In July 1958, Peter Manuel was hanged in Barlinnie Prison, convicted of seven murders. He remains one of the most infamous serial killers in British history and his story reads like the script from an American gangster movie . Now, STV tells the appalling story of his life and crimes, in a compelling hour-long drama documentary. Manuel murdered middle-aged men and women, teenage girls - and an eleven-year-old boy - shooting them or battering them to death. He did not discriminate, there was no apparent motive and he showed not the slightest signs of remorse. A habitual offender from his early days, the killing spree began in 1956 and went on for two years before he was captured. Glasgow, Lanarkshire and surrounding areas lived in fear while Peter Manuel was at large and his trial made international news. He sacked his counsel and famously defended himself, putting up a robust, theatrical performance in court, albeit doomed to failure when he was sentenced to hang - one of the last criminals to face the death penalty in Glasgow. Peter Manuel has since become a figure of ghoulish notoriety in Scottish criminal history. Over fifty years on from his hanging, this fascinating STV programme looks back at Manuel's reign of terror and asks what may have driven him to kill. Is there anything to be learned from Manuel's chilling story?

Starring:

Andrew Clark, Anna Hepburn, Matthew Workman

Genre:

Documentary