Inquiry into death of serial killer Peter Tobin

The Crown Office has launched a fatal accident inquiry into the death of Scottish serial killer Peter Tobin.

Tobin died aged 76 on 8 October 2022 at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (ERI) while serving a full life order sentence.

He had been an inmate at HMP Edinburgh when he was taken to hospital on 9 September 2022 following a fall in his cell the previous night.

Tobin was serving the sentence for the murders of Angelika Kluk, 23, Vicky Hamilton, 15, and Dinah McNicol, 18.

He was only unmasked as a serial killer after his final victim, Ms Kluk, was found hidden under the floor of a church in Glasgow in 2006.

He was later convicted of raping and murdering the Polish student.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI).

Tobin had been receiving palliative care before his death as his health worsened. He was monitored by GeoAmey officers at all times while in hospital.

The FAI, which is mandatory by law, will look into the cause of death and the circumstances in which it occurred. It will try to establish whether any reasonable precautions could have been taken to prevent the death.

It aims to minimise the risk of deaths in the future. Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are used to establish facts instead of attributing blame to an individual or group.

Procurator fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS, said: “The Lord Advocate considers that the death of Peter Tobin occurred while in legal custody and as such a fatal accident inquiry is mandatory.

“The lodging of the first notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the Sheriff.”

A preliminary hearing will be held on 27 May at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.  

‘No respect for humanity’

Following the discovery of Angelika Kluk’s body, Tobin’s arrest set in motion a UK-wide investigation which ultimately led officers to the remains of two teenage girls.

Vicky Hamilton had disappeared in February 1991 as she travelled to her home near Falkirk.

Dinah McNicol from Essex was last seen in August 1991, when she hitched a lift from Tobin after a music festival.

Angelika Kluk was a 23-year-old language student at Gdansk University

Tobin was convicted of murdering Dinah McNicol and Vicky Hamilton

Both their remains were found 16 years later, buried in the garden of Tobin’s former home in Kent.

The killer had long been suspected by police of murdering several other women as he lived under more than 40 aliases and had owned more than 150 cars in his life.

Former Strathclyde Police detective David Swindle, who led the investigation into Peter Tobin, previously said he had no doubts the predator had killed more people.

He said: “This is someone who had no respect for humanity.”

According to Police Scotland, fruitless attempts had been made towards the end of Tobin’s life to get him to reveal information about other potential victims.

But despite being linked with many unsolved cases, he never co-operated with police.