This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/manchester/6159525.stm
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Man jailed for bus station murder | Man jailed for bus station murder |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A man has been jailed for life for the murder of a grandmother he sexually assaulted and mutilated in a bus station toilet 12 years ago. | A man has been jailed for life for the murder of a grandmother he sexually assaulted and mutilated in a bus station toilet 12 years ago. |
| Ian O'Callaghan, 38, had denied attacking 66-year-old Shirley Leach at Bury Interchange in January 1994. | Ian O'Callaghan, 38, had denied attacking 66-year-old Shirley Leach at Bury Interchange in January 1994. |
| But a jury at Manchester Crown Court found him guilty after hearing that traces of his blood were found on the door at the scene. | |
| O'Callaghan, of Wragby Road, Bury, will serve a minimum of 28 years in jail. | O'Callaghan, of Wragby Road, Bury, will serve a minimum of 28 years in jail. |
| Mrs Leach, a widow from Brandlesholme, Bury, had been to visit her daughter in hospital on 6 January 1994. | |
| Being attacked in those circumstances must have been quite horrific Mr Justice Henriques She was waiting for a bus home when she went into a toilet cubicle and was attacked. | Being attacked in those circumstances must have been quite horrific Mr Justice Henriques She was waiting for a bus home when she went into a toilet cubicle and was attacked. |
| O'Callaghan, who was 25 at the time, sexually assaulted her with a bottle, strangled her and then mutilated her body by cutting off her right breast. | O'Callaghan, who was 25 at the time, sexually assaulted her with a bottle, strangled her and then mutilated her body by cutting off her right breast. |
| But during the killing he cut himself, leaving vital DNA clues which led to his arrest 12 years later through a combination of luck and science, the court heard. | But during the killing he cut himself, leaving vital DNA clues which led to his arrest 12 years later through a combination of luck and science, the court heard. |
| After a road accident earlier in 2006, O'Callaghan was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and police took a DNA swab, which matched the killer of Mrs Leach. | After a road accident earlier in 2006, O'Callaghan was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and police took a DNA swab, which matched the killer of Mrs Leach. |
| 'Taking a trophy' | 'Taking a trophy' |
| The court heard that O'Callaghan has a string of convictions for sex offences. | The court heard that O'Callaghan has a string of convictions for sex offences. |
| He collapsed in the dock and began weeping as Mr Justice Henriques told him his minimum tariff before parole is considered. | He collapsed in the dock and began weeping as Mr Justice Henriques told him his minimum tariff before parole is considered. |
| Describing the 38-year-old as a "sexual deviant", the judge told him: "You attacked her in a most vicious and violent way." | Describing the 38-year-old as a "sexual deviant", the judge told him: "You attacked her in a most vicious and violent way." |
| Relief at killer's conviction | Relief at killer's conviction |
| He said O'Callaghan may have decided to amputate her breast to destroy evidence, but added there was a possibility he had been "taking a trophy". | He said O'Callaghan may have decided to amputate her breast to destroy evidence, but added there was a possibility he had been "taking a trophy". |
| "You had a propensity for violence and sexual misconduct towards women who were strangers to you, as your three previous convictions demonstrate," the judge said. | "You had a propensity for violence and sexual misconduct towards women who were strangers to you, as your three previous convictions demonstrate," the judge said. |
| "The victim was vulnerable, she had mental and physical suffering inflicted upon her before death. Being attacked in those circumstances must have been quite horrific." | "The victim was vulnerable, she had mental and physical suffering inflicted upon her before death. Being attacked in those circumstances must have been quite horrific." |
| Speaking after the hearing, Det Insp Jeff Arnold, of Greater Manchester Police's Cold Case Review Unit, said the case was an example of how much DNA technology had improved. | Speaking after the hearing, Det Insp Jeff Arnold, of Greater Manchester Police's Cold Case Review Unit, said the case was an example of how much DNA technology had improved. |
| He said O'Callaghan was caught, in part, because of the fact DNA samples were now routinely taken for minor offences and run through a national database. | He said O'Callaghan was caught, in part, because of the fact DNA samples were now routinely taken for minor offences and run through a national database. |
| "It is shocking to think that someone can commit such a brutal murder and then get on with his life, as normal, for the next 12 years without his conscience ever kicking in," he added. | "It is shocking to think that someone can commit such a brutal murder and then get on with his life, as normal, for the next 12 years without his conscience ever kicking in," he added. |