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Outrage after one-eyed cop killer releases pics in designer outfit while IN PRISON serving life

A slain cop's mother said, 'I wish I could pose for pictures with my Nicola. However, that privilege was cruelly taken away from us in September 2012'

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND: A notorious police killer sparked outrage among his victims' loved ones after he posed for a picture in designer clothes while serving a life sentence for double murder in a maximum security facility. The 39-year-old, Dale Cregan, was reportedly pictured in a gray and black Hugo Boss polo worth nearly $120 (£100) inside Ashworth hospital about a decade after he murdered two female cops.

The killer's sister Kelly Cregan reportedly posted a photograph on social media featuring Dale with her son Oliver Cregan, 20. The pair were seen posing as Oliver had his arm around his uncle while wearing a black top. The post was captioned, "the boys."

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'A cowardly act'

Bryn Hughes, the heartbroken mother of PC Nicola Hughes who was shot and killed by Dale, blasted the post and bemoaned how she wished she could pose for pictures with her daughter, according to Daily Mirror. "I wish I could pose for pictures with my Nicola," she told the outlet. Bryn added, "However, that privilege was cruelly taken away from us in September 2012 in a cowardly act. All we have to look at is old images and wonder what she would have changed and how she should be enjoying her life." Dale was sentenced to life in prison after admitting to four murders including those of Nicola, 23, and her colleague PC Fiona Bone, 32. The killer was reportedly transported by armed guards from Full Sutton in York to Ashworth Hospital in Merseyside.

Thriving in prison

Dale was originally moved to the maximum-security psychiatric facility in 2015, where he wrote letters to a friend about his lavish life behind bars. He described his comfortable life at the hospital, which one insider reportedly likened to a "holiday camp." In his letters, Dale said he had lost weight by regularly working out at the hospital gym. He said he often played tennis and snooker and even cooked pizza, albeit he was not allowed to use knives.

What's more? The cop killer also boasted about enjoying kayaking sessions in the facility's swimming pool. Patients are allowed to touch their relatives and pose for pictures. In fact, visitors can bring clothes for patients who are housed in single rooms with showers. That said, Dale's sisters Kelly and Stacey frequently post photos of their incarcerated brother on Instagram. 

Dale, who reportedly lost an eye in a brawl years ago, was told he would die in prison as he was sentenced to life without parole. It's worth noting that he was already evading authorities for the murders of David Short, 46, and his son Mark, 23, when he killed the two policewomen after luring them to a house with a fake 999 call. When the officers responded to the address, he shot them 32 times on the doorstep before throwing a grenade at them.

Multiple transfers

Dale was jailed in 2013 and originally sent to Strangeways in Manchester. Prison bosses, however, decided to send him to Ashworth following a  psychiatric assessment. In 2018, he was declared sane and moved back to Manchester and then to Full Sutton in North Yorkshire. According to an insider, the killer's reported return to Ashworth was the result of him "playing the game" to get away from Category A Full Sutton, considering two independent psychiatrists would have had to support the claim that he needs special care to be moved to the maximum security psychiatric hospital. It is also important to note that Dale is only the 49th prisoner in England and Wales to be given a 'whole life' sentence, the Daily Mail reported.