‘Crossbow Cannibal’: Former Leeds Uni student turned serial killer attacked in prison

Serial killer and former University of Leeds student, Stephen Griffiths, known as the “Crossbow Cannibal”, has been attacked in prison by a fellow inmate.

The perpetrator of the attack was friends with one of Griffiths’ victims, Suzanne Blamires, who was murdered when she was 36.

Griffiths was handed a life sentence in 2010 for her murder and the murders of two other sex workers in Bradford.

He introduced himself as the “Crossbow Cannibal” in court and reportedly told the police following his arrest: “I’ve killed loads.”

Griffiths, who studied psychology at the University of Leeds, used a powerful crossbow and knife to murder his victims before dismembering and eating some of their body parts.

The inmate, who attacked Griffiths, was unhappy about being put on the same wing as the person who had murdered his friend, Suzanne Blamires. An insider said the inmate “sent Griffiths flying and knocked him out” after punching him in the face on a prison corridor.

Griffiths was allegedly thrown six feet backwards during the attack. He fell unconscious and has been left with facial injuries.

The insider reported that the inmate who instigated the attack was put on “basic”, which is the standard operating procedure for instances of violence on the wing.

An insider said: “The inmate said they knew Suzanne, Griffiths’ victim, and had grown up with her. They were unhappy being on a wing with their friend’s killer.”‘

Suzanne Blamires via SWNS

The insider explained that the inmate was apprehensive about getting attacked himself and “felt that Griffiths was going to hurt him”.

Griffiths is said to now recovering in the hospital wing at HMP Full Sutton, near York.

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Alongside Suzanne Blamires, Griffiths also killed Shelley Armitage, 31, and Susan Rushworth, 43, between 2009 and 2010.

For over a decade he roamed around Bradford’s red-light district befriending sex workers, even moving into a flat on Thornton road so he could be at the centre of the area, the Guardian reports.

Upon noticing how poorly surveilled the area was and observing the desperation of the women working there, he began to plot his crimes.

Griffiths was arrested in May 2010 after a caretaker at his complex discovered CCTV footage of the attack against Suzanne.

The court heard that Suzanne was seen being dragged on the floor by her leg by Griffiths, who seemed to have something in his hand. The victim was shot by a crossbow before Griffiths “gestured” by holding a finger up to the camera.

Suzanne passed away from severe head injuries caused by the crossbow bolt and had knife wounds across her body. According to the BBC, her remains were found after intensive recovery operations in the River Aire, Yorkshire, on May 25th 2010.

At the time, Griffiths was a PhD student at the University of Bradford, researching patterns of crime in the city during the 19th Century, with the BBC reporting that his chosen dissertation title was “Homicide in Bradford 1847-1899”.

Griffiths was often seen at the city’s library reading books about murders. He showed the same interest online under the alias “Ven Pariah”, reviewing books and DVDs on crime and killing.

The HM Prison Service confirmed it is “actively investigating” the incident.

A Prison Service spokesman said: “Violence is not tolerated in prisons and anybody found responsible will be punished.”

Featured image via SWNS