Peter Moore

Case overview

Peter Moore (born 1940) was a Welsh serial killer who murdered four men in 1995. He stabbed to death and mutilated four men “for fun” between September and December 1995. He received four life sentences and was sentenced to life imprisonment in November 1996. No victims beyond the four he admitted have been suggested by police.

Timeline

• September 1995 — Henry Roberts, 56-year-old homosexual man, was stabbed to death at his home in Anglesey.
• October 1995 — Edward Carthy, 28, was stabbed and buried in a forest after meeting Moore in a gay bar; the killing took place in Clocaenog Forest.
• November 1995 — Keith Randles, 49, was stabbed to death while he slept in his caravan at road works on the A5 in Anglesey.
• December 1995 — Anthony Davies, 40, was stabbed to death at Pensarn Beach, Abergele.

The offence

Moore ran a theatre in north Wales and fixated on “Jason Voorhies” from the Friday the 13th movie series. During his trial, he told the jury that the crimes were committed by a homosexual lover he nicknamed “Jason” after the killer in the Friday the 13th horror films.

Moore killed and mutilated four adult men and committed the killings “for fun.” Police and court descriptions included that he attacked more than 50 other men, and the judge at his murder trial described the pattern as “20 years of terror.”

The victims were:

• Henry Roberts, 56, a homosexual who lived in Anglesey, who was stabbed to death in September 1995.
• Edward Carthy, 28, who Moore met in a gay bar; Carthy was stabbed to death in Clocaenog Forest in October 1995 and was buried there.
• Keith Randles, 49, a traffic manager; Randles was stabbed to death in November 1995 on the A5 road in Anglesey while he slept in his caravan at road works.
• Anthony Davies, 40, who was stabbed to death at Pensarn Beach, Abergele in December 1995.

Trial

During his trial, Moore told the jury the crimes were committed by a homosexual lover he nicknamed “Jason” after the killer in the Friday the 13th horror films.

The jury found him guilty on all counts.

Sentencing

Moore was sentenced to life imprisonment in November 1996. He received four life sentences for murdering Henry Roberts, Edward Carthy, Keith Randles, and Anthony Davies.

The Home Secretary later recommended that he was never released.

Appeals

In June 2008, the High Court told Moore that he would spend the rest of his life in prison.

On 3 March 2011 it was reported that Moore would challenge the ruling in the European Court of Human Rights, with a view to having his sentence quashed and such sentences outlawed throughout Europe.

Investigation and police interaction

Moore told police there was “a certain enjoyment” in the killing.

When Keith Randles begged to know why he was being attacked after Moore dragged him from his caravan and started stabbing him, Moore replied: “For fun.”

Imprisonment and later events

During his time in Wakefield Prison, Moore befriended Harold Shipman, the serial killer and former GP who hanged himself in January 2004.

Civil litigation and compensation claims

• In July 2000, Moore lost his fight to win £160,000 damages from North Wales Police. He accused police of failing to protect his home following his arrest in 1995.
  • A district judge at Leeds Court agreed the case should be struck out on the grounds that Moore had no realistic chance of winning it at trial. Moore appeared in court flanked by heavy security and did not have legal representation.
• In 1999, Moore won nearly £13,000 compensation from a couple he claimed had stolen contents of his home, including garden gnomes.
• In connection with a later damages claim at court, Moore sued Lesley Bradshaw and Pauline Prydderch over the alleged disappearance of furnishings and other personal items from his home in Kinmel Bay, north Wales. A judge adjourned the hearing to Leeds, and the judge warned Moore that he was unlikely to succeed with his then-current claim of £50,000 because he was claiming for the value of the goods as new rather than as second-hand items.
• On 19 July 2001, Moore lost his fight to win £160,000 damages from North Wales Police. A district judge sitting behind closed doors at Leeds Combined Court agreed the case should be struck out on the grounds that Moore had no realistic chance of winning it at trial. Moore appeared flanked by heavy security and did not have legal representation.
• The compensation claims and civil proceedings described Moore as a former cinema manager from Rhyl and as a person who claimed that neighbours Les Bradshaw and Pauline Prydderch abused an offer to become caretaker of his property by selling his belongings at car boot sales.

Other details

Moore was born in 1940 in Kinmel Bay, in Conwy, Wales. He had operated a theatre in north Wales and was described as the “gay serial killer” after killing four men in 1995, three of whom were homosexuals.

Moore appeared in court flanked by five prison officers at one appearance at Mold law courts, where the hearing was adjourned to Leeds Crown Court. He was described as wearing a blue open-necked, short-sleeved blue shirt and jeans and being handcuffed as he was brought up the stairs, after which the handcuffs were taken off during the hearing, which lasted about 15 minutes.