Andrew Dawson killed two neighbors in 2010 after being released. Decades earlier, he murdered a shopkeeper in 1981.
Andrew Dawson stabbed John Matthews and Paul Hancock. He lived in the same Derby flats and put their bodies in a bathtub. He was on license from prison then.
In 1981, Dawson killed Henry Walsh. Walsh was a 91-year-old shopkeeper. The ITV show explores these crimes and streams on ITVX in “Murder: First on Scene.”
Dawson was born in Ormskirk in 1962. He had five siblings and got in trouble young. He started using glue at 13.
Police investigated Walsh’s death in 1981. Walsh lived and worked on Moor Street, and his daughter-in-law found his body. He had faced attacks before.
Dawson was charged with murder. He was 18 and from Sephton Drive. The court sentenced him to life for Walsh’s murder; he stabbed Walsh 11 times.
Walsh was alone in his shop and supposedly hid money there. Dawson skipped work and spent money on drink. Then he decided to rob the shop.
Walsh recognized Dawson. Dawson panicked and grabbed a knife, stabbing Walsh and leaving it there. Dawson stole change and Walsh’s pension book.
Dawson tied Walsh’s neck too. He said he was sorry in his statement and claimed he panicked and wished it was him.
Dawson was freed from prison in 1999 and moved to Derby. In 2010, he lived in a Chaddesden flat. He murdered his neighbors that summer.
John Matthews’ body was found July 25. Paul Hancock’s body was found July 30. Dawson put the bodies in water, trying to hide the smell.
Police suspected Dawson after finding Matthews. They caught Dawson in Cumbria. He had knives and a survival kit. Police thought he would kill again.
Hancock lived above Matthews. Dawson stabbed him 22 times. He left a rose and a note and wrote he would do Matthews’ laundry.
His handwriting matched a confession note. It called him the “Angel of Mercy.” Dawson admitted murder at his trial and received another life sentence.
A detective said Dawson showed no remorse. Dawson blamed others for his actions. His brother urged the prison to keep him locked up.
His brother thought Dawson might kill himself, or he would attack another inmate. He called him pure evil.
The inquest into Matthews and Hancock’s deaths occurred in 2022. Agencies involved in Dawson’s case testified.
The coroner said Dawson went back to prison three times before 2007. Moving Dawson seemed to be a professional decision. No one’s actions caused the murders.
The coroner said mistakes led to Dawson’s earlier murder of Walsh. It seemed a burglary gone wrong though it seemed planned.