Harry Hankinson, a Manchester man with over 500 criminal convictions, has died at age 78 while serving a 14-year sentence in HMP Wakefield. His lengthy criminal history included hundreds of thefts and recent convictions for sexual assaults against vulnerable women.
A legacy of 523 convictions and five decades of crime
The criminal career of Harry Hankinson was defined by an extraordinary level of persistence that baffled law enforcement for half a century. As reported by the source, Hankinson amassed a total of 523 convictions, 433 of which were specifically for theft. Based in Miles Platting, Manchester, he spent much of his adult life cycling through the justice system, frequently evading the long-term impact of prison terms,curfews, and anti-social behavior orders.
This pattern of recidivism was a source of deep frustration for his family and the community. His wife, Linda Hankinson, previously noted that his short stints in custody, such as an 18-week sentence in 1996, were insufficient to deter his behavior. She suggested that the only way to truly stop his spree was through significant periods of incarceration,a sentiment that underscores the difficulty authorities faced in managing a career criminal who seemed to treat the high street as his personal domain.
The transition to sexual violence and the Bolton Crown Court sentence
While Hankinson was long recognized for his shoplifting, his legal troubles escalated into much more serious territory in recent years. in November 2021, a jury at Bolton Crown Court convicted him of attempted rape and four counts of sexual assault. These offenses targeted vulnerable women, leading the court to label him a significant danger to the public.
The details of these crimes were particularly harrowing. According to the report, one incident in February 2017 involved Hankinson forcing a 61-year-old woman to perform a sex act while she was a patient in a hospital. Another victim, who was 70 years old at the time of an assault in 2020, managed to defend herself by stabbing Hankinson in the hand with a fork. Detective Constable Emma Cooper of Greater Manchester Police characterized the man as a "sexual predator who preys on vulnerable victims," highlighting the shift from petty theft to predatory violence.
The disputed 1970 World Cup head injury defense
Throughout his many legal battles, Hankinson frequently attempted to attribute his compulsive behavior to medical or psychological causes. He claimed that a head injury sustained while watching the 1970 World Cup had fundamentally altered his personality, turning him into a kleptomaniac with an uncontrollable urge to steal. He used this narrative to seek leniency in various court appearances, including a 2019 hearing at Tameside Magistrates' Court.
However, these claims were consistently met with skepticism by the judicial system. Psychiatric assessments conducted during his various legal proceedings found no evidence to support a diagnosis of kleptomania. Instead, judges often viewed him as an "indiscriminate thief" whose actions were a matter of choice rather than a medical compulsion.
The unanswered circumstances of the August 16 death
While the news of Hankinson's death marks the end of a prolific criminal era, the exact details surrounding his passing remain unclear. he died on August 16 while held at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire, but the specific cause of death has not been released to the public.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the circumstances of his death to ensure all proper procedures were followed.. Until this investigation is complete, the specific medical or situational factors that led to the death of the 78-year-old inmate remain unverified.
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