A new documentary offers chilling insight into the mind of the murderer who became known as the 'gay slayer' after he tortured five men to death in a killing spree that terrorised London's gay community.

Jobless at 37 and contemplating his next career move, Colin Ireland made a New Year's resolution to become a serial killer, and went on to murder five victims in a crime spree that lasted from March to June 1993.

Ireland met all of his victims at the Coleherne Pub, a popular gay venue in London's Earl's Court, and convinced them to invite him back to their flats under the promise of sadomasochistic sex. Once inside, he bound and tortured them to death.

In a new episode of Voice of a Serial Killer, experts reveal how Ireland, who had an avid interest in true crime books and idolised infamous murderers like the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, had started killing because he 'wanted to be somebody' - so much so that he called the press anonymously after taking the life of his first victim to brag about what he had done.

Meticulous in his planning, Ireland - who was foiled in '93 after being caught on CCTV with his fifth and final victim - used the information he had gained from the true crime books as a 'how-to' guide.

The documentary features taped recordings from Ireland's police interviews in which he confessed and described his crimes in horrifying detail.

Serial killer: Colin Ireland, then 37, murdered five gay men he'd picked up at a gay club in Earl's Court, London, in 1993. He had chosen murdering as a 'career', experts says

Chilling: Voice of a Serial Killer stages recreations of Ireland's crimes using actors. Here the man playing Ireland visits a gay club where he would pick up victims

Peter Walker, 49, left, was Ireland's first victim and was whipped with a dog lead before being suffocated with a plastic bag. Right, victim Christopher Dunn, who was strangled

Colin Ireland was 37 when he murdered Peter Walker, 49, Christopher Dunn, 37, Perry Bradley III, 35, Andrew Collier, 33, and Emmanuel Spiteri, 41, after meeting them in the Coleherne.

He would go back to their homes under the promise of sadomasochistic sex and tie them up and gag them, but then tortured and strangled them to death when they couldn't break free.

Ireland was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 1993, after making a full confession to the police in which he gave graphic descriptions of how he killed his victims. He died in prison in 2012 from natural causes.

Experts explained how becoming a serial killer was a premeditated decision for Ireland, who at the time was jobless and looking for a new career.

Perry Bradley III , 35, left, was the son of a Texas Democratic Party fundraiser, who Ireland also strangled after meeting at the pub. Ireland killed both Andrew Collier, right, and his cat

The final victim Emanuel Spiteri , 41, who he strangled to death. It was CCTV footage from the night that he died that would lead to Ireland's capture

Speaking in the documentary, clinical forensic psychologist Mike Berry explained that Ireland wanted notoriety and saw committing murder as the perfect way to bring him infamy.

The victims of the so-called 'gay slayer' Peter Walker, 49, was whipped with a dog lead before he was suffocated with a plastic bag. Christopher Dunn, 37, who he tortured to get his pin number before strangling him. Perry Bradley III, 35, was the son of a Texas Democratic Party fundraiser that was also strangled. Police initially believed the mafia was behind his death because of his father. Just days later he would murder Andrew Collier, 33. Ireland was angry when he found out that the victim was HIV positive and wanted to get revenge so killed his cat. His final victim was Emanuel Spiteri, 41, who he strangled to death. After the murder he set fire to the flat and told the police in anonymous call what he'd done, saying he wouldn't kill again. Advertisement

Berry said: 'Having decided he was a nobody he then wanted to be somebody, and one of the best ways to be famous is to be a killer. We all know about Ian Brady, we all know about Peter Sutcliffe, Robert Black, he wanted to be in that league.'

After taking the life of his first victim, Ireland even phoned a national newspaper himself to say he had killed someone but was worried because he had left his victim's dogs trapped in the flat.

When the phone call earned him the moniker the 'animal lover killer', Ireland was so angry at the coverage he tortured his fourth victim's cat to death and once again informed the press.

He is said to have been furious at the lack of coverage the murders were garnering.

