HMP Frankland: 9 of the most notorious prisoners in Britain

The prison, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, was originally opened in 1983 with four wings each holding 108 single cells.

Throughout the years the premises has expanded and in May 2004, a specialist Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD) unit opened.

In March 2008, the Ministry of Justice announced that HMP Frankland would be extended again, with planning permission being granted for an extra 120 places.

The prison houses around 800 of Britain’s most dangerous prisoners (Image: Canva)

Many of the prison inmates are convicted murderers, high-risk sex offenders and those convicted of terrorism-related offences.

Some of the most notorious prisoners who have been inside the prison in Durham include Charles Bronson and Peter Sutcliffe, with current inmates including Levi Bellfield and Wayne Couzens.

Here is a selection of other current and former prisoners at HMP Frankland.

Some of the most notorious prisoners at HMP Frankland

Charles Bronson

Charles Bronson who was born under the name Michael Peterson was convicted of armed robbery in 1974 and has earned a reputation as a violent and dangerous inmate, which has led to him spending most of his life behind bars.

He is a former prisoner at HMP Frankland and has been in jail for 50 years.

Charles Bronson lost a Parole Board bid to be freed from jail in March 2023 (Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA)

Michael Adebolajo

Michael Adebolajo is one of two people who was convicted of the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby in 2013. He was sentenced to a whole-life term.

Wayne Couzens

Former Met Police officer Wayne Couzens was moved to HMP Frankland in 2021.

He received a whole-life term in October of that year for the murder of Sarah Everard.

Ian Huntley

Ian Huntley was found guilty of murdering 10-year-old school girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2003.

He was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment, with the High Court later imposing a minimum term of 40 years.

From 2008, Ian Huntley was moved to HMP Frankland in County Durham.

Levi Bellfield

Levi Bellfield murdered 13-year-old Milly Dowler, 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell, and 22-year-old Amelie Delagrange. He also tried to kill 18-year-old Kate Sheedy, who survived.

He is serving a whole life sentence at HMP Frankland.

@itvnews Milly Dowler killer Levi Bellfield requests permission to marry in prison #itvnews #levibellfield #millydowler ♬ original sound - itvnews

Harold Shipman

Harold Shipman is a former GP and prolific serial killer who murdered approximately 250 victims, most of whom were elderly women.

In 2000, he was found guilty of murdering fifteen patients under his care and one count of forgery, resulting in his imprisonment for life with the recommendation that he was never to be released.

He was originally confined in a Manchester prison but moved to HMP Frankland before eventually going to Wakefield Prison in West Yorkshire where he died on January 13, 2004.

Peter Chapman

Peter Chapman was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2010 after he admitted kidnapping, raping and murdering student Ashleigh Hall. He used a fake Facebook profile to lure the teenager.

It was because of this he became known as the ‘Facebook Killer’.

Many of the prisons inmates at HMP Frankland are convicted murderers, high-risk sex offenders and those convicted of terrorism-related offences (Image: Canva)

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Benjamin Geen

Benjamin Geen killed two patients and committed grievous bodily harm against 15 others while working as a nurse at Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

He was jailed in 2006 and sentenced to a minimum of 30 years imprisonment.

Peter Sutcliffe

Serial killer Peter Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women between 1975 and 1980.

He served some of his 20 concurrent life sentences at the prison from 2016 until he died in 2020.