Notorious serial killer ‘The Serpent’ spotted mingling with tourists in London

Charles Sobhraj is suspected of killing at least 20 backpackers in Asia in the 1970s and 1980s.

Serial killer Charles Sobhraj, dubbed ‘The Serpent’ for his snake-like ability to seduce victims before they were drugged, robbed and murdered, has been spotted sightseeing in London.

The 79-year-old, suspected of killing at least 20 backpackers in Asia in the 1970s and 1980s, was photographed wandering among tourists on Westminster Bridge wearing a wig and fake beard.

A new Channel 4 series follows Sobhraj’s release from prison after being locked up in Nepal for nearly 20 years for the murders of an American backpacker and her Canadian travelling companion in 1975. He had already served 20 years in India for poisoning Luc Salomon in Delhi in 1976.

During a break from taking photos of landmarks including Big Ben, he brags of his previous ability to evade justice: ‘I was like a shadow.’

The three-part documentary series, The Real Serpent: Investigating a Serial Killer, includes tapes of Sobhraj talking about the murders of US tourist Teresa Knowlton, 21, in Bangkok in 1975.

He also apparently discusses the killing of Vitali Hakim, from Turkey, whose body was burned in Pattaya, Thailand, the Mirror reports.

Sobhraj is confronted in the show by a team of top cops, including former Met Police Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Malton and Commander Gary Copson, along with a forensic psychologist over five crimes he has never been properly cross-examined on.

He has inspired various dramatisations over the years and has been described by those who knew him as a con artist, a seducer, a robber and a murderer.

Most recently he was depicted in BBC drama ‘The Serpent’ which was also streamed on Netflix.

Malton told The Times: ‘There have been numerous documentaries about Charles Sobhraj but the victims have never really had a voice. This was the ­opportunity for him to be challenged with evidence that is compelling but has never been put to him before.’

She added of Sobhraj: ‘I can see why the hippies were so ­attracted to him. He’s interesting, charming and highly educated. He speaks a number of languages and has superb manners.

‘He is a gentleman. But he has no regard for human life.’

Copson told the Mirror of his encounter with the sinister killer: ‘No way would I accept a cup of tea from him, put it that way. Yes, he’s 79. But he’s not a decrepit 79. He’s still got his marbles, he is capable.

‘He has always had women doing his bidding. It would astonish me if he had not convinced one or more women, even now, that he was a safe and entertaining companion.’

Who is Charles Sobhraj?

Charles Sobhraj, born Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh Charles Sobhraj, a French thief and killer, whose life of petty crime as a child then escalated to fraud and murder.

Across Asia, he would pose as a drug dealer or gem salesman in order to impress and befriends tourists, whom he would then rob and defraud.

He would use up to 10 false passports in order to make his way around the continent, being on the run from police at the same time.

He was often flanked by a group of followers – the most prominent being Marie-Andrée Leclerc, Barbara Smith and Mary Ellen Eather.

Over time, murder then became part of his MO, but he was finally caught in 1976 after a failed attempt to drug a group of graduates.

During his murder spree, he was given aliases including The Bikini Killer and The Serpent.

He remained in prison from 1976 to 1997, when he was freed and used his notoriety to promote his own story.

In 2003, he was given a life sentence in Kathmandu, Nepal after being found guilty of another of the 1970s murder of Connie Bronzich.

Who were the victims of The Serpent?

The following deaths and murders have been attributed to Sobhraj: 

• Teresa Knowlton: Seattle native found drowned in tidal pool
• Vitali Hakim: body found on road 
• Henk Bintanja and his fiancée Cornelia Hemker: strangled and burned by side of the road
• Laurent Carrière and Connie Bronzich: murdered in Nepal
• Avoni Jacob: found murdered in India
• Jean-Luc Solomon: death by poison 

However it’s believed he killed more than a dozen people, with each death connected to his illegal work.

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