A notorious serial killer known as the “Devil’s Disciple” is seeking parole after spending five decades behind bars. Patrick Mackay, now 72, was imprisoned for the murders of two elderly women and a priest in 1975, as well as confessing to eight additional killings. Despite being one of Britain’s longest-serving murderers, Mackay has a parole hearing scheduled for March.
Mackay was convicted of strangling 87-year-old Isabella Griffiths and 89-year-old Adele Price, as well as brutally killing 62-year-old Catholic priest Anthony Crean with an axe in Kent. While he initially admitted to eight more murders, he later retracted his confessions, leaving those cases unsolved.
At the age of 23, Mackay was found guilty of the murders of Isabella and Adele in London. He later faced charges for Father Crean’s murder in Shorne. Mackay, who now goes by the name David Groves, was sentenced to life in prison on grounds of diminished responsibility.
The parole board is set to review Mackay’s case in March 2026, focusing on the potential risk he poses to the public if released and whether that risk can be managed in the community. Despite previous parole denials due to drug use and his psychopathic tendencies, Mackay’s history of violence and the unresolved nature of his additional confessed murders have raised concerns about his potential release.