Inside double life of Bobbi-Anne McLeod's killer with evil Ted Bundy obsession
| Published date | 19 May 2022 |
| Publication title | Daily Mirror, The: Web Edition Articles (London, England) |
But it can now be reported that Ackland, who had never been in trouble with the police in his life, was fixated with American mass murderer Ted Bundy and may have wanted to emulate him.
Investigators fear Ackland was acting out these twisted fantasies on the night he kidnapped Bobbi-Anne, 18, from a bus stop near her home in Plymouth last year.
Mike West, Detective Superintendent and Head of Devon and Cornwall's Major Crime Investigation Team, told The Mirror: “There are clear parallels with Bundy because of the sort of individual that Ackland is."
He explained: “He had an unhealthy fascination with Bundy.
“Thousands of images of post mortems, murder scenes, dismemberment, soiled clothing, people in distress and other serial killers were found on his phone.
“That shows the level of obsession and certainly predilection for looking at those dark and emotive matters on the internet.
“It's an area that's been focused on by the prosecution team.
“It does go down to the manner of the killing, the way that Bobbi was approached, the fact she was by herself, the fact she was abducted and taken away from the scene of the initial assault and the general character of Ackland and I think that is why the parallels have been made.”
Bundy, who was sent to the electric chair in 1989, killed at least 36 young women in the 1970s.
But he was by no means the typical killer, charming, handsome and intelligent he was a monster hiding in plain sight.
He tended to target good looking young women before kidnapping them and bludgeoning them to death.
His methods and demeanour bore a chilling similarity to Ackland.
To outsiders he was the affable lead guitarist of a Plymouth-based indie rock group Rakuda.
He was also the main songwriter and had previously performed with his bandmates on BBC South West radio.
But despite being a good looking, seemingly popular local celebrity, Ackland led a deeply sinister double life online.
He had a secret, morbid fascination with serial killers from around the world, particularly Bundy, whose kidnap and murder of young women bore striking similarities to Ackland’s heinous crime.
Police found multiple pictures of Bundy and the weapons he used on his phone and in the days and weeks leading up to Bobbi-Anne’s death, Ackland searched the internet for information about serial killers’ crimes, their aftermath and the bodies left behind.
He...
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