Experts believe the pride he felt over his crimes was also evident when he offered a full confession to police in clinical and graphic detail.

In his chilling confession tape he explains: 'I wasn't forced to do this, in fact when I was last interviewed by the police for five days I said nothing on tape. I spent a month in prison considering my mental state, my outlook on what happened.

Ireland added: 'I think I should be placed in a position where I can no longer inflict harm upon others.'

Calculated: Ireland would bound and gag his victims before torturing and strangling them while they had no chance to escape

Proud: After initially denying any involvement, Ireland confessed to his crimes and described them in clinical detail to police officers. Pictured, an actor in a reenactment

Evidence: Ireland was caught on CCTV with his final victim Emanuel Spiteri, pictured, but initially told police he'd just gone back to his flat for sex

A conversation with a killer: Colin Ireland's chilling confession tape Colin Ireland confessed to the murders in autumn 1993 after initially denying any involvement. His descriptions of the murders were chilling and very clinical. Speaking of his first victim, he said: 'While he was asleep I put a noose around his neck, he barely came to. It was quite quick, I throttled him with the noose and he hardly struggled.' Describing another murder, he said: 'I tied him up I went got a plastic bag from the kitchen, carrier bag, put it over his head and I think in a way he wanted to die. He probably didn't realise I detected him in this lack of desire to carry on. 'I think he knew he was going to die, he was quite controlled about it. It was almost like a thing that was going to happen. Almost like a fate thing.' Going into graphic detail, Ireland also described spending the night with a victim's corpse, saying: 'I think that affected me mentally to quite a degree sitting with his body for five to six hours, watching him gradually get blotches, go cold, it wasn't something that I don't I could cope with to be honest. 'Didn't deal with it too well.' In explaining how he chose his victims, Ireland was said to have essentially blamed his victims by pointing out that they approached him for sex. He said: 'I think it's been something that's been triggered in me sometime before, I felt if I was approached it was likely that I would kill. I thought to myself, if I wasn't approached something wouldn't have happened. I would have gone on my way and nothing would have happened.' Advertisement

While it is widely accepted that Ireland was inspired by the true crime books he so enjoyed reading, experts argue that he might also have targeted gay men because of his own repressed sexuality.

Forensic psychologist Professor Michael Brookes argued: 'Just because you read books about serial killers doesn't mean you have any interest in becoming a serial killer yourself, but if that is your motive then actually reading books can give you an awareness of the ways in which serial killers have acted in the past.

Just because you read books about serial killers doesn't mean you have any interest in becoming a serial killer yourself... [but it] can give you an awareness of the ways in which serial killers have acted in the past Professor Michael Brookes

'But there has to be other motives as well so why did he want to become a killer, why target homosexuals?'

In the Coleherne men would wear different colour handkerchiefs to signal what kind of sex they wanted, so Ireland had a visual clue to help him target victims who wanted to be the passive party in S&M sex.

In his tapes Ireland attempted to justify his crimes by saying he only killed the men who approached him.

He said: 'I felt if I was approached I felt there was a likelihood that I would kill. I thought to myself if I was approached something would happened. I would have gone on my way and nothing would have happened.'

But Professor Brookes said he chose easy targets, using the handkerchief system to choose victims who would work suit his method of killing.

After two of his murders Ireland had called the press and the police to brag about his crimes

Brookes explained: 'What he does is he reduces the chance of choosing an inappropriate victim or somebody who wasn't going to respond by not selecting those who didn't approach him.

'So he selected those that approach him because he became aware that these are the individuals that wanted to have sadomasochistic sex with him, so they were selecting themselves by approaching him.'

Ireland was finally caught when police discovered CCTV footage of him and his final victim Emmanuel Spiteri walking through Charing Cross station.

Police put out wanted posters before Ireland and his lawyer told them it was him in the footage, but he did nothing more than sex with Spiteri, but made a full confession five days later.

Voice of a Serial Killer airs Wednesday 15 November at 10pm on CBS Reality