Chilling details of scene at Crossbow Cannibal’s flat that ‘made your skin crawl’

Stephen Griffiths, a student who called himself the ‘Crossbow Cannibal’, was handed a whole life sentence in 2010

The chilling story of Stephen Griffiths, dubbed the ‘Crossbow Cannibal’, is explored in a new documentary available on Prime Video. Griffiths was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2010 for the “wicked and monstrous” murders of three women in Bradford.

Griffiths, a Bradford native, confessed to the murders of Suzanne Blamires, 36, Shelley Armitage, 31, and Susan Rushworth, 43. In court, when asked to state his name, he referred to himself as the ‘Crossbow Cannibal’.

His arrest followed the emergence of CCTV footage showing him attacking Ms Blamires at his flat. The distressing video showed Ms Blamires fleeing from Griffiths’ flat, only to be dragged back inside by her leg.

She appeared to be shot with a crossbow, after which Griffiths defiantly gestured towards the CCTV camera. Damian Sharp, former Firearms Tactical Advisor, was assigned the task of planning and executing the raid that led to Griffiths’ arrest.

In an exclusive interview with Reach titles, he described the scene at Griffiths’ flat as something that would “make your skin crawl”, reports the Express.

“He was in his bedroom and he was in bed. He totally and utterly gave up, he became quite cocky once the cuffs were on him,” Damian recounted.

“He knew he could pretty much say what he wanted then. He became cocky and quite arrogant and bragging about some of the things he had said he had done.

“He had all these files of all his heroes like Peter Sutcliffe and these serial killers he idolised.”

Damian labelled Griffiths “an oddball”, hinting that “maybe he never felt like he fitted in”.

Recounting the chilling details of the arrest, Damian revealed: “The lads that entered the apartment said it made your skin crawl, there were lots of weird things going on.

“There were signs of where he had tried to cook people in the oven and things like that, and in the bath there was remains of parts of things he had tried to burn.

“The crossbow was in the wall where he had been doing target practice. It turned your stomach, it was not normal.”

Nick Rook, a retired Chief Inspector who led the search element of the firearms operation, shared his haunting memories with Reach titles, noting that this case is one of the few that still haunts him.

Nick recounted: “Because I was involved in the logistical side I never came across him, just came across a lot of the stuff he had done.

“There were signs of mutilated human body parts, cut up and left in his flat, from my recollection he did submit straight away.

“He appeared quite feeble, almost cowardly, which seemed consistent with his actions. He targeted the most vulnerable individuals.

“He would entice them back to his flat in a submissive way.”

He remarked on the extreme savagery of Griffiths’ crimes, stating: “He just butchered these poor women and skinned them.

“It was so clinical in how he had done it. Moving body parts around on trains and throwing them into the river.”

The case is one that has particularly stuck with him, even years later. “It’s one of those over my career that really does stick in your mind, even now I can remember some of the pictures, it was horrific.

“From speaking to investigators he wanted the notoriety in being a serial killer, he wanted that status.”

The Crossbow Cannibal is on Prime Video.