Andrew Dawson is a convicted serial killer whose crime spree began in 1981 and ended in 2010, during which time he killed three people before being jailed for good
Andrew Dawson is a convicted serial killer whose crimes are being examined in ITV’s Tracking a Serial Killer tonight. Dawson murdered three people in the UK, dubbing himself the “Angel of Mercy” in a letter.
Dawson, now 62, was said to have drawn inspiration from Raoul Moat who shot his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobartt on July 3, 2010, after fatally shooting her new partner, Chris Brown. Just a day later, Moat attacked police officer David Rathband.
He was left blinded by the attack and committed suicide two years later. The string of horrific crimes led the police to mobilise 160 officers to find Moat, though the search ended when he took his own life on July 10.
It is thought that Moat’s actions may have inspired Dawson’s horrifying murders, which will play out in ITV1’s Tracking a Serial Killer: True Crime Presents. Born in 1962 in Ormskirk, Lancashire, Dawson’s first murder took place when he was just 19-years-old after killing a 91-year-old shopkeeper.
Henry Walsh died as a result of the attack, with forensics showing he had been stabbed eleven times. Dawson was jailed in 1982, before being released in 1999.
Dawson’s crimes didn’t end there, with him being jailed three more times between 2003 and 2007. Eventually he was released in 2008.
After leaving prison, Dawson was moved to a probation hostel before being transferred to supported accommodation. He eventually was allowed to live in a private residence, but his landlord, Artell Black, said Dawson was a problematic tenant.
According to Black, Dawson was a “risk to the community” and frequently aggravated other residents. Dawson was arrested and charged for shoving Artell in the chest but did not face a prison sentence because of the low level of the offence.
Dawson’s most prolific crimes came in 2010, after John David Matthews was found stabbed to death in his flat in Chaddesden, Derby on July 25, 2010. Paul Hancock was found dead in the same area, just five days later.
Both men were placed in their bathtubs by Dawson, in an attempt to conceal their bodies. Dawson was arrested on the same day that John’s body was found.
When he was arrested, his apartment was searched which uncovered a letter written by the killer. The letter seemed to contain a confession and was signed “Yours, the Angel of Mercy”.
Detective Inspector Paul Callum said: “Dawson has shown no remorse for his actions and has simply sought to blame anyone he can for the direction his life has taken. These were cold, calculated and savage acts. He has shown a degree of thought and planning and sought to conceal and destroy evidence where he could.
“He has stretched out this process unnecessarily for the families of those men that died for no reason and I would like to express my sympathies for the loss of their loved ones.”
After a long court trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order.
