The sinister American cult leader Charles Manson, who directed his acolytes to carry out a series of ritualistic murders in 1969, has died at the age of 83. He was once described as “the most dangerous man alive”, never showing any remorse for their horrific crimes, including stabbing to death the heavily pregnant actress Sharon Tate, killed along with four other people at her California home. Yet Manson continues to fascinate a dark, depraved side of American culture.