PAUL FITZGERALD AND HIS SHOCKING CRIMES IN YORK

The disturbing history of Paul Fitzgerald, a notorious offender from York, reveals a pattern of depravity extending back to his early childhood. At just 12 years old, Fitzgerald committed his very first sexual offense in Northern Ireland, marking the beginning of a long and dark trajectory of violent and perverse acts.

Fitzgerald's criminal behavior escalated over the years, ultimately culminating in a brutal murder committed last year while he was incarcerated at Full Sutton Prison. During a violent assault on October 13, 2022, he murdered his fellow inmate, Richard Huckle, in a manner that shocked even seasoned law enforcement officials. Fitzgerald strangled Huckle with an electrical cable, then subjected him to sexual assault using a kitchen tool before stabbing him multiple times with a makeshift knife. The attack lasted approximately 80 minutes, during which Huckle suffered multiple injuries, including a stab wound to the neck and a grisly injury where a pen was forced into his nose and into his brain.

According to prison sources, Fitzgerald confessed to guards that he had intended to cook and eat parts of Huckle, as well as to commit similar acts on other inmates, describing his actions as “too much fun.” During sentencing, Fitzgerald described the attack as a form of “poetic justice,” citing Huckle’s infamous reputation as one of the UK’s most notorious paedophiles, having abused 191 children under his guise as a Christian teacher and freelance photographer. Huckle, who was serving 22 life sentences at the time, was murdered after targeted acts of horrifying abuse and deception.

Fitzgerald and Huckle shared some disturbing traits, including their early start in offending, targeting very young children, and maintaining journals that documented their depraved thoughts and misdeeds. In one diary entry, Fitzgerald proudly proclaimed, “I’m a paedophile and I’m the best.” This self-professed identity underscores his long-standing and unabashed commitment to his dark impulses.

The court heard that Fitzgerald’s criminal activities began at a young age. His first known offense was the sexual assault of a four-year-old child in 2004 when he was only 12. By age 13, he had been convicted and was already receiving threats from loyalist paramilitary groups due to his actions. Social services intervened, relocating him to Wales, where he was given a new identity. Despite this, Fitzgerald's criminal behavior persisted. In 2006, just two years after his relocation, he attacked a frail pensioner, further illustrating his pattern of violent offending.

Following that incident, Fitzgerald was detained in a hostel in West Yorkshire, where he was the sole inmate under constant supervision. His escape attempt came when he was left momentarily alone in the hostel’s kitchen, during which he threatened a dog walker with a fork and a jar of Vaseline, attempting to hold her hostage with the weapon. The woman managed to fight him off, and police soon apprehended Fitzgerald, who was found still carrying the fork and the jar.

A subsequent search of his room uncovered encrypted journals, which were deciphered thanks to a key Fitzgerald kept in the same space. These writings laid bare his disturbing fantasies, expressing desires to commit sexual assault on women and revealing his longstanding sexual deviance and paedophilia. In these entries, Fitzgerald wrote explicitly about his urges, including declarations such as “I love raping women” and a firm resolve that he would never cease reoffending.

In 2009, Fitzgerald was convicted on multiple charges, including assault and assault with intent to commit rape, leading to a sentence of nearly four years. It was recommended that he be detained indefinitely until deemed no longer a danger to society. His criminal record expanded further in 2016, when Richard Huckle’s heinous crimes came to light. Huckle’s offenses against children in Malaysia, where he traveled extensively, were so extensive that court proceedings took nearly an hour to read out. Huckle had even authored a guide for paedophiles on how to exploit children, justifying his actions by claiming that no one cared about these vulnerable victims. His abuse included a three-year-old girl, whom he claimed was “loyal” to him “as my dog” and expressed no remorse. Much of the evidence against him involved encrypted images and videos, some of which remained undeciphered by authorities.

Fitzgerald and Huckle’s paths crossed in the prison’s Delta wing, a wing designated for sex offenders and inmates struggling to adapt to prison life. Last year, Fitzgerald entered Huckle’s cell with the explicit intent to murder him and engage in cannibalistic acts. During his recent trial at Hull Crown Court, Fitzgerald admitted to planning the murder over the course of a week. He confessed to harboring “intrusive” thoughts of harming other prisoners but chose Huckle as his first victim because he was “having too much fun” with him.

Fitzgerald provided graphic details of the attack, recounting that he raped Huckle using a four-inch kitchen implement as part of his desire to make Huckle feel what he believed he deserved. Following the murder, prison staff noticed Fitzgerald’s lack of emotional response, and a search of his cell uncovered two additional makeshift knives. Psychological assessments during the trial concluded that Fitzgerald has lived with a conduct disorder and gender identity dysphoria from a young age, along with a severe personality disorder.

Last week, Judge Mr. Justice Lavender delivered a harsh sentence via video link, condemning Fitzgerald’s actions and mental state. The judge stated, “You are a psychopath and derive pleasure from imagining torturing, raping, killing, and even eating others. You entered his cell with the intention of raping and killing Mr. Huckle and, if possible, consuming parts of him.” Emphasizing the severity of the case, the judge noted that Fitzgerald committed murder “in cold blood,” highlighting the chilling nature of his crimes and complete lack of remorse.