TREVOR HARDY, THE BEAST OF MANCHESTER, SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR SERIAL KILLINGS IN MANCHESTER

In a case that has shocked the city of Manchester and the surrounding areas, Trevor Joseph Hardy, known infamously as the Beast of Manchester, has been officially sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars for a series of brutal murders committed over a span of more than a year. Hardy, born in 1947 in Moston, Manchester, Lancashire, was convicted of the heinous crimes in May 1977, after a trial that revealed the extent of his violent and sadistic tendencies.

Hardy’s murderous spree began in December 1974 and continued until March 1976, during which he claimed the lives of three teenage girls. The first victim, Janet Stewart, aged 15, was murdered on New Year’s Eve 1974. Hardy, who mistook Janet—who was a Rose Queen at the Harpurhey church she attended—for a girl he was infatuated with, attacked her in a brutal assault. He stabbed her and subsequently buried her in a shallow grave in Newton Heath. Disturbingly, Hardy also removed a ring from her finger and later gave it to another girl as a twisted token of affection.

The second victim, Wanda Skala, an 18-year-old barmaid from Moston, was killed in July 1975. Hardy attacked her as she was walking home from her shift at the Lightbowne Hotel. He struck her with a brick, robbed her, and strangled her to death. Her mutilated body was discovered on a nearby building site. Hardy’s depravity was further evidenced by the fact that he stripped her and kept her blood-stained clothes and handbag as grisly trophies.

The third victim, Sharon Mosoph, aged 17 and from Failsworth, was murdered in March 1976. Hardy stabbed and strangled her before dumping her mutilated body in the Rochdale Canal. Sharon was on her way home from a staff party when she caught Hardy attempting to break into Marlborough Mill. Following her murder, Hardy went into hiding, living in quarries, railway tunnels, and along canal banks. During this period, he also committed a violent sexual assault on another woman in a pub toilet.

Hardy’s arrest came after he boasted about Wanda’s murder to his younger brother, which led to his detention and subsequent investigation. During his time in custody, Hardy attempted to alter his physical evidence by filing his teeth into points to prevent matching bite marks on Wanda’s body. Despite this, he was initially released due to an alibi and the fact that the bite mark evidence was compromised. However, Hardy’s violent tendencies resurfaced six months later when he murdered Sharon.

At his trial, Hardy shocked the court by dismissing his legal counsel and choosing to defend himself. He even attempted to confess to manslaughter, but his plea was rejected, and he was ultimately found guilty of murder. The judge, Mr. Justice Teare, sentenced Hardy to three life terms, emphasizing that Hardy’s actions demonstrated “sexual or sadistic conduct” with no mitigating circumstances. The judge also pointed out that Hardy continued to deny his guilt and showed no remorse for his crimes.

In his ruling, Mr. Justice Teare rejected Hardy’s plea for a minimum sentence of around 30 years, asserting that the gravity of the murders warranted a whole life order. Despite Hardy’s good behavior record in prison, where he was trusted with access to sharp implements, the judge made it clear that Hardy would never be released. The case has left a lasting impact on Manchester, with the community appalled by the brutality of the murders and the chilling nature of Hardy’s crimes. Hardy’s killing spree, which began after he was released on parole for an earlier assault involving a pickaxe, remains one of the most notorious chapters in Manchester’s criminal history.