Eight women come forward with information on being targeted by 1976 killers of Elizabeth Plunkett
Eight women have come forward to allege they were potentially targeted by serial killers Geoffrey Evans and John Shaw in 1976, around the time the pair murdered two women in different parts of Ireland.
The testimonies suggest Shaw and Evans made failed attempts to murder far more victims than previously known. Their testimonies are being gathered by solicitor James McGuill, who represents the family of Dublin woman Elizabeth Plunkett, who was murdered by the pair in 1976.
The British men went on to rape and murder another woman, Mary Duffy (23), in Galway, before being caught a short time later.
Shaw and Evans had travelled to Ireland from the UK with the intention of raping and murdering Irish women.
READ MORE
The first new witness came forward earlier this year, having seen media reports of the inquest which was finally held into the death of Ms Plunkett (23) in January. The inquest was held after it emerged recently that no death certificate had ever been issued for her.
The new witness said she was hit by a car after she left a music session in McDaniel's pub in Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow. The incident occurred on the same night as Shaw and Evans abducted Ms Plunkett, who had also been in McDaniel's.
Mr McGuill said he obtained the woman's medical records, which confirm the timings.
'Part of Shaw's confession had him being party to abducting Elizabeth and then retracing the steps to McDaniel's pub and then going back again. So he was driving around the area at the time,' the solicitor said.
Mary Duffy, of Deerpark, Belcarra, was a victim of convicted killers Geoffrey Evans and John Shaw in September 1976.
Last month, RTÉ launched a new podcast series concerning Ms Plunkett's murder and highlighting the fact that, despite the men's confessions, no one was ever convicted for her death.
Since the Stolen Sister podcast began, several more women have come forward with 'strikingly similar accounts of being pursued by these two guys,' Mr McGuill said.
He said some of these accounts may have been given to gardaí at the time of the original investigation and 'may or may not' have been centralised.
The women's accounts will be passed on to the Garda Commissioner and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the hope that they will provide enough new evidence to reopen the case against Shaw for the murder of Ms Plunkett.
Evans died in custody in 2012. Shaw, who is the State's longest-serving prisoner, has been repeatedly denied parole.
As Shaw was not convicted for Ms Plunkett's murder, her family are not considered victims in a legal sense and therefore have no rights to object to his parole.
The reason Shaw was never tried for her murder remains unclear. Both Evans and Shaw were initially charged with the rape and murder of both Ms Plunkett and Ms Duffy.
A High Court judge later ruled they should each be put on trial separately.
Evans was tried and convicted for the murder of Ms Duffy, but the trial judge ordered the jury to return a not-guilty verdict for Ms Plunkett's murder.
Shaw was put on trial solely for the murder of Ms Duffy. His first trial ended in a hung jury. He was convicted in a later trial, and both men received life terms.
The DPP subsequently withdrew charges against Shaw relating to Ms Plunkett's rape and murder.
Despite this, over the years it became accepted knowledge that Shaw and Evans were convicted of her murder. The 'fact' was repeated in books, articles and even by the authorities.
Mr McGuill said it is possible the DPP assumed Shaw would never be released from prison, so it decided to avoid the expense of another trial for Ms Plunkett's murder.
He said it is also possible there were concerns about some of the investigative methods used by gardaí which authorities did not want to come to light.
It is unlikely a full explanation will ever emerge. Many of the files relating to Ms Plunkett's murder are believed to have been stolen from the DPP's office in 1987 by Martin Cahill, the notorious criminal known as the General.
It also remains unclear whether authorities will be able to reopen the investigation into Shaw. In response to queries, Garda headquarters said it is exclusively a matter for the DPP.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
9 hours ago
- Irish Times
Cannabis worth €2m seized during search of Ballyfermot business premises
Gardaí have seized suspected cannabis herb with a street value of €2 million during the course of a search of a business premises in Ballyfermot in Dublin today. The searches were carried out by gardaí from Ballyfermot Garda station, Clondalkin Community Engagement Area, and detective gardaí from Serious Crime South. The drugs seized are now subject to analysis by Forensic Science Ireland. Investigations are ongoing. READ MORE This seizure forms part of Operation Tara, an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in July 2021. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute drug trafficking networks at all levels.
