The chilling murders committed by Andrew Dawson 15 years ago made him Derby's most notorious serial killer. Dawson, who chillingly confessed to having "an urge to kill" and dubbed himself the Angel of Mercy, brutally stabbed his neighbours John Matthews and Paul Hancock to death in their Waterford Drive flats in Chaddesden. The bodies were discovered on July 25 and July 30, 2010, while Dawson was still under licence for the murder of his first victim, elderly shopkeeper Henry Walsh.

His crime spree, which began in 1981, will be examined in ITV’s Tracking a Serial Killer which airs on February 4, 2025. The hour-long documentary will feature interviews with the people who helped bring Dawson to justice. Dawson is now locked away for life, having admitted to the murders on the first day of his trial in 2011. His capture came in Whitehaven, Cumbria, coinciding with the discovery of Mr Hancock's body.

In a macabre attempt to conceal the smell of decay, he had placed the bodies in baths filled with water and bubble bath. When police finally cornered him in Whitehaven, he made a desperate bid for freedom by diving into the sea but was swiftly subdued after being shot twice with a Taser. Upon his arrest, Dawson was found carrying a survival kit and seven kitchen knives, leading officers to believe he was prepared to continue his killing spree and possibly go out in a "blaze of glory", reports Derbyshire Live.

The inquest probed whether the agencies overseeing convicted murderer Dawson could have done anything to prevent the tragic loss of two men in their Derby flat, which they shared with their killer. Dawson, who had been released from HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire in 1999 after murdering a 91 year old shopkeeper during a burglary in his hometown of Ormskirk, West Lancashire, in 1981, was under community supervision and thus well-known to authorities before the deaths of Mr Matthews and Mr Hancock.

Concluding the inquest into the deaths of Mr Matthews, 66, and Mr Hancock, 58, at Chesterfield Coroners Court, area coroner Peter Nieto recorded a verdict of unlawful killing. He stated that the blame for the deaths "lies squarely with Andrew Dawson" despite errors in his care. He noted that while individual mistakes were made in Dawson's supervision, they did not materially influence the murders, and that "there were no materially deficient processes or systems" employed by organisations tasked with monitoring or housing Dawson. He added: "The court does not find that these issues have contributed to Mr Matthews' [or Mr Hancock's] death, because on the evidence before the court, these issues did not affect the decisions, which were reasonable, although finely balanced, professional decisions made at the time.".

Autopsies confirmed that both victims succumbed to fatal stab wounds inflicted on their necks and chests. Mr Matthews, a kitchen assistant at Darley's restaurant in Darley Abbey Mills, originally from Belper, was discovered lifeless in his bathtub with at least 10 stab wounds after his colleagues raised concerns about his absence from work. It is believed his murder may have occurred as early as July 10. Mr Hancock, from Derby, suffered a tragic death due to severe blood loss resulting from at least 22 stab wounds.

His body was also found in the bathtub, with a rose placed on his pillow by Dawson, accompanied by a confession note signed "the Angel of Mercy" in a notebook at the scene. In a heartfelt tribute read by his niece, Mr Hancock was remembered as an intelligent, gentle soul with a passion for art and music, who had selflessly cared for his mother, worked with disabled children, and bravely rescued an elderly neighbour from a fire.

She fondly recalled: "He had a tenderness even though he never had the chance to become a father. You never wanted to go up against him at Trivial Pursuit, as you always lost. He just appreciated the small things.". The family expressed their gratitude for the lessons he taught them, acknowledging that his untimely passing has left an irreparable void in their lives. The inquest into the deaths of the men, which took place in December 2022, heard testimonies from several organisations involved in Dawson's supervision and housing.

These included the Probation Service, Action Housing, Derbyshire police, Derby Homes and Derby City Council. In his summary on Thursday, December 15, Mr Nieto stated that Dawson was sent back to prison in October 2003 due to concerns about his alcohol use - with regular alcohol testing being a part of his licence conditions - but was released in April 2004. He was recalled for a second time in February 2005 for possessing a knife, and released in July 2007.

His third and final recall was in October 2007, again due to alcohol consumption, and he was released in September 2008. Dawson was classified as "medium risk, serious harm" by probation officers and was housed in secure accommodation, before moving into private housing in Charnwood Street, in Derby city centre, in April 2009. However, he was asked to leave by the landlord in May 2010 due to rent arrears and causing issues with other residents.