Beverley first met Barry while volunteering at a day care center for Down syndrome patients in Saltley, Birmingham. She thought he was kind, likable, and a "normal" man who had faced difficulties in life.

They began dating despite a 17-year age difference. But while Beverley, then 34, was deeply in love, Barry carried a dark secret that would make most women considering a relationship with him flee immediately.

Barry, then 51, was a convicted serial killer who had just spent 15 years at Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital for murdering five people in a horrific shooting spree in the West Midlands in October 1978.

After doctors determined Barry no longer posed a danger to the community, he was released in 1994.

Barry confessed his horrific crimes to Beverley. Surprisingly, their relationship not only continued but flourished. When Barry proposed after one year of dating, Beverley accepted.

Barry Williams and wife Beverley Stephens outside their home in Yardley. Photo: DM

"He told me everything about his past right from the start. He was very honest, so I thought I would give him a chance. I think his honesty made me feel comfortable. At first, I never felt scared around him," Beverley shared. She noted that Barry was not violent then, preferring a quiet life.

Beverley said her sister advised her not to marry a killer, while her parents remained neutral, accepting her decision.

Less than one year later, the couple married quickly at the city's registry office in early 1996. Their daughter, Amy, was born a few months later.

Barry settled into his new life and gradually distanced himself from his past, changing his name to Harry Street to spare his family the stigma of being associated with a five-time killer.

The violent husband revealed his true nature

In 2005, the family of three moved to a social housing property in Hall Green, Birmingham. Despite a seemingly happy exterior, Harry was a "ticking time bomb."

For nine years since they met, there had been no signs of Harry's mental instability. But looking back now, Beverley admitted that warning signs about her new husband appeared early on.

"He refused to take his medication, saying he didn't need it. He had doctors and social workers visiting, and the doctors tried to persuade him to take his pills, but he wouldn't listen," Beverley recounted.

Beverley stated that her husband refused to find work, while she herself could not find employment. The couple lived on benefits, occasionally taking simple vacations with their daughter.

About five or six years into their marriage, Harry's violent temper began to emerge, gradually forcing Beverley to take tranquilizers to cope. She described how her husband's attitude would change suddenly, becoming very aggressive. During one argument, Harry exploded, assaulting his wife. Another time, Beverley had to crawl under the kitchen table to escape her husband but was dragged out by her hair. Her daughter's screams fortunately brought him back to his senses.

Beverley gradually understood what could trigger Harry's rage, such as being woken up. She learned this lesson one time when she unintentionally disturbed him by climbing into bed later. "He put a pillow over my face. I couldn't breathe. It was terrifying," Beverley said.

On another occasion, Harry became annoyed because Beverley took too long shopping. On the way home, he suddenly stopped the car and ordered his wife to get out and walk home.

According to Beverley, sometimes Harry would also show thoughtfulness, buying things for his wife and daughter. But the violent outbursts and erratic temper worsened over time. She recalled once seeing him making a gun silencer in the living room but was told not to ask any questions. Beverley had considered fleeing with Amy but feared they would be found.

Five years of tormenting neighbors

Beverley could not explain what made Harry obsessed with their next-door neighbors, Warren Smith and his wife Sharee. Harry once made a gun gesture with his fingers toward Warren, saying, "I'll deal with you."

The Smith family had lived there for five years before Harry's family moved in. Initially, they thought their new neighbors seemed pleasant, if a bit distant, but then complaints began.

Harry accused the Smith family of hosting noisy parties and called the police to complain or make false allegations of domestic violence. When officers did not intervene, Harry decided to take matters into his own hands.

For five years, he waged a campaign of harassment against the Smith family, warning them: "You will become ghosts." He drilled holes in his bedroom wall to bang metal rods against the adjoining wall, threw golf balls onto their conservatory roof, and scattered bread to attract birds.

The conflict escalated in November 2010 when Harry leaned over the fence during a family outdoor party, brandishing an air rifle and warning Warren, then 45: "You don't know who I am."

Worried, the Smith family put their house up for sale to move elsewhere, selling at a loss of 25,000 GBP in July 2013. But three months later, Harry, then 69, appeared at their new home, knocking on the door and growling: "I found you. I know where you live."

The Smith family panicked and called the police. Four days later, police raided Harry's home and arrested him. They discovered Harry had amassed an "arsenal" of six firearms, more than 50 homemade bullets, a homemade explosive device containing 30 g of gunpowder, a gas canister, and a functional detonator.

Police found many homemade weapons in Barry Williams's home in October 2013. Photo: Newsteam

The army's bomb disposal unit was deployed, and hundreds of residents were evacuated from a 100 m radius while the homemade explosive device was defused.

On the day of his arrest in October 2013, Harry planned to take his wife and daughter on a pre-booked vacation to a small house in Wales. Beverley feared he might have been planning to set off an explosion in the attic while they were away, intending to destroy surrounding property and anyone inside. Fortunately, Harry was arrested that very day.

Horrific past exposed

West Midlands Police had no information about Harry in their database; his previous identity was only discovered after an officer thoroughly searched and found Harry's general practitioner.

While the mental health team, family doctor, and Harry's wife all knew his true identity as Barry Williams, the police and those living around him were completely unaware.

Under the name Barry Williams, he had spent 15 years in high-security Broadmoor psychiatric hospital alongside notorious criminals from 1979, linked to a shooting that killed five people and seriously injured two others.

Barry, then a 34-year-old factory worker, had argued with his neighbors—the Burkitt family—for years in the Bustleholme area of West Bromwich.

Stepping out of his home one October evening in 1978, Barry thought George Burkitt, then 47, and his 20-year-old son, were laughing at him. He snapped, pulling out a pistol and shooting the father and son as they repaired their car in front of their house. Barry then entered the neighbors' home, fatally shooting George's wife. Their 17-year-old daughter was hit by seven bullets but fortunately survived.

In a frenzy, Barry jumped into his car, shooting two neighbors, Judith and Joe Chambers (who also fortunately survived), as he sped away. At a petrol station in Nuneaton, Barry shot and killed the owner couple at the counter when they refused to give him cash.

Barry was arrested the next day in Buxton, Derbyshire, after a 48 km police chase. Inside his car were more than 900 rounds of ammunition.

Barry Williams covered with a blanket on his way to court in 1979. Photo: PA

When sentencing Barry for manslaughter under mental health law, the judge at Stafford Crown Court stated he could only be released by order of the Home Secretary.

Barry was released in 1994 after doctors deemed him "no longer a danger to the public," causing public outrage.

After marrying and having a child, seemingly having turned his life around, Barry once again became obsessed with his next-door neighbors. He spent much of his time in the storage room at home making imitation firearms, ammunition, and practicing shooting. Barry blocked the door with a sofa and forbade his wife and daughter from entering.

In October 2014, a judge at Birmingham Crown Court stated that the risk of another tragedy was narrowly averted and ordered Barry's indefinite detention.

Barry died of a heart attack at high-security Ashworth psychiatric hospital two months later, on Christmas Eve 2014.

A multi-agency review was established to clarify why there were no records of Barry's previous convictions on police computer systems.

Beverley, currently 64, now lives elsewhere in Birmingham with her second husband.

Tue Anh (according to DailyMail)