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Irish Times
Male pedestrian (60s) dies after being hit by tractor in Co Clare
A man in his 60s has died after he was hit by a tractor on the L7006 at Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge in Co Clare. Gardaí and emergency services responded to the crash which occurred shortly after 10.15am today. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. His body has been transferred to University Hospital Limerickand a postmortem will take place in due course. The coroner has been informed and an inquest is expected to take place at a later date. The road is currently closed to facilitate a technical examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators. Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to come forward. Road users with any camera footage who were travelling in the area between 10am and 10.15am today are asked to make it available to gardaí. READ MORE Anyone with any information is asked to contact Ennis Garda station on 065 684 8100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. Meanwhile, a young boy is in a serious condition in hospital after he was hit by a car in Co Donegal last night. The child was walking in the village of Ramelton when he was struck on the R245 road to Letterkenny at around 6pm. The emergency services rushed to the scene and the boy was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for immediate treatment. The boy's condition is not yet known. There is a large volume of traffic in Co Donegal this weekend for the Donegal International Rally which is taking place over three days from Friday to Sunday. However, it is not understood that this incident was directly related to the rally event itself.
Irish Times
12 hours ago
- Irish Times
Man who anally raped woman jailed for five years
A man who anally raped a woman on their first date, despite her telling him repeatedly he did not have her legal consent to do so, has been jailed for five years and three months. Gary Coffey (37), formerly of Leinster Road West, Dublin, was found guilty by a jury of one count of anal rape and one count of sexually assaulting the woman at his home address in January 2023 following a Central Criminal Court trial in March this year. The court heard the victim wished to keep her anonymity and did not wish for Coffey to be named. However, he is not legally entitled to anonymity as there is no link between him and the victim that could lead to her identification. Sentencing Coffey on Thursday, Ms Justice Karen O'Connor said the aggravating factors included that the offending took place in Coffey's home, a place where the victim had been invited and should have been safe. READ MORE The judge noted it was 'important to remember' that consent to sexual activity can be withdrawn. She added the jury heard evidence during the trial that there was consent to certain sexual activity but not to anal sex. The judge set a headline sentence of seven years, which she reduced to six years, having considered the mitigation and Coffey's personal circumstances. She suspended the final nine months of the sentence on strict conditions, including that Coffey place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service for 12 months post-release, and backdated the sentence to when he entered custody in March. The court heard the pair met on an online dating site and had arranged to go for drinks on the evening in question, but Coffey asked the woman to come to his house instead as he needed to shower. Det Garda Seán Carrick told the court the pair had some drinks in Coffey's bedroom as the woman did not wish to meet his mother. They started engaging in consensual sexual activity, but Coffey said he didn't want to use a condom and instead asked the woman if he could have anal sex. The woman refused, saying she had never done this before and had no wish to do so. They had consensual vaginal sex but Coffey kept pestering the woman to let him have anal sex with her. The court heard the woman told Coffey he did not have legal consent to have anal sex with her, later telling gardaí she could not have been clearer in relation to her wishes. At one point, when Coffey went to the bathroom, she got dressed, but Coffey told her she couldn't leave and persuaded her to come back to bed. While there, he anally raped her with his finger. The woman was terrified, and Coffey had his arms around her chest to the point where she felt like she was choking. She managed to escape the bed and left the house quickly. She blocked Coffey on the dating website and WhatsApp, and when he phoned her repeatedly, she blocked his number. She contacted the rape crisis centre and gardaí shortly afterwards and was taken to a sexual assault treatment unit. When Coffey's home was searched, gardaí found five tasers and a quantity of cannabis. He was convicted of these offences and has a total of eight previous convictions, the court heard. In his plea of mitigation, Seamus Clarke SC, defending, said a psychological report prepared for the court indicated that Coffey potentially had a form of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in addition to mental health issues. Mr Clarke told the court Coffey now accepts he was wrong and didn't have the woman's consent, despite the fact that the probation report concluded that while he accepts the jury's verdict, he is not accepting responsibility for the rape.
