Bio

Alan Hobbs, born in 1967, was described in press coverage as a drifter with no fixed address. He was acquainted with Gillian Harvey, 30, who lived in a flat on Wellesley Road in Slough, Berkshire, and who — according to one source — had learning difficulties and worked in a charity shop. Harvey had two former or current partners who were also known to Hobbs: her boyfriend, Ian Brown, 36, and her ex-boyfriend, Peter Smith, 31. Police later stated that they found no history of animosity between Hobbs and any of the three victims prior to the killings.

Murder Story

On the afternoon of August 28, 1998, Hobbs visited Gillian Harvey at her flat in Slough. Over the course of the day, the two consumed a large quantity of amphetamines and alcohol, and had sex. At some point afterward, an argument broke out between them, during which Hobbs attacked and killed Harvey using a chisel and knives.

Later that day, Harvey's boyfriend, Ian Brown, arrived at the flat and was confronted by Hobbs. Rather than fleeing the scene, Hobbs bound and gagged Brown and remained in the flat overnight with Harvey's body.

The following day, Harvey's ex-boyfriend, Peter Smith, also came to the flat and was likewise restrained by Hobbs. Over the course of that day, Hobbs held both men captive — reportedly obtaining Smith's bank PIN number from him — before killing both Brown and Smith by beating them about the head with an axe.

After the killings, Hobbs left Slough and traveled to stay with his sister in Basingstoke, Hampshire, remaining there for roughly ten days while the bodies of his three victims went undiscovered in the flat. He was traced after investigators identified withdrawals being made from the victims' bank accounts using Smith's PIN. Officers located Hobbs at his sister's home in Basingstoke; when questioned about the killings, he admitted responsibility, telling them, "Yeah, I done them," and said he had been coming down from amphetamine use — using the slang term "whizzing" — around the time of the murders.

Investigating police stated they could find no motive for the attacks, noting that there was no known history of conflict between Hobbs and any of his three victims, and concluded that the killings likely resulted from the combined effects of alcohol and drug withdrawal. Hobbs pleaded guilty to all three murders. In July 1999, he was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences, with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 20 years before being considered for parole. The sentencing judge described his conduct as "extremely wicked," and the detective who led the investigation called it the most appalling case of his 29-year police career.

Alan Hobbs remained in custody until his death on September 5, 2024, at HMP Full Sutton in East Yorkshire. He had been diagnosed with tonsillar (throat) cancer, which was found to have contributed to, but not directly caused, his death; the immediate cause was bilateral pneumonia. A subsequent review by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found that the clinical care he received at Full Sutton met an appropriate standard, comparable to what he could have expected outside of custody, and that appropriate end-of-life care planning had been in place. A coroner concluded in May 2025 that his death was due to natural causes.