Throng

cannibal killer

This documentary examines the case of David Harker, who killed Darlington woman Julie Paterson and claimed to have eaten her flesh. The film follows the trail of human devastation in the wake of Harker’s crime, which was to claim two more lives.

In 1998, the town of Darlington was rocked by the brutal murder of Julie Paterson and the arrest of her killer, David Harker. This film combines interviews conducted in 2000 with new insights from witnesses, police officers and local reporters to unpick the story of Harker’s terrible deed and its deadly consequences.

The man who was to be dubbed the ‘British Cannibal’ moved to Darlington in 1995, aged 23. By all accounts, Harker was a lively, unpredictable man who surrounded himself with impressionable young friends. Yet he harboured disturbing fantasies and would later profess his desire to become Britain’s youngest serial killer.

cannibal killer

This documentary examines the case of British cannibal David Harker, who killed Darlington woman Julie Paterson and ate her flesh. The film explores the trail of human devastation in the wake of Harker’s crime, which was to claim two more lives.

In 1999, 26-year-old David Harker was jailed for killing and mutilating the body of mother-of-four Julie Paterson. Police were alerted to the murder when they found Paterson’s remains dumped in a sack in a secluded lane; yet the victim’s head and limbs were never found and the killer has never expressed remorse for his actions.