John Childs

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For the English cricketer, see John Childs (cricketer). For John Childs the Aviator see John Childs (aviator).

John Childs is an English serial killer who murdered six people between 1974 and 1978.

Childs was a professional criminal and contract killer, although he surpassed many gangland hitmen in sheer brutality. One victim was shot three times and then stabbed with a sword, while another was battered with an axe and a lead pipe before being strangled.

One unsuspecting victim, lured to a factory, turned up with his 10-year-old son. Ignoring the unwritten rule that gangsters supposedly refrained from hurting women and children, Childs shot both father and son dead.

The remains of Childs's victims were never found: he dismembered the bodies and burned them in the fireplace of his London home.

Childs was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1980 and remains in prison. It is suspected that he is on a whole life tariff, and it has been rumoured that he is one of several prisoners recommended for this term whose tariffs have not been made public.

Childs testified against two alleged accomplices — Terry Pinfold and Harry Mackenney — who were also sentenced to life imprisonment. In 2003 they were released after their convictions were quashed on appeal.