Double jeopardy killer Dennis McGrory has been sentenced to life with a minimal time period of 25 years for murdering and raping teenager Jacqueline Montgomery in 1975.
He was cleared of the crime practically half a century in the past however was discovered responsible following a second trial after new DNA proof was discovered.
Now in his mid-seventies – and sentenced right this moment to at the very least 25 years and 126 days – he’s more likely to die in jail.
McGrory, a violent drinker, was 28 when he raped and murdered the 15-year-old in her dwelling in Islington, north London.
He was indignant and in search of his estranged associate Josie, Jaqueline’s aunt. It was thought he attacked her to drive her to disclose Josie’s new tackle.
Jacqueline’s father discovered his daughter’s physique when he bought dwelling.
She had been raped, stabbed by the again, coronary heart and diaphragm, and strangled – with the wire of an iron discovered round her neck.
McGrory carried out the assault “fuelled by alcohol and driven by rage and lust for Jackie”, stated choose Mr Justice Bryan throughout sentencing right this moment.
He stated the killer had an “unreciprocated sexual interest” in Jaqueline and had “tried it on” together with her earlier than.
There was “very significant suffering before death” – with the choose calling it a “horrific, violent and sustained ordeal”.
Jacqueline would have been “terrified”, he added, with specialists believing she may have survived with the horrific accidents for as much as 10 minutes earlier than she died.
“How any man could inflict such sexual and physical harm upon a 15-year-old child who had done them no harm beggars belief?” the choose stated.
He stated there was additionally the chance she was tortured due to the iron wire round her neck and a burn mark on her leg.
‘A billion-to-one match’
McGrory was described in courtroom as displaying “not one iota of remorse or compassion” for his sufferer and her household.
He continued to disclaim the homicide regardless of the damning new DNA proof in opposition to him.
The killer initially claimed he had been attacked and overwhelmed up by 4 strangers on the night time of the homicide and had not been to Jacqueline’s dwelling.
But the prosecution stated they had been accidents prompted when his sufferer tried to combat him off.
Eventually, a choose on the Old Bailey threw out the case in 1976 after deciding the prosecution proof, which was purely circumstantial, was too weak.
But vaginal swabs from Jacqueline’s physique had been saved and had been retested utilizing new scientific strategies.
They confirmed a billion-to-one match with McGrory’s DNA, his distinctive genetic fingerprint. He was re-arrested and charged with rape and homicide for a second time.
It took jurors at Huntingdon Crown Court simply three hours to seek out him responsible of rape and homicide.
This was a uncommon retrial – and the oldest – after the scrapping of the traditional double jeopardy authorized precept which prevented a defendant being charged with the identical crime twice.
The legislation was modified in 2003 to permit retrials of acquitted defendants if new and compelling proof emerged and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was satisfied that every case was honest and within the public curiosity.
Since the change within the double jeopardy legislation there have been only some retrials of beforehand acquitted defendants.
The most well-known is the profitable prosecution of Gary Dobson who had been discovered not responsible over the homicide of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in South London in 1993.
He and one other unique suspect David Norris, who hadn’t beforehand stood trial, had been convicted in 2012 and jailed for all times.
Source: information.sky.com”