ANTHONY Hardy wants to sell his sofa to Madame Tussauds for its Chamber of Horrors, the New Journal can reveal.
The 55-year-old killer asked a friend to approach the tourist attraction in Baker Street – to find out whether it would be interested in buying his belongings.
He begged a friend, Sarah McGuinness, to approach upmarket auction houses Sotheby’s and Christie’s to see whether they would be interested in organising the sale of his flat’s contents.
The sick plans have come to light in letters to Ms McGuinness, sent by Hardy from his cell in Wakefield Prison.
In an undated letter, thought to have been sent about September last year, Hardy writes: “I’m trying to find someone to organise sale of flat contents via Sothebys, Christies etc and will also approach Madame Tussauds (Chamber of Horrors!) and the London Dungeon.”
He wants to write his life story – and hopes film companies will be interested in buying the rights. He adds: “I’m trying to find an author to co-write my biography. If possible I will sell book, film, video, documentary rights etc to highest bidder and will donate proceedings of ALL of the above to charities, anonymously.”
In a letter dated July 14 last year, the former engineer reveals he is waiting to get a list of possessions from his flat in Royal College Street, Camden Town – including a leather Chesterfield settee – which were seized by police after his arrest in January 2003. But, as the letters reveal, Hardy is also aware that few charities would be willing to profit from his sordid crimes.
He writes: “I’ll approach auction houses and curios buyers to see if they want to buy my stuff but I need an agent to represent me in London: sort out saleable goods from personal stuff, organise transport and be trustworthy to give money raised to charities.
“I’ve asked a solicitor and he says charities like Great Ormond Street Hospital and my London church wouldn’t accept either the work or the money for ethical reasons.”
In another letter he asks Ms McGuinness: “You could approach Quakers, other charities you know, to see if they can help. Consequently they would benefit too. But I’ve been advised charities do not like to benefit from ‘serious crimes’! Maybe a law prevents this?”
Hardy, who also discloses his net income in prison as £1.50 a week, was moved from Wakefield – mainly for lifers who have committed serious sex offences – to Broadmoor maximum security hospital last autumn.
A spokeswoman for Madame Tussauds, asked if it would buy artefacts from a convicted killer, said: “There is no hard and fast policy. The last original items we bought were a letter and spectacles belonging to Dr Crippen in 1911. It is unlikely we would buy something contemporary because the attraction is mainly historical.”
A spokeswoman from the Charities Commission said: “Accepting donations is a decision made by the individual charity. But we would strongly recommend that they think carefully about who they accept the donation from – and who they want to be associated with.”
A prison service official told the New Journal that prisoners were not allowed to make money from their crimes.