | John Straffendied.cause of death:natural causesat Frankland Prison in County Durham, England. #20071119 |
Back to top Serial Killers Active During
The following serial killers were active during the same time span as John Straffen (1951-1952).
Serial Killers By Active Year
| 40 / 40 ANSWEREDSerial Killer Boolean Questions: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killer Question | Killer Answer | Total Answered | ||
| problems in school | TRUE | 221 | ||
| physically defect | TRUE | 300 | ||
| head injury | TRUE | 299 | ||
| psychologist | TRUE | 258 | ||
| forensic hospital | TRUE | 257 | ||
| previous crimes | TRUE | 367 | ||
| previous jail | TRUE | 352 | ||
| previous prision | TRUE | 336 | ||
| kill at victims home | TRUE | 323 | ||
| strangle | TRUE | 443 | ||
| living with children | FALSE | 268 | ||
| suicide | FALSE | 225 | ||
| killed in prison | FALSE | 218 | ||
| father drug abuse | FALSE | 192 | ||
| mother drug abuse | FALSE | 195 | ||
| xyy | FALSE | 81 | ||
| teased in school | FALSE | 218 | ||
| speach defect | FALSE | 300 | ||
| physically abused | FALSE | 231 | ||
| psychologically abused | FALSE | 224 | ||
| sexually abused | FALSE | 226 | ||
| drug abuse | FALSE | 226 | ||
| alcohol abuse | FALSE | 226 | ||
| previous killed | FALSE | 208 | ||
| kill at killers home | FALSE | 320 | ||
| used weapon | FALSE | 453 | ||
| used gun | FALSE | 451 | ||
| rape | FALSE | 453 | ||
| torture | FALSE | 426 | ||
| stalk | FALSE | 418 | ||
| blindfold | FALSE | 363 | ||
| bound | FALSE | 406 | ||
| sex with body | FALSE | 430 | ||
| mutilated | FALSE | 447 | ||
| ate part of body | FALSE | 451 | ||
| drank blood | FALSE | 442 | ||
| posed body | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem body part | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem personal item | FALSE | 354 | ||
| robbed | FALSE | 418 | ||
Books that Mention John Straffen
Kevin Smith
Serial Killer Stranglers
RJ Parker
Serial Killers Encyclopedia
John Van der Kiste
Somerset Murders
Gordon Lowe
Escape from Broadmoor
Kate Kray
Killers
S. Cross
Mediating Madness
Nigel Wier
British Serial Killers
7 Books that mention Serial Killer
John Straffen
| ISBN10 | Book Title | Author | Killers Mentioned | Killers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1733630600 | Serial Killer Stranglers | Kevin Smith | 164 Total Including Juana Barraza | 164 |
| 1494772167 | Serial Killers Encycloped... | RJ Parker | 34 Total Including Pedro Rodrigues Filho | 34 |
| 0752484311 | Somerset Murders | John Van der Kiste | John Straffen | 1 |
| 0752492926 | Escape from Broadmoor | Gordon Lowe | John Straffen | 1 |
| 1784185264 | Killers | Kate Kray | John Straffen | 1 |
| 0230276075 | Mediating Madness | S. Cross | John Straffen | 1 |
| 1467881406 | British Serial Killers | Nigel Wier | 8 Total Including Michael Lupo | 8 |
John Thomas Straffen (27 February 1930 – 19 November 2007) was an English serial killer who was the longest-serving prisoner in British legal history. Straffen killed two young girls in the summer of 1951. He was found to be unfit to plead and committed to Broadmoor Hospital; during a brief escape in 1952, he killed again.
External References
- John Straffen on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
- Juan Ignacio Blanco, John Thomas STRAFFEN on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
- Eric Morgner, John Straffen on maamodt.asp.radford.edu, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
- Q4357603 on www.wikidata.org, Retrieved on Oct 11, 2018.
- Bob Woffinden, Obituary: John Straffen on www.theguardian.com, Retrieved on Jan 21, 2019.
Internal References
John Straffen is included in the following pages on Killer.Cloud the Serial Killer Database
- #6 of 651[ Page 1 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
- #34 of 38[ Page 3 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in February
- #37 of 40[ Page 3 ] of Pisces Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #46 of 62[ Page 4 ] of Serial Killers active in the United Kingdom
- #72 of 72[ Page 5 ] of serial killers sorted by IQ Level
- #209 of 250[ Page 14 ] of Serial Killer Stranglers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #437 of 651[ Page 30 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
- #540 of 651[ Page 36 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #569 of 651[ Page 38 ] of the A-Z List of Serial Killers
- Statistics:
- Serial Killers Statistics, charts John Straffen is included in: Active Serial Killers by Country, Serial Killers By Gender, Age of Serial Killer by Date, Killers By Astrological Sign, Killers By Birth Month, Serial Killers IQ Level, Years of School Completed, Highest Degree Achieved, Sexual Preference, Birth Category, Active Serial Killers by Year and Statistical Boolean Questions.
- Years Active: