Anthony John Hardy was born on May 31, 1951, in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. He had a childhood that was described as apparently uneventful. Hardy did well in school and later attended college, where he excelled academically. He earned an engineering degree from Imperial College London. After finishing his education, he became the manager of a large company.

Hardy married and had four children: three sons and one daughter. In 1982, he had a serious incident in Tasmania, where he was arrested for attempting to drown his wife. However, the charges were dropped. His marriage to Judith ended in divorce in 1986.

After his divorce, Hardy's life took a difficult turn. He spent time in mental hospitals and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He also received treatment for depression, drug-induced psychosis, and alcohol abuse in various psychiatric hospitals across London. During this period, he lived in hostels and began to face legal issues, including convictions for theft and being drunk and disorderly.

In 1998, Hardy was arrested after a prostitute accused him of rape, but those charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence. As time went on, he struggled with alcoholism and developed diabetes.

In January 2002, police went to Anthony Hardy's flat after a neighbor reported vandalism. Upon entering, they discovered a locked door that Hardy had the key to. Inside, they found the naked body of a woman named Sally White. She had injuries to her head, but a forensic pathologist concluded that she died of a heart attack. Hardy claimed he did not know how she ended up in his flat because of his alcohol problem. He was charged with criminal damage and taken to a psychiatric hospital.

On December 30, 2002, a homeless person found dismembered body parts of two women in trash bags. They were identified as Bridgette MacClennan and Elizabeth Valad. Hardy was arrested a week later after being spotted retrieving medication at a hospital. During his arrest, he fought with the police, injuring officers in the process. There were blood stains in his flat that suggested the women had been killed and dismembered there.

Hardy was charged with three murders: those of MacClennan, Valad, and White. He initially refused to answer police questions but later pleaded guilty to all three counts at his trial in November 2003. He was given a life sentence. Due to his violent history and mental health issues, an inquiry was initiated into his treatment prior to his arrest.

In May 2010, a High Court judge ruled that Hardy would not be released from prison, placing him on a list of prisoners serving whole life tariffs. He died of pneumonia at HM Prison Frankland on November 25, 2020.

Hardy was linked to several unsolved murders, including cases of two prostitutes found dismembered in the River Thames. One of the cases was related to Zoe Parker, a sex worker missing since December 2000. Her dismembered torso was discovered in the Thames shortly after she disappeared. Investigators had noted possible connections between Hardy and other murders of women whose bodies were found cut up and discarded.