A Broadmoor patient who spent a decade inside the high-security psychiatric hospital said one criminal was more disruptive than the Yorkshire Ripper. Paul Knight was sent to Broadmoor in 2002 after attacking a doctor in Bristol prison’s healthcare wing and being charged with grievous bodily harm.
Despite being shocked to hear Broadmoor nurses were coming to assess him for a place he believed was reserved for « unhinged serial killers », Knight spent 10 years in the institution, after being deemed to have a violent reputation against inmates, patients and staff in prison and psychiatric units.
He told the Daily Mail it was « normal » to become friends with double murderers, and he had even become pals with the violent criminal Charles Bronson, who was convicted of armed robberies and further sentenced for attacks on inmates and guards.
He often sat next to the evil serial killer Sutcliffe during visiting hours, who killed thirteen women and attempted to murder seven more between 1975 and 1980 across Yorkshire and north-west England.
Despite being in close proximity to the ripper, an Islamist terrorist and follower of Imam Abu Hamza, Haroon Rashid Aswat, « stands out » in Knight’s mind. Aswat was sent to the secure hospital in 2008 suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
« They [the authorities] were throwing a load of terrorists in there, » Knight said. « He stands out because he was always crazy, running around, getting bent up by the screws in there. It was nice when he was taken off for a bit as we’d get some peace and quiet when he was in seclusion. »
Knight, who now lives in East London, was also shocked that several female admirers came to visit the Yorkshire Ripper after the heinous crimes he had committed. He claimed several came to Broadmoor to ask him about his life.
Despite saying the boredom became painful, patients had many amenities, like a TV, a Nintendo Wii, books and a snooker table. On their birthdays, they were even given a cake to share around.
On a normal day, the patients were awoken at 8am, given one hour outside, and had to spend time in the day room with others.
Knight was freed in 2012 and struggled at first adjusting to society after years of being institutionalised. He got married just three years after being released in 2015, and he is now a stepfather to his wife’s two children.
He has since written a book about his experience, called High Security High Risk: Memoirs Of An Ex Broadmoor Patient.
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