Colin Ireland was born on March 16, 1954, in Dartford, Kent. His parents were an unmarried teenage couple. Shortly after he was born, his father left both him and his 17-year-old mother. Ireland's father is not listed on his birth certificate, and he did not know his father’s identity growing up. He lived in poverty and moved between homes frequently. At one point, when his mother remarried and became pregnant again, she placed Ireland into care. Eventually, he was returned to her custody, and she went on to marry again in 1966.

During his childhood in the 1960s in Sheerness, Kent, Ireland experienced troubling incidents. He was propositioned by men who were paedophiles on three occasions and was spied on once. By the time he reached his mid-teens, he had been sent to borstal, a type of youth detention center, for theft. While he was there, he deliberately set fire to another resident's belongings. At the age of 17, he was convicted of robbery. Following his escape from borstal, he was captured and returned.

In early adulthood, Ireland held various manual jobs to support himself. In December 1975, he was convicted of car theft, criminal damage, and two burglaries. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison. After being released in November 1976, he moved to Swindon, Wiltshire, and lived with a woman and her children for a few months. In 1977, he was again convicted, this time of extortion, and received another 18-month sentence. A few years later, in 1980, he was convicted of robbery, which resulted in a two-year prison sentence. He was also convicted of attempted deception in 1981.

In 1982, Colin Ireland married Virginia Zammit, and they had a daughter together. The family lived in Holloway, London. However, in 1985, he faced another conviction for "going equipped to cheat" and was sentenced to six months in prison. His marriage fell apart in 1987 after Virginia discovered that he had cheated on her. Ireland remarried in 1989 to Janet Young in Devon. Their relationship was marked by violence, and he stole from her as well. They separated in the early 1990s, leaving Janet and her children homeless.

At this time, Colin became homeless himself and lived in a hostel in Southend-on-Sea. Eventually, he moved into his own flat. While living there, he started visiting the Coleherne Arms, a gay pub in Earl's Court, London.

Colin Ireland's first known victim was Peter Walker, a 45-year-old choreographer. Ireland went to Walker's flat in Battersea, where he tied him up and suffocated him using a plastic bag. After the murder, Ireland placed two teddy bears in a suggestive position on the body and locked Walker's dogs in another room. The next day, Ireland contacted the Samaritans and a journalist, informing them about the murder and expressing his desire to be recognized as a serial killer.

His second victim was Christopher Dunn, a 37-year-old librarian from Wealdstone. Dunn was discovered naked in a harness. His death was initially thought to be an accident related to a sexual game. The separate investigation teams did not connect his death to Walker's at first.

Ireland's third victim was Perry Bradley III, a 35-year-old businessman. After meeting at the Coleherne pub, they returned to Bradley's flat. Ireland suggested tying Bradley up, claiming he needed to include bondage for arousal. Once Bradley complied, Ireland demanded money and a PIN, threatening him with violence. After obtaining the necessary information, Ireland strangled Bradley with a noose and left a doll on his body.

Andrew Collier, a 33-year-old housing warden, was Ireland's fourth victim. After they arrived at Collier's flat, a disturbance outside caused both men to look out the window. Ireland then tied Collier up and demanded his bank details. Collier refused, prompting Ireland to kill his cat and then strangle Collier with a noose. Ireland used extreme acts to mock the notion that he cared for animals, as the media had labeled him an animal lover.

Emanuel Spiteri, a 41-year-old Maltese chef, became Ireland's fifth victim. After meeting at the same pub, Spiteri agreed to be tied up in his flat. Ireland again sought his PIN but failed to get it. He murdered Spiteri using a noose, then cleaned the scene and set fire to the flat before calling the police to inform them about the fire and the expected presence of a body.

Over time, police linked all five murders together. Ireland was later charged with the murders and confessed to the other three while in custody. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes and remained incarcerated until his death in 2012.