New 'Kids Who Kill' Doc Will Delve Into Chilling Case Of Mathew Hardman

The fourth episode focuses on 'vampire killer', Mathew Hardman who thought he would become immortal after murdering his elderly neighbour, 90-year-old Mabel Leyshon.

The horrifying and deeply upsetting crime saw Hardman, who had previously been Mabel's paper boy, stab the elderly widow 22 times, before removing her heart, drinking her blood and placing a cross at her feet.

Mabel's body was discovered by a carer who came to visit her with a Sunday lunch. When police arrived, they were utterly stunned, with one telling a journalist: "The devil has been to Anglesey".

After the incident, a manhunt was launched, and eventually, the horrendous and gruesome murder saw the 17-year-old jailed for a minimum of 12 years.

Hardman was not a suspect in the murder at first, having provided an alibi (which eventually turned out to be a lie).

However, when an investigating officer appeared on BBC's Crime Watch - appealing for information - police were flooded with calls suggesting they look at the teenager.

Hardman had been involved in a previous incident in which he begged a 16-year-old to bite him so he could "become immortal".

When police investigated Hardman, they found a wealth of evidence against him, including DNA he left on the scene and Mabel's blood traces on the knife, which he had kept.

At the trial, the judge noted the horrific irony of Hardman's quest for immortality: "All you have achieved is the brutal ending of another person's life and the bringing of a life sentence upon yourself."

The five-part series, which focuses on the cases of Aaron Campbell, Kim Edwards and Lucas Markham, Stephen Hough, Mathew Hardman, and Alyssa Bustamante, features contributions from former detective, author and TV commentator Peter Bleksley and psychologist and TV presenter Emma Kenny.

The fourth episode of Kids Who Kill airs on Crime + Investigation on Monday 20th April at 9pm.