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Larry Murphy: convicted of kidnap and rape, he is the main suspect in the disappearance of Jo Jo Dullard, Annie McCarrick and Deirdre Jacob
Jo Jo Dullard
January 17, 2010
VOL 27 NO 3
Gardaí plan for release of rapist
Larry Murphy, chief suspect in the murder of three women, will be monitored around the clock, writes Mick McCaffrey
Annie McCarrick
Deirdre Jacob
GardaÍ have begun preparing plans for the release of the country's only suspected serial killer, Larry Murphy, and will assign teams of up to 16 detectives to monitor him around the clock.
The Sunday Tribune understands that detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) and the National Surveillance Unit (NSU) have already started preparing for the release of the 45-year-old this summer.
Murphy, who is coming to the end of a 15-year sentence for rape and kidnap, is regarded as being a significant threat to women and is a serious danger of reoffending.
He is the prime suspect in the disappearance and suspected murders of at least three women in Leinster in the 1990s – Annie McCarrick, Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob.
Murphy was interrupted by two hunters as he attempted to suffocate a woman with a plastic bag in the Wicklow mountains in February 2000. She had been abducted and repeatedly raped. No other women have disappeared since he was detained and jailed.
Garda management will take no chances when he is finally freed and have decided to post between 24 and 32 undercover officers working in two surveillance teams to follow Murphy wherever he goes for an indefinite period.
It is anticipated that the teams of undercover gardaí will work 12-hour shifts monitoring Murphy to make sure that he does not have the opportunity to reoffend.
Gardaí have set a precedent in recent years of following sex offenders who are regarded as being a high risk of reoffending.
Earlier this year an undercover team intervened to arrest a serial rapist who had broken into a house in Dublin's north inner city and was attacking a woman. He had been freed from prison for just 14 hours when he reoffended.
It is understood that Larry Murphy will have to abide by the provisions of the 2001 Sex Offenders Act and must inform gardaí where he plans to reside within seven days of his release. He will then have to tell gardaí if he plans to move or leave the country.
Sources believe that Murphy intends to live in Co Carlow when he is finally freed.
The job of preparing for Murphy's release is being handled by the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit within the NBCI.
It is liaising with the NSU and Serious Crime Unit about the supply of the undercover officers and detectives. Gardaí from wherever Murphy decides to live will also be involved in the surveillance operation. A senior garda source said: "Money is tight but Larry Murphy poses such a danger to women that he will be followed wherever he goes for as long as it takes regardless of the cost. We could not in good conscience just let him go about his business because he is too dangerous. What happens if another female disappeared and he was responsible? There would be a national outrage and we would be blamed. We are taking a zero-tolerance approach to him and will do everything in our power to ensure that he doesn't reoffend."
Gardaí from the cold case unit and Operation Trace, which is investigating the cases of six women who vanished in Leinster between 1993 and 1998, invited two FBI agents to Dublin two years ago to scrutinise the files.
The FBI concluded that the modus operandi and profile of the unknown suspect fitted Larry Murphy in three of the cases.
He has been effectively ruled out of being involved in the cases of Ciara Breen, Fiona Pender and Fiona Sinnott but gardaí believe that he kidnapped and murdered the other three women.
Detectives have interviewed Murphy on three occasions about the missing women but he has refused to cooperate.
January 3, 2010
Comments
#2 Pamela commented, on January 4, 2010 at 7:27 a.m.:
Never mind wasting resources on this monster, we have to ask what the f**k we're letting him loose for? Surely he can be remanded in a psychiatric unit?
What is it with Ireland's obsession with letting repeat sex offenders off the hook? The only certainty with men like this guy is that they WILL re-offend.
15 years, 10 served, strikes me as very little time for what he was caught doing, even if that was the "only" offence he was guilty of. Just look at the viciousness involved...It's time we started looking at sentencing in cases like these. I'd rather see my taxes spent keeping him behind bars than having him followed. It only takes one lapse...
