Notable 'cannibal' serial killer goes on hunger strike after guards at prison confiscate his PlayStation

A notorious serial killer nicknamed ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’ has gone on hunger strike in a bizarre turn of events.

British serial killer Robert Maudsley is said to be staging a protest after his possessions were taken away from him behind bars.

The 71-year-old was first locked up for murder back in 1974 when he was just 21. While he was already serving life for his previous crimes, he added to them when he murdered a fellow prisoner at a psychiatric hospital, before he went on to torture and kill two fellow prisoners in a Wakefield prison in Yorkshire.

According to one prison guard, one of Maudsley's victims was found with his head 'cracked open like a boiled egg' with a spoon hanging out of it and part of the brain missing - which is when his 'cannibal' nickname is believed to have come from.

He currently holds the world record for longest time in solitary confinement, with him having been kept apart from the rest of the prison population for over four decades.

Robert Maudsley holds the world record for longest time in solitary confinement (Getty Stock Image)

Maudsley’s brother, Paul, has stayed in touch with his brother, and in a new update, he has explained how the killer has gone on a hunger strike because guards confiscated his luxury items - these included a PlayStation games console, non-fiction books and a music system.

The hunger strike is believed to have been triggered by an ‘operational exercise’ that was carried out by guards on February 26.

Speaking to The Mirror, Paul, 74, said: "Bob is held inside a prison within the prison. For some reason, the main prison went back to normal after the operational exercise, but Bob’s section was out for a couple of days.

"Bob complained and he’s normally polite, but the prison officers accused him of being abusive. When he finally got back in his cell, they had taken everything – his TV, PlayStation, books and radio.

"He’s back to how he was 10 years ago when he didn’t have anything to stimulate him and he would just sit there and vegetate and was in danger of going mad.

Maudsley has said he will continue with the hunger strike until his items are returned (Channel 5)

"He loves playing war games and chess on his PlayStation and he’s always watching old films on TV and reading factual books. They’re so important to him, it’s not fair to take them away without a good reason. We can’t get through to anyone to find out what’s going on and we are very concerned."

Paul explained that his brother has insisted he will not eat again until his possessions are returned to him, as well as noting that he had recently spoken with his brother and what he told him made him more concerned.

Paul continued: "He’s been refusing food since last Friday so we are very worried about him. He called me from prison that day and he sounded angry and anxious. He told me, 'I’m going on hunger strike so don’t be surprised if this is the last time I call you'.

"He used to have access to a phone inside his cell, but he’s stopped calling us back so we think they must have taken it away.

"Bob is 71 now so we don’t know how long he will be able to survive without food."