9 Creepy Stories From History That Almost Seem Too Disturbing To Be True

Published October 27, 2021
Updated October 28, 2021

Edward Paisnel: The Creepy True Story Of The “Beast Of Jersey”

Creepy Story Of Edward Paisnel

ITV/YouTubeA 1971 mugshot of Edward Paisnel.

Edward Paisnel seemed like a loving family man. He lived on the remote Channel Island of Jersey with his wife and her children. And he was always happy to help orphans — even dressing up as Santa Claus for them at Christmas. An arrest for stealing food to share with starving families seemed like his only real blemish. But then, the disturbing truth came out.

Between 1957 and 1971, Jersey had been terrorized by a masked figure dubbed the “Beast of Jersey.” The anonymous intruder had abducted, tortured, and raped more than 13 people — most of them children. And for years, no one knew that the “Beast” behind this creepy story was Paisnel.

Paisnel’s first attack in 1957 involved the abduction of a young woman from a bus stop. That time, he wore a scarf around his face and approached her with a rope in his hand. Tying it around her neck, he forced her into a field and raped her before vanishing into thin air. He repeated the same tactic a couple more times before he decided to start invading homes.

On Valentine’s Day 1960, a 12-year-old boy woke up to find the “Beast” in his bedroom. Paisnel then kidnapped the boy, dragged him to a field, and raped him there. In March, Paisnel raped a woman who asked him for a ride. And soon afterward, he invaded a woman’s cottage and cut the phone lines, preventing her from calling the police. She was able to flee the home, but her 14-year-old daughter wasn’t — and so she was also raped.

Beast Of Jersey Mask

R. Powell/Daily Express/Getty ImagesThe disturbing “Beast of Jersey” mask, as worn by a police officer.

Jersey police soon began questioning every resident with a criminal record, but 13 of them, including Paisnel, refused to provide their fingerprints. This narrowed down their list a bit, but they got sidetracked when they zeroed in on a local fisherman who was known to be eccentric. At one point, residents were so sure the fisherman was guilty that a group of vigilantes burned down his house — causing the innocent man to flee.

Of course, the attacks continued after the fisherman left, proving the “Beast” was still out there. Finally, Scotland Yard arrived in Jersey to help the local police, and a criminal profile was soon constructed. Meanwhile, Paisnel wrote a taunting letter to cops in 1966 bragging about his crimes. But just a few years later, carelessness led to him finally being caught by mere chance.

Pulled over for running a red light on July 10, 1971, Paisnel was arrested after police found a terrifying mask in the car — along with a black wig, cords, and tape. In addition, he was wearing a raincoat with nails fitted on the cuffs and shoulders, and he had a flashlight on his person.

After he was arrested, a search of his home yielded a secret room full of photos of local homes and books on the occult. In the end, Paisnel’s trial on November 29 led to just 38 minutes of deliberation before the jury found him guilty of 13 counts of rape, sexual assault, and sodomy.

For his heinous crimes, Paisnel was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Shockingly, he was released for good behavior in 1991. But he died of a heart attack three years later, bringing his creepy story to an end.

author
Marco Margaritoff
author
A former staff writer for All That’s Interesting, Marco Margaritoff holds dual Bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a Master's in journalism from New York University. He has published work at People, VICE, Complex, and serves as a staff reporter at HuffPost.
editor
Jaclyn Anglis
editor
Jaclyn is the senior managing editor at All That's Interesting. She holds a Master's degree in journalism from the City University of New York and a Bachelor's degree in English writing and history (double major) from DePauw University. She is interested in American history, true crime, modern history, pop culture, and science.