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Thomas Watt Hamilton

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Murderer

The Resume

    (May 10, 1952-March 13, 1996)
    Born in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
    Birth name was Thomas Watt
    Gunman in the Dunblane Massacre
    Killed sixteen children, one teacher and himself

Why he might be annoying:

    He had a life-long preoccupation with guns and boys.
    His cousin said, 'He talks about guns as though they were babies.'
    He was forced to resign as an assistant Scout leader following a series of complaints, including two incidents where Scouts were forced to sleep with him in his van during expeditions.
    His superior wrote, 'The lack of precautions for such outdoor activities displays either irresponsibility or an ulterior motive for sleeping with the boys.'
    He ran a series of boys' clubs, and drilled the boys like a sadistic boot camp instructor.
    He took numerous pictures of the boys in just their bathing suits, without their parents' knowledge.
    During camping trips, he reportedly would whip the boys with a steel rod, rub lotion on their bodies, then pay them to keep quiet.
    When the police investigated complaints against him, he would write protest letters to authority figures, including the Queen, complaining he was the victim of a conspiracy to blacken his reputation.
    The head of the Central Scotland Police child protective unit recommended that his gun license be revoked because of his unsavory behavior, but no action was taken since there was no concrete evidence of wrongdoing.
    Most of his victims were five and six years old.
    According to the defense psychiatrist for Martin Bryant, Bryant was contemplating suicide until coverage of the Dunblane Massacre inspired him to turn to mass murder instead.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His parents separated shortly after his birth.
    He was adopted by his maternal grandparents who raised him to believe that his mother was sister.
    A Scouting blacklist successfully stopped him from becoming a Scout leader elsewhere in Scotland (1988).
    The massacre could have been worse: he apparently planned to attack the school during assembly, but he arrived late due to icy roads.
    The gymnasium where most of the killings took place was demolished and replaced by a memorial garden.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 207 Votes: 67.15% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 39 Votes: 20.51% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 17 Votes: 94.12% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 9 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 20 Votes: 35.00% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 95 Votes: 48.42% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 23 Votes: 47.83% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 37 Votes: 48.65% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 69 Votes: 53.62% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 100 Votes: 51.00% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 70 Votes: 54.29% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 62 Votes: 77.42% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 207 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 321 Votes: 73.52% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 56 Votes: 73.21% Annoying