Written by Amanda Wood
Peter Bryan was born in London on 4th October 1969. He finished school around age 15 and went to work on a clothes stall, later he also taught cooking lessons in a local soup kitchen. He earned a good reputation as a hard working lad.
In 1987 whilst he was living in the Flying Angel Custom House, East London, Bryan launched an unprovoked attack on another resident. Bryan tried to throw the man from a 6th floor window. The intended victim escaped unscathed and Bryan was left with a deep gash to his head. The police spoke to both men but no charges were brought.
Bryan's first victim was Nisha Sheth. The twenty year old worked as a shop assistant in her fathers Kings Road boutique. She was familiar with Bryan, who had previously worked in the shop. Nisha's family and Bryan had kept in touch after he left, there was no ill feeling.
It was the 18th march 1993 when for no apparent reason and with no motive, 23 year old Bryan high on drugs and armed with a club hammer thundered into the shop. Nisha's twelve year old brother Bobby was struck twice in the head and knocked to the ground as he tried to protect his sister. Peter Bryan proceeded towards Nisha repeatedly striking blows to her head with the hammer. Bryan then fled the scene and Nisha was rushed to Hammersmith Hospital where she later died that evening.
Hours after the attack Bryan attempted to take his own life by throwing himself from the balcony of a thirty foot building in Battersea. Unfortunately he survived the fall with broken leg.
Brian was taken to Rampton Secure hospital, Nottinghamshire. A charge of murder was dropped and he plead guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. Bryan was incarcerated at Rampton Maximum Security Unit, "without limit of time".
This however was by no means the end of the story. After serving just 9 years Bryan appealed to a health review tribunal. It was deemed by the so-called mental health professionals that there were no concerns over Peter Bryan's mental state and he was declared fit for release. He was released into the care of a psychiatric social worker and psychiatrist who monitored him at Newsham General Hospital as an "informal patient".
Bryan who had paranoid schizophrenia and a personality disorder was able to mask his illness with a "veneer of normality" in order to fool doctors into believing he was miraculously cured.
Fatally on 17th February 2004 Peter Bryan was deemed "safe", his mental health social worker said "Bryan does not pose a major risk". As a result he was given the freedom to come and go as he pleased with no supervision.
Within hours of his newfound freedom Bryan was to claim the life of his second victim 43 year old Brian Cherry. He turned up at Mr Cherry's flat and bludgeoned him to death with a claw-hammer and screwdriver striking his skull in excess of twenty-four times. He then began the macabre dismemberment of Mr Cherry"s body, using a Stanley knife and kitchen knives. He later remarked "I had to stamp on the knife to cut through the bone". Both Mr Cherry's arms were removed and also his left leg.
Mrs Newman a neighbour and friend of Mr Cherry turned up at the flat at approximately 7.15pm, she had a key and let herself in. She was immediately hit by the smell of disinfectant. Suddenly Bryan appeared from the living-room, bare-chested and wielding a kitchen knife "Brian is dead" he declared.
Mrs Newman for a split second thought this was some sort of joke, but as she peered through into the living room the naked body of Mr Cherry and his detached limbs were clearly visible.
The police soon arrived, unprepared for the macabre scene they were about to witness. Upon entering the property they were meet by Bryan, standing in the hallway, his hands jeans and shoes soaked in blood. Moving into the kitchen the police noticed a frying pan next to an open tub of clover butter. The contents of the pan "Mr Cherry's brains". "I ate his brains with butter" Bryan remarked, "It was really nice". Upon the draining board sat a plate filled with more brain tissue and hair, soaked in blood.
On 15th April 2004 Peter Bryan was taken to Broadmoor Maximum Security Hospital where he was initially kept locked in a cell. It wasn't long before he, yet again, fooled the medical professionals with his calm exterior which obscured his psychotic tendencies.
He was moved to a medium risk ward. This dangerous man was then in a position to take the life of his third victim sixty year old Richard Loudwell.
On the 5th June Peter Bryan battered him around the head then tied a ligature around his neck. Mr Loudwell later died in hospital. Bryan admitted "if I hadn't been disturbed I would have eaten his flesh", he believed that cannibalism was a natural way to eat.
Bryan later stated he "enjoyed, the forbidden fruit" of his victims flesh. His psychiatrist reported that Bryan saw the "voodoo ritual" of eating human flesh as a way to receive the energy of his victims. It gave him a "buzz" and he felt comforted by the smell of blood. Bryan also admitted to gaining sexual satisfaction from battering people to death.
Bryan pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, he was given a whole life sentence and will remain in Broadmoor indefinitely.
I believe Peter Bryan is a seriously sick individual, it is a tragedy that mental health workers had the wool pulled over their eyes. The opportunity was missed by numerous professionals to keep the madman away from society. Ultimately three innocent people paid the price with their lives. Lets hope lessons were learnt!.
