Killer dubbed ‘the Devil’s chosen one’, 47, who stabbed elderly widow while high on heroin dies in max-security jail
A KILLER dubbed “the Devil’s chosen one” who stabbed an elderly woman while high on heroin died in jail, an inquest heard.
Wayne Spencer Franks was just months away from possibly being able to apply for parole when he was found dead at a maximum security facility.
The 47-year-old stabbed elderly widow Mabel Whitelam 22 times after she opened the door to him on March 11 2003.
He was in his late 20s at the time.
Franks was found dead on his bed in his cell at HMP Wakefield – nicknamed Monster Mansion due to the large number of high-profile killers locked up there – on December 5 2022.
The inquest heard he had taken a large dose of dihydrocodeine, which it is thought he had acquired from another inmate as it had not been prescribed to him.
After killing Mrs Whitelam, 82, heroin addict Franks ransacked her home at Elliott House on Albion Street, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, and stole £80.
Franks had denied Mrs Whitelam’s murder but was found guilty after a trial at Hull Crown Court.
Police believe he targeted Mrs Whitelam on her pension day.
At the time, Franks’ defence barrister said he thought his client was suffering from a psychopathic disorder and represented a “grave and immediate danger to others”.
Before carrying out the murder Franks, then of Thesiger House, Garibaldi Street, Grimsby, was said to have a long history of criminal behaviour.
His cause of his death was found to be heart disease with the dihydrocodeine having a contributory effect.
It was believed that he had been dead for some time as there was evidence of rigor mortis, the inquest heard.
A number of drugs were found in his system, including one used for treating Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that Franks did not have.
An inquest jury in Wakefield heard that Franks was known to be a supplier and user of illicit substances in the prison and often used drugs prescribed to other prisoners.
A prison GP told the inquest hearing that Franks had an extensive history of abusing illicit medication in prison and had been abusing substances from the age of 11.
Franks had originally been treated in Nottinghamshire’s Rampton Hospital amid claims that he had a psychopathic disorder but had later been moved to Wakefield.
In a statement, Franks’ daughter said her father had stopped going to school at the age of 13 and she didn’t think he had ever worked.
She believed he was due to be eligible for parole in March 2023, having completed almost 20 years in custody.
She had only visited him a couple of times but had kept in touch through letters and telephone calls.
She had spoken to Franks the day before he was found dead and said he “seemed his normal self”.
Wayne Spencer Franks' crimes
Wayne Spencer Franks stabbed elderly widow Mabel Whitelam 22 times after she opened the door to him on March 11 2003.
After killing Mrs Whitelam, 82, heroin addict Franks, then in his late 20s, ransacked her home at Elliott House on Albion Street, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, and stole £80.
Franks, who died aged 47, had denied Mrs Whitelam’s murder but was found guilty after a trial at Hull Crown Court in 2004.
Police believe he targeted Mrs Whitelam on her pension day.
At the time, Franks’ defence barrister said he thought his client was suffering from a psychopathic disorder and represented a “grave and immediate danger to others”.
Before carrying out the murder Franks, then of Thesiger House, Garibaldi Street, Grimsby, was said to have a long history of criminal behaviour.
Franks had been given a life sentence for murder in May 2004 and was ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years, most of which had been spent at HMP Wakefield.
He had been a known ‘trader’ in prescribed medicines as well as a user, his inquest heard.
She did not raise any concerns about her father’s care or treatment in prison.
An investigation into Franks’ death found no suspicious circumstances.
The inquest was told that HMP Wakefield had made improvements to security to make it harder for prisoners to get hold of drugs, including prescribed medicines.
The new procedures had seen a significant reduction in the trading of medication.
The inquest heard details from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman who carried out an investigation into the death of Franks.
The Ombudsman said Franks had been given a life sentence for murder in May 2004 and was ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years, most of which had been spent at Wakefield.
The Ombudsman said Franks had been a known ‘trader’ in prescribed medicines as well as a user.
Coroner Oliver Longstaff told the jury there was no evidence that Franks had taken his own life or any evidence that amounted to criticism of the prison.
He said it was likely that Franks had obtained the dihydrocodeine in the prison.
The jury concluded that Franks had died as a result of misadventure, in other words his death was caused by a deliberate act that had unintended consequences.
