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Robert Maudsley Relocated After Record 46 Years in Solitary Confinement

The UK's longest-serving prisoner ends hunger strike following April 8 transfer to HMP Whitemoor, as his five-year correspondence with a pen pal reveals a humanizing side.

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Overview

  • Robert Maudsley, 71, spent 46 years in a perspex cell at HMP Wakefield before being transferred to HMP Whitemoor earlier this month.
  • His transfer followed a hunger strike in protest of the confiscation of personal items, including a PlayStation and books, during a security operation in February.
  • Maudsley has been exchanging affectionate letters for five years with Loveinia MacKenney, who describes him as caring and misunderstood despite his violent history.
  • Critics, including a veteran prison officer, argue that Maudsley's prolonged isolation is inhumane and unnecessary given his age and reduced threat level.
  • The Prison Service has declined to comment on the reasons for Maudsley's relocation, which has reignited debates over the treatment of aging inmates in maximum-security prisons.