In its latter years the pub was infamous as having been the stalking ground for three separate serial killers from the 1970s to the 1990s: Dennis Nilsen, Michael Lupo and Colin Ireland. Ireland committed five murders in 1993, after making a New Year's resolution to become a serial killer. Although he later claimed to be straight, he picked up men at the Coleherne, whose colour-coded handkerchiefs indicated that they were into sadomasochism and passive. He accompanied his victims to their homes, where he restrained and then killed them.