John and David Duffy and MulcahyBritish rapists and murderers
Country: Great Britain
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Content:
- Biography of John and David Duffy and Malkahi
- The Investigation and Arrest
- The Trial and Conviction
- Conviction and Aftermath
Biography of John and David Duffy and Malkahi
British rapists and killers, John Francis Duffy and David Malkahi, gained notoriety in the 1980s for their attacks on women at railway stations in southern England. They became known as the 'Railway Rapists' or 'Railway Killers'. John Francis Duffy and David Malkahi were born in 1969. In 1982, the two men raped a woman near Hampstead Heath station, and over the next year, 18 more women fell victim to their attacks. The majority of the cases occurred in 1984, and in 1985, three women were raped in one night in the London suburb of Hendon. The police urgently launched an investigation named 'Operation Hart'.
The Investigation and Arrest
Among thousands of suspects, John Duffy, a martial arts instructor, stood out. He had a previous conviction for raping his wife, and a rope found in his parents' house linked him to the second murder victim. David Malkahi was also questioned due to his close friendship with Duffy, but the seriously injured victims were unable to identify him among the numerous suspects. Malkahi was released due to lack of evidence.
On December 29, 1985, Duffy and Malkahi abducted 19-year-old Alison Day from a train at Hackney Wick station, raped her multiple times, and then strangled her with a rope. The police launched a manhunt for the attacker, who had previously been dubbed the 'Railway Rapist'. However, with the murder of Alison Day, the attacker became known as the 'Railway Killer'. On April 17, 1986, a 15-year-old girl in West Horsley was raped and murdered, and her body was set on fire. A month later, on May 18, 1986, Anne Locke, a local TV presenter, was abducted and killed after getting off a train in Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire.
Psychologist Dr. David Canter from the University of Surrey began assisting the police. Prior to this, the practice of creating a 'psychological profile' of a criminal did not exist in the UK. Canter, after considering all the details, created a profile of the perpetrator's personality, habits, and character traits. This experience led to the development of investigative psychology, in which Canter became an expert. Although Duffy and Malkahi initially acted together, Duffy began committing the rapes alone and was arrested in a secluded park while attempting to attack another victim. He was questioned about the wave of rapes and murders and was charged the following day. The police knew he had an accomplice, but Duffy remained silent about his partner.
The Trial and Conviction
In February 1988, Duffy stood trial and was found guilty of two murders and four rapes. However, he was acquitted for the Anne Locke case. He was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison, which was later increased to life by the Home Secretary. The European Court of Human Rights overturned the politicians' power to change prison sentences, and Duffy's sentence was reduced back to 30 years. He would have served until at least 2018 when he turned 59. After the trial, Dr. Canter's profiling techniques became commonplace in criminal investigations.
While in prison, Duffy revealed to a forensic psychologist what the police already knew – that he wasn't acting alone in his attacks on women. He stayed silent until 1997 when he implicated his lifelong friend, Malkahi, with whom he had been inseparable since their school days in Haverstock, North London. Duffy also admitted his involvement in the Anne Locke attack, but he couldn't be retried for the same crime. Surveillance and DNA tests conducted on Malkahi, a married father of four, months before his arrest proved his involvement in the murders. In 2000, Duffy appeared in court as a witness against Malkahi, providing detailed accounts for 14 consecutive days. This was the first instance where a criminal of this category testified against his accomplice.
Conviction and Aftermath
Malkahi was found guilty of three murders and seven rapes. He was labeled the main perpetrator, as he had started killing due to a lack of sexual stimulation, and received three life sentences. Duffy, on the other hand, was found guilty of 17 additional rapes and received an additional 12 years in prison. The police suspect them of numerous other crimes dating back to the mid-1970s, and Malkahi is also suspected of attacks committed while Duffy was in prison.
In subsequent news reports, it was alleged that Duffy had turned in his accomplice for £20,000, and Malkahi became a powerful loan shark in prison.
In 2001, the TV film 'Witness of Truth: The Railway Murders' was released, with actor Huw Higginson portraying Duffy and Nicholas Marchie playing Malkahi.