Meet the True Crime Author Who Faked Being an FBI Profiler

In October 2018, 59-year-old true crime author Paul Harrison introduced his latest book, Mind Games, in which he claimed to have personally interviewed over 100 most notorious serial killers.

Described as the “master of the true crime genre,” the author of over 30 true crime books claimed to have worked as a police officer in the UK for three decades, “serving as a dog handler, intelligence officer, as a detective and later as a profiler”. Harrison also claimed he “worked closely” with the FBI’s Behavioural Science Unit in Quantico, Virginia for six months in 1982.

At his live events and press releases, the self-proclaimed “master of true crime” bragged about coming face-to-face with the most notorious serial killers, such as John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Henry Lee Lucas, Aileen Wuornos, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Peter Sutcliffe, who supposedly told the author, “You seem completely indifferent to me. I’m scared of you.”

Yorkshire Ripper Trial — Two youths, one holding a noose, stand outside Dewsbury Magistrates Court, where Peter William Sutcliffe was remanded in custody for eight days and charged with the murder. (AP)

However, less than a year later, the book has been withdrawn from sale after Harrison’s claims to have interviewed serial killers were called into question.

Seven former FBI agents who Harrison claimed to have worked with told the reporters they had no idea who the disgraced author was.

“Any claim that he conducted interviews of those serial killers is completely false,” now-former FBI profiler Mark Safarik told the media.

When the story came to light, Peter Sutcliffe also used the opportunity to bash Harrison’s claims. “Paul Harrison is an absolute charlatan, a conman. He never corresponded with me, nor did he ever visit me.”

“He needs to be exposed for the downright liar he is! What a wazzock,” he added, using British slang for a foolish or annoying person.

Yorkshire Ripper Letter To The Press — A copy of Sutcliffe’s letter to the press.

After the evidence surfaced, Harrison deleted all of his social media accounts – but not before he left an apology message on Facebook, saying he was “weak and vulnerable and utterly useless at decision making” and “was introduced into sensationalizing events by promoters who often sent out the misleading blurb.”