Dennis Nilsen's Death: When And How Serial Killer Died More Than 30 ...

The true story of notorious serial killer Dennis Nilsen is the subject of new ITV drama Des.

The killer claimed the lives of as many as 15 young men between 1978 and 1983.

He was jailed for life for the murder of six people – though it is believed he killed more – and lived out the remainder of his days in prison.

Here is how and when Dennis Nilsen died, and what he did.

How did he die?

Nilsen, a serial killer who preyed on vulnerable, homeless or gay men in the 1970s and 80s, died in prison on 12 May 2018, aged 72.

He lived out his final days at HMP Sutton in Yorkshire, having served 34 years in prison.

An inquest at Hull Coroner’s Court heard he “died of natural causes”, having spent the last few hours of his life in “excruciating pain” with internal bleeding, according to BBC reports.

Nilsen has experienced abdominal pains and had been taken to hospital two days before his death for an operation, but then got a blood clot.

The medical cause of death was a pulmonary embolism and retroperitoneal haemorrhage, linked to the ruptured aneurysm, the inquest heard.

His final hours were reportedly spent lying in his own filth. The care he got in response to his illness was “commensurate with that which he would have received in the community”, according to a report from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

What was the reaction?

Among those to share their reaction when Nilsen died, were people from Fraserburgh, in Scotland, where Nilsen was born in 1945.

“A lot of people who live in Fraserburgh will be relieved that Nilsen has died,” said Fraserburgh councillor Brian Topping, according to reports from the Evening Express.

“The horrific crimes he carried out and the sinister nature of his actions were unthinkable. This closes a horrific chapter of history in Fraserburgh.”

David Tennant, who plays the serial killer in the ITV drama, Des, said it was “right and proper” the show was being broadcast after Nilsen had died.

“I would hate for this to go out and for him to be sitting in some cell somewhere imaging we were in any way glorifying him,” Tennant said, according to Radio Times.

“I’m sure he would have complained about we said and everything we did. At the same time, he would have been rather smugly pleased he was on television.”

What did Nilsen do?

Nilsen was in 1945. He realised he had homosexual desires as an adolescent in the 1950s, at a time when homophobia was widespread in the UK.

On the surface, he was a mild-mannered man who had held jobs as a cook in the army, where he did a butchery course as part of his training, and even had a brief stint as a police officer.

Around the time of his crimes, he was working as a civil servant at a jobcentre and living in north London.

Nilsen, who became known as the “kindly killer”, invited many young men he met in and around Soho in Lodon to his flat and offered them food or a place to the stay for the night.

The homes he invited his victims back to were Melrose Avenue in Cricklewood and later Cranley Gardens in Muswell Hill.

When he got them back to his home, Nilsen killed his victims, many of whom were strangled or drowned.

He kept their bodies in his home for some time and spent time with them, before cutting them up and disposing of them in his house.

He was finally caught when police came to his house in Muswell Hill to investigate remnants of body parts that were found in the drain of his property – a police search would later reveal more evidence of this kind around his home.

Nilsen confessed to police that he had killed “15 or 16” people, though he later backtracked and said it was 12.

The exact number has not been confirmed as not all victims were identified, as many had been living off-grid.

He spoke very openly about his crimes, but claimed not to know the names of some of his victims.

He was convicted of six counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Nilsen was initially sent to Wormwood Scrubs but was later moved to HMP Full Sutton, where he remained until his death on 12 May 2018.

When is Des on TV?

Des is a three-part ITV drama based on the story of Nilsen, which started on Monday.

Episodes two and three will air at 9pm on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September.

They will be available to stream on ITV Hub shortly after broadcast.

A documentary sharing the true story, The Real Des: The Dennis Nilsen Story will follow on ITV on Thursday 17 September at 9pm.