The murder of Shirley Leach.
The naked 66 year old, was discovered in a ‘semi’ closed toilet cubicle around 4.14 am, January 7, 1994, Manchester - England.
- (Note: Some articles said 66 and others said 65 years old)
The woman had been strangled and mutilated.
A trace of her steps:
- Prior to her murder, Mrs Leach, aged 66, had visited her daughter, Beryl, at Fairfield General Hospital.
- She left the Rochdale Old Road hospital with her 19-year-old grandson, Darren, at 8.20pm and the pair stopped at a nearby pub for one drink before making their way to the bus stop.
- At 9pm, they caught the 469 bus into Bury town centre, with Darren getting off at Bell Lane and waving his grandmother goodbye.
- Mrs Leach arrived at the interchange at around 9.15pm, and while waiting for her connection home, she visited the toilets — a fateful decision that cost her life.
source: Shirley Leach killing 25 years on - the brutal murder that shook a town
Detectives launched a hunt for the murder suspect, who was described as a ‘stooped’ man, aged 30-50, 5ft 5in tall and wearing either a jacket, sports coat or suit and dark trousers.
The suspect had been spotted about 9.45pm on the Thursday near the toilets where Shirley was and there again, 15 minutes later.
Despite, investigations, like the blood testing of more than 500 men, a Crime watch reconstruction, and DNA samples from suspects, almost as far away as Australia and Germany - Mrs Leach’s killer would remain anonymous for the next 12 years.
Sales of personal attack alarms also soared in the wake of the murder and for some time the interchange became a virtual “no go” area in the evenings.
source: Shirley Leach killing 25 years on - the brutal murder that shook a town
In January, 1995, detectives even decided to stage a secret two-night surveillance operation at the interchange, with hopes that Mrs Leach’s killer would make a ‘first anniversary return’ to the murder scene.
The murderer didn't.
12 years later, in March, the police managed to make a major breakthrough, when Ian O’Callaghan (who was already a convicted sex offender) had been stopped for drink-driving, in the Moston area of North Manchester.
His DNA was tested, following protocol and, when uploaded to the national database, it was found to be a match of the DNA, which was found at the scene of Mrs Leach’s murder.
O’Callaghan was finally arrested and charged with the murder of 65 year old Shirley Leach.
To his neighbours in Wragby Close, Brandlesholme, O’Callaghan was just an ordinary father of one going about his daily business.
Little did they realise the dreadful secret he had harboured for more than a decade.
At the time of the murder, O’Callaghan was living 15 minutes away in New Cateaton Street with his then-girlfriend, and had been working as a road cone manufacturer in Bury.
Despite his best efforts to live a normal life, O’Callaghan’s past had eventually caught up with him.
Source: Shirley Leach killing 25 years on - the brutal murder that shook a town
In the month of November, 2006, Ian (a former soldier) was sentenced to a minimum sentence of 28 years in prison, when he was found guilty of murder.
In Manchester Crown court, at the trial, the prosecution said that O’Callaghan, (who worked as a First bus driver, based in Bury from 2000 to 2003) had been at the scene, for quite some time before Mrs Leach arrived on the night of her murder.
When Ian was done raping and strangling 66/65 years old Mrs Leach, Ian, then returned to the scene more than 30 minutes later, to cut off her right breast with a sharp weapon. ( it was said to be a glass piece from a smashed bottle).
A streak of blood on the cubicle door, was all the was needed to provide police with, a DNA profile of the murderer.
It appeared that Ian had cut himself during the attack.
In 2001, 7 years after raping and murdering Shirley Leach, Ian, raped an 11 year old girl, before telling her “'Let's see if you can keep this one secret.''
The girl kept her 2001 ordeal a secret for fear O'Callaghan would kill her - and even bumped into him when he was driving a bus she was catching with her family. She also made sure she was with friends whenever she walked to school for fear he would ambush her again.
When she created a profile on the Friends Reunited website his details came up as a possible 'friend' and she posted: ''I hate you for what you did to me.''
What a judge told a brutal sex killer who raped an 11-year-old girl
When Shirley Leache’s murder hit the news, and Ian was being sentenced - The, now 28 year old woman, came forward about her sexual assault.
16 extra years were added to Ian’s sentence.
The Judge at the 28 year old woman’s trial said:
''You subjected a child to a violent rape inspired by your own appalling desires to abuse, demean and harm women to satisfy your wholly wicked and selfish desires
''I wish to pay tribute to her courage, on having given evidence, not once but twice and thus having to relive the ordeal twice of the sexual abuse you subjected her to when she was a child.
''She had to live with what you did to her through the last 18 years in torment, and your actions contributed to her suffering with mental health issues which led to her self harming and on more than one occasion, attempting to take her own life.
''It wasn’t until 2016, some 15 years after she had suffered at your hands, that she found the courage to report your vile behaviour to the police. She did so because she realised that unless she tried to find closure from what you had done to her, she would be less able to care for and support her own child.
Source: What a judge told a brutal sex killer who raped an 11-year-old girl
The judge also said:
'And so, selflessly, she reported what you had done to her, knowing that she would be likely subjected to the ordeal of facing you and having to give evidence in this trial. Her actions were commendable.''
The judge added: ''Your offending is indicative of your determination to demean, abuse and significant harm women, particularly those you encounter when they are on their own.
"You are a predatory offender and you prey on vulnerable women whom you subject to you own wicked and selfish desires. You have shown not a shred of remorse It is conceivable that you may never be released from custody.”
Source: What a judge told a brutal sex killer who raped an 11-year-old girl
here’s a list of O’callaghans offences:
- 1984, 16 year old Ian broke into the flat of a 46 year old woman and assaulted her, in her own bed..
- Lancaster, England 1992 - Ian attacked another woman.
- January 6th 1994, Manchester, Ian murders and rapes 65/66 year old Shirley Leach, she was on the way back from visiting her daughter in hospital. A mother of 2 children.
- Same year, Ian punched a woman at a pub and exposed himself to a 13 year old girl.
The 11 year old (now 29) sexual assault victim said the following:
'Later when we went on a trip to Ramsbottom and we were waiting for the bus, he was driving and I remember saying I didn't want to get on. I remember being so angry at my mum when she went over the road to speak to his girlfriend.
''When he raped me it was the beginning of September because I was due to start school. I told a few friends when I was 14 or 15 but I don't know if they believed me. Once on a website called Friends Reunited, I made a profile and his profile came up and I commented on it saying: 'I hate you for what you've done to me'.
''I remember when I was walking to school after it happened I was trying to keep up with all the other kids because I was scared of it happening again.
''He said if I told anyone he'd kill me and I never did. He just got up after it happened and had a smirk on his face and he just walked off and just left me. I never got over it and I just bottled it up.”
Source: What a judge told a brutal sex killer who raped an 11-year-old girl
O’Callaghan, surely was a monster.
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