The ex-wife of Scots serial killer Peter Tobin has said she is “relieved” at the news of his death.
Tobin died on Saturday at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh after becoming unwell at HMP Edinburgh.
The 76-year-old was serving three life sentences for the murders of Angelika Kluk, Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol.
Detectives have long suspected Tobin had more victims, but the killer refused to admit to any more murders despite officers questioning him on his deathbed.
Following the news of his death, Tobin’s ex-wife Cathy Wilson told the Sunday Mirror: “He was a monster and there is a feeling of relief that he is now dead.
“Everyone knows there were other victims, and he could have made all the difference in the world to grieving families who still don’t know for sure what happened to their loved ones.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Laura Thomson, head of major crime at Police Scotland, said the final attempts to encourage Tobin to “do the right thing and share any knowledge he may have which could assist the police were unsuccessful”.
She added: “While we have no current lines of investigation into Peter Tobin, we welcome any information in relation to his activities.”
Former Strathclyde Police detective David Swindle, who led the investigation into Tobin, said he had no doubts the serial killer murdered more people.
He told STV News: “Peter Tobin was a horrible, horrible individual that cared about one person – himself, and he took people’s lives away for his sadistic pleasure.
“Sadly, despite all the work that myself and the team, the Anagram team, did to look at Tobin’s life, we never found out how many more [victims he had].”
The Sunday Mail previously reported Tobin had cancer and had fallen and broken his hip and was refusing food and medication.
Last month a photo was circulated of Tobin “chained to a hospital bed” in a hospital gown, appearing seriously ill.
STV NewsIn 2007, Tobin was found guilty of raping and murdering Polish student Angelika Kluk while working as a handyman at St Patrick’s Church in Glasgow, where the 23-year-old lived and worked as a cleaner.
Following his conviction, he was later investigated over the disappearances of teenagers Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol, who were last seen in 1991.
In 2008, he was convicted of the murder of 15-year-old Vicky, who was last seen waiting for a bus to Falkirk, after her remains were discovered in a house in Margate where Tobin lived in the 90s.
The remains of Dinah McNicol, an 18-year-old who disappeared after hitchhiking in Hampshire, were also discovered at the same property. Tobin was convicted of her murder in 2009.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the family of Vicky Hamilton said they would not celebrate Tobin’s passing, saying “he does not deserve any more of our families thoughts”.
It said: “We remember Vicky, we remember her laughter, her smile and we want to keep that memory after all the years of having no idea what had happened to her, followed by heartbreak of losing our mum not long after Vicky went missing.
“If he has taken more victims, our hearts go out to their families and can only wish one day they get the closure they so badly deserve.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed officers attended the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at 6.04am following the death of a 76-year-old man, adding: “The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
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