Thomas McDowell

McDowell was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.[2]

Hinz, a thirty seven year old homosexual trainee rabbi, gifted linguist, and national of Germany, had spent the night of 3 July 2002, drinking alone in the public house Black Cap, a gay bar in Camden, North London. After striking up a conversation with McDowell, they left the bar together in the early hours, and returned to McDowell’s flat in Baynes Street, Camden.[3] Hinz arrived in Britain two years prior, in 2000, to begin his training to become a rabbi, at the Leo Baeck College.[4]

After knocking Hinz to the floor with a “martial arts” kick, McDowell proceeded to strangle Hinz, before dismembering his body, with a rip saw.[5] The body parts were wrapped in bin liners, and put out onto one street near St Pancras Way, for the rubbish collectors.[6] Their subsequent decomposition, exacerbated by summer heat, led to a “terrible smell” and a cloud of flies, that eventually led to their gruesome discovery.[7]

Barbara Hinz, his mother, returned home to Ulm, Germany, after flying to London the following week, to appeal for help finding her son.[8][9] His cousin, Claudia Bobermin, also flew with his mother to London, in their appeal to find Hinz.[10]

McDowell briefly appeared in the Old Bailey on 2 December 2002, in relation to killing Hinz, and was remanded in custody until 14 February 2003.[11]

At the trial of McDowell two years later, in September 2004, it was revealed that, as a child, he had suffered abuse at the hands of a man, and grew up with a sense of hatred towards homosexuals, as well as suffering from a personality disorder. McDowell was a medical student at the time of the murder, and had also been working as a male prostitute. McDowell admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and was sentenced to life imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court, on 30 September 2004.[12]

The trial judge spoke of his doubt, as to whether it would ever be thought safe to release McDowell back into the community, and recommended that he should never be released.[13] He began his life sentence at Rampton Secure Hospital, in Nottinghamshire.[14]