Graham Frederick Young (7 September 1947 – 1 August 1990), also known as the Teacup Poisoner, was an English serial killer who murdered his victims with poison. Obsessed with poisons from an early age, Young poisoned the food and drink of relatives and school friends. He was caught when his teacher became suspicious and contacted police. Young pleaded guilty to three non-fatal poisonings and, at age 14, was detained at Broadmoor Hospital. He later took responsibility for the death of his stepmother, though this has not been proven. After being released in 1971, Young found a job in a factory in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, where he poisoned some of his colleagues, resulting in two deaths and several critical illnesses. He was convicted on two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in 1972. Young served most of his life sentence at Parkhurst Prison, where he died of a heart attack in 1990. Young's case made headlines in the United Kingdom and led to a public debate over the release of mentally ill offenders. Within hours of his conviction, the British government announced two inquiries into the issues his trial had raised. The Butler Committee led to widespread reforms in mental health services, while the passage of the Poisons Act 1972 put severe restrictions on the purchase of deadly poisons. Young's life story inspired the film The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1995).
Early life and crimes Graham Young was born on 7 September 1947 to Frederick and Bessie Young in Neasden, Middlesex; he had an older sister, Winifred. After his mother died of tuberculosis when he was fourteen weeks old, Young was sent to live with an uncle and aunt while his sister went to live with their grandparents. Several years later, Young's father married his stepmother, Molly Young, and the family were reunited. Young was fascinated from an early age by poisons and their effects, and considered Victorian poisoner William Palmer to be a personal hero. He also read extensively about black magic and Nazism. In 1959, he attended John Kelly Boys' School, where he read books on advanced toxicology. In early 1961, Young acquired antimony from a local chemist, signing the poisons register in the name "M.E. Evans"; his knowledge of poisons and chemistry convinced the chemist that he was older than he appeared. From February, he poisoned members of his family. First, his stepmother Molly suffered vomiting, diarrhea and excruciating stomach pain, which she initially dismissed as bilious attacks. Before long, his father suffered similar stomach cramps, debilitating him for days at a time. Soon after, Young's sister became sick on two occasions over the summer. Shortly afterwards, Young himself fell violently ill. It even seemed as if the mystery bug had spread beyond their household: a couple of Young's school friends had similarly been repeatedly absent from school, both suffering from similar symptoms. In November 1961, Young's sister was served a cup of tea by her brother one morning but found its taste so sour she took only one mouthful before she threw it away. While on the train to work an hour later, she hallucinated, had to be helped out of the station and was eventually taken to hospital, where doctors came to the conclusion that she had somehow been exposed to the poisonous Atropa belladonna. Young was confronted by his father, but he claimed that she had been using the family's teacups to mix shampoo. Unconvinced, Young's father searched his room but found nothing incriminating. Nevertheless, he warned his son to be more careful in future when "messing about with those bloody chemicals." On Easter Saturday, 21 April 1962, Young's stepmother died. Her death was attributed to a prolapsed cervical disc, which was believed to have resulted from a road accident. Much later, Young told police that he poisoned her with a lethal dose of thallium. At her wake, Young poisoned a male relative after lacing a jar of mustard pickle with antimony. Shortly afterwards, his father became seriously ill and was taken to hospital, where he was told that he was suffering from antimony poisoning and one more dose would have killed him. Young's aunt, who knew of his fascination with poisons, became suspicious, as did a science teacher who discovered several bottles of poison in his school desk. The teacher and the headmaster arranged for Young to be interviewed by a psychiatrist posing as a careers adviser, who contacted police after Young revealed his extensive knowledge of poisons and toxicology. Young was arrested on 23 May 1962 after returning home from school. Vials of thallium and antimony were found in his possession. When questioned by police, he confessed to poisoning his father, stepmother, sister and a school friend. Psychiatrist Dr Christopher Fysh testified that Young had a psychopathic disorder rather than a mental illness and had failed "to develop a normal moral sense." He felt it was "extremely likely" that Young would re-offend and recounted a conversation in which Young said: "I am missing my antimony. I miss the power it gives me." Fysh recommended that Young be detained at Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire, an institution for patients with mental disorders who have committed criminal offences. Dr Donald Blair, another psychiatrist, concurred with Fysh's viewpoint. Young pleaded guilty to three charges of poisoning his father, sister and school friend and was convicted of "malicious administration of a noxious thing to inflict grievous bodily harm." He was not charged for murdering his stepmother, as her autopsy report did not list poison as the cause of death. The judge, Justice Melford Stevenson, ruled that Young was to be detained under Section 60 of the Mental Health Act at Broadmoor. Furthermore, he was not to be released for fifteen years without the approval of the Home Secretary.
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