Warning, this is a true crime podcast and is not suitable for all audiences. Please use discretion.

This episode contains references to domestic violence, self-harm and suicide attempts. Please take extra

care whilst listening. I've noticed something recently when researching cases to cover in this podcast. I've noted that some perpetrators of serious crimes are highly educated people who have studied law or crime. The most recent example is Brian Coburger, a criminology student from Idaho who murdered four students who lived together in a shared house.

In today's case, a man in the UK was living a double life. To many, he was a PhD criminology student with a bright future.

But to others who were unfortunate enough to cross his path,

he was a violent, evil, serial killer.

I'm Naomi Channel and this is real.

Thank you. And this is real. Stephen Sean Griffiths was born on Christmas Eve in 1969.

He was born in Yorkshire, England, in the north of the country.

His father worked in sales and they had an average home, which he lived in with his two younger siblings.

His mother and father divorced when Stephen was 13 years old. There were reports that said when his mother became single, she would often be seen with men having sex in their front

garden. Neighbours said that she didn't seem to care

if anyone was watching, including her own children. His mother also had criminal charges against her

for claiming benefits that she wasn't entitled to over a three-year period. Despite this, she managed to send Stephen to a private school.

Stephen was a gifted student and highly intelligent, but there was a much darker side to him.

When he was a teenager, he became fascinated with violence.

At 17, he was arrested for attacking a shopkeeper with a knife during an attempted robbery.

He slashed him across the face, and he was sent to a young offender's institute.

He had an extensive collection of books and material on criminals, including Jeffrey Dahmer and Peter Sutcliffe. He had a particular fascination with serial killers.

He spent time engaging with mental health services, where he was diagnosed with personality disorders,

including traits of narcissism and psychopathy.

Between 1987 and 2009, he was seen by different psychiatrists and spent time in three

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