HM Prison Wakefield has earned the chilling nickname 'Monster Mansion' due to the vile assortment of inmates caged in its cells. But the worst prisoner of all may come as a surprise. The notorious Category A prison, located in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, houses some of the most malevolent men in the country's history and was once home to merciless serial killer doctor Harold Shipman, who died behind its grim walls in January 2004.
Other infamous inmates include Jeremy Bamber, who slaughtered his own family in 1985, and Soham killer Ian Huntley. However, according to former senior prison officer Jo Taylor, one unexpected convict proved to be the most difficult to deal with. Speaking with The Sun, Jo opened up about her five years working with some of the worst criminals in the UK, with her job putting her in contact with the likes of cannibal Robert Maudsley and Millie Dowler’s killer Levi Bellfield.
For Jo, who took voluntary redundancy in 2012 in a bid to escape the “draining, negative energy” of HM Prison Wakefield, one prisoner in particular stood out among the grotesque bunch - Michael Donovan. Donovan, who last year died from throat cancer at the age of 54, was involved in a sick fake kidnap plot with Shannon Matthews ' mother, Karen Mathews, back in 2008.
As neighbours searched frantically for the nine-year-old, twisted Donovan had her hidden in his Dewsbury flat for 24 days in an attempt to claim a £50,000 reward for finding the little girl. Both he and Matthews were convicted of kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice and sentenced to eight years behind bars.