#3 Briain Mac Fiaich commented, on January 5, 2010 at 12:20 p.m.:
This man is a menace to every woman in Ireland. If ever there was an argument for Chemical Castration, nothing could put it more eloquently than this case. But of course it won't happen, the PC Brigade is only interested in the human rights of criminals, the rights of women to go about their business in safety, count as nothing by comparison.
#4 phil commented, on January 5, 2010 at 1 p.m.:
Its called democracy Briain(cute-Irish-name)Mac Fiaich.I can see your problems coping in the modern world when you seem to prefer the barbarism of the middle-ages.So proud to be a"PC do-gooder"if the alternative is to be a backward bog-trotter like yourself!
#5 Paul L commented, on January 5, 2010 at 3:35 p.m.:
"...alert the gardai on the street, when this dangerous man is in a suspicious area" - What do you consider a "suspicious area"?? People like him could attack a woman in the car park of a shopping centre, a park, a graveyard, the cinema...ANYWHERE!! And I know from professional experience that the psychiatric units in this country are barely able to cope with people who need help with mental illness. If this man has/had a mental illness that would have been raised at his trial and he would be in the Central Mental Hospital, so obviously that's not the case, he's BAD not mad!!!
It may seem like a waste of money but if it saves even one women being attacked by him then its money well spent.
#6 Briain Mac Fiaich commented, on January 6, 2010 at 4:30 p.m.:
Phil, I see you've climbed out of your pond again,welcome back. The US executes convicted murderers, do you think the US is a medieval, backward, bog-trotting country?
The point I'm making here, is that doing nothing about this dangerous man is not an option.Shrugging your shoulders and calling it democracy solves nothing.But then, intelligence was never your strong suit.
#7 jack commented, on January 6, 2010 at 8:22 p.m.:
this monster waived all entitlement to human rights when he took that girl up the wicklow mountains and denied HER basic human rights, he should be made rot in jail if ireland doesnt want to do the right thing like say texas!!. Oh but i forgot PHIL, ireland is a civilised society and america isnt!!! yeah right!!!
#8 Derek commented, on January 10, 2010 at 11:18 a.m.:
I agree with Brian and I think phil you need to get a grip. Make your comment but for god sake dont attack another person for making theres. I am a victim of childhood abuse and had a Christian Brother sent to prison for these crimes. We need to protect people and if that is at the cost of this mans so called rights so be it.
#9 juno commented, on January 10, 2010 at 11:58 a.m.:
What happens if this man decides to move to UK and prey on women there. For the sake of womwn everywhere the man should serve his full time until the cold case cops have fully investigated the other alleged crimes !
#10 john thatcher commented, on January 10, 2010 at 1:35 p.m.:
i think the usa is a medieval backward bog trotting country,in part at least.
#11 john thatcher commented, on January 10, 2010 at 3:01 p.m.:
well ,it seems my first comment was moderated.idont know why?.i say again.i do think america is in part backward and uncivilised,the death penalty being a good example of this.this is in no way to even begin to defend larry murphy and his ilk.just that murder should be something such as he does,if he did,.we do not improve society by operating at the same level of morality
#12 Edna commented, on January 10, 2010 at 3:58 p.m.:
Why are they announcing all of this? Surely the purpose of all of this surveillance is to catch him in the act trying to offend again, and then send him away for good. Also am fed up of this constant refrain from the Gardai "we know he did it but we don't have any evidence". Get off your cosy backsides in the station and go and search for some evidence.
#13 Bubbles commented, on January 15, 2010 at 8:29 p.m.:
I know the exact story of what he did and i know victim but will never speak any names or any of the story. The the f***ing sadistic nightmare should have been tortured for life. The reaon the bracelet is not enforced is because that law only came in effect one week after murphy was convicted so he narrowly escaped it! There will be outrage over this as there should be. I hope he burns in hell. If only there was a law that enables police to slowly cut of his manhood with a blunt rusty knife! That still wouldn't be a fraction of what he deserves!
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seems like a terrible waste of Gardai forces. there are few enough out on the beat as it is.
why don't they put a bracelet attached to a GPS somewhere (central gardai office) and alert the gardai on the street, when this dangerous man is in a suspicious area?