Stolen Sister
Previous series include Where is Jón?, The Real Carrie Jade, Runaway Joe, Finding Samantha, First Consignment, GunPlot, Tiger Roll and The Nobody Zone.
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Sunday World
20-07-2025
- Sunday World
Evil rapist and serial killer John Shaw ‘on borrowed time' with months left to live
The 79-year-old, who is currently housed at Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin, is due for a parole hearing next Febraury but a source said he is 'very unlikely to make it that long' Serial killer John Shaw is unlikely to make it to his next parole hearing as he is 'on borrowed time' as he struggles to breathe due to poor health. The evil rapist and murderer, who is currently Ireland's longest serving prisoner, is believed to only have a few months left to live due to his struggles with a lung condition. The 79-year-old, who is currently housed at Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin, is due for a parole hearing next February but a source said he is 'very unlikely to make it that long'. The family of one of his victims, Elizabeth Plunkett, have been calling for a cold case review into her murder after it emerged that Shaw and his partner-in-crime Geoffrey Evans were never prosecuted over her killing. It emerged during an inquest hearing into her death that Shaw was never prosecuted for her murder while now deceased Evans was only convicted of her rape and false imprisonment, but not her murder. A source said that if gardai are to question Shaw they must act now instead of waiting until it is too late. The source said: 'Shaw's health is declining at a very rapid rate, he is really struggling to breath let alone walk or do anything. 'After every five or six steps he has to stop and take a break. He used to be known as a laid back person in prison but since his health has declined he has become very angry. 'The good weather hasn't helped with his breathing either as the cells in Arbour Hill are smaller than most due to when the prison was built so they are extremely hot and clammy. 'It's very unlikely in his current state that he will make it to 2026 for his parole hearing. 'He had been getting the odd day out on supervised temporary release but there are no other days planned yet. 'To be honest it would be a struggle for him to even walk around town like he did on the last day out. 'It is important that if the gardai have any questions to put to him that they do it now rather than when he is unable to speak and on his death bed.' English career criminal Shaw along with his accomplice Geoffrey Evans, met in an English prison where they hatched their chilling plot to abduct, torture, rape and murder women. The pair travelled around Ireland during the summer of 1976 resolving to kill one woman a week. Their twisted killing spree ended with the murder of young clerk Elizabeth Plunkett, 23, in Co Wicklow and cook Mary Duffy, 24, in Co Mayo. VICTIM: Elizabeth Plunkett The two men were caged for life in February 1978 but shockingly, despite Shaw confessing to the killing of Elizabeth with his now deceased partner-in-crime, the pair were never convicted of the Dublin woman's murder. Evans died from an infection in 2012 after being in a vegetative state for three years. The 68-year-old, who was also serving his sentence at Dublin's Arbour Hill, was rendered helpless by a stroke following a heart bypass operation at the Mater Hospital on Christmas Eve, 2008, Dublin's Coroner's Court heard in 2013. His post-mortem found he died as a result of sepsis due to hospital acquired pneumonia. A new podcast series called Stolen Sister, which centres on Ms Plunkett's case, aired last month. John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans It emerged earlier this week that seven people had come forward to allege they were potentially targeted, or witnessed others being targeted, by the two serial killers in 1976. The two sisters of Elizabeth Plunkett told RTE News earlier this year: 'We're relieved that this individual, who confessed to abducting, raping and murdering our beloved Elizabeth has once again been refused parole. 'However, he has still not faced justice for what he did to our sister. 'We're calling on the DPP to tell us why this man never faced the courts for what he did to our Elizabeth. And we're asking the gardai to now re-examine his case so Elizabeth can finally get some justice.' Serial killer John Shaw Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 20th
Irish Times
19-07-2025
- Irish Times
No new Garda investigation or ‘cold case review' into 1976 murder of Elizabeth Plunkett
The family of Elizabeth Plunkett, who was raped and murdered in 1976 by British criminals John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans, have pledged to continue their campaign against Shaw's release from prison. This is despite claimed new evidence failing to prompt a fresh Garda investigation into the killing of the Dublin woman. Although the family has written to Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris , the case has not been reopened. There are also no plans for a Garda 'cold case review'. Garda Headquarters has, in reply to recent media queries, urged anyone with information on the case to come forward. However, sources played down the significance of that. They said it was a standard reference in reply to media queries about any unsolved crime, rather than a specific development in the case. READ MORE James MacGuill, a solicitor representing the Plunkett family, said people had come forward offering information after RTÉ broadcast a podcast series, Stolen Sister, prompted by Ms Plunkett's sisters Kathleen Nolan and Bernie Plunkett. 'The next logical step would be to, at least, appoint a specific [Garda] officer to co-ordinate all this,' Mr MacGuill said. In reply to queries, Garda Headquarters said a Garda investigation had been conducted, in the 1970s, into the death of Ms Plunkett. This 'ultimately led' to Shaw being charged with her 'murder, rape and false imprisonment' – though the murder charge was later dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions . The Garda added that anyone with new information on the case should come forward. The Department of Justice said Mr O'Callaghan 'cannot intervene' in the workings of the Garda or DPP's office as they were 'independent'. [ Witnesses supply new information on 1976 killers of Elizabeth Plunkett Opens in new window ] In August 1976, Ms Plunkett (23) was abducted and killed near Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow . A month later, Mayo woman Mary Duffy was kidnapped and murdered. Both had been violently sexually attacked. Evans and Shaw were arrested in Galway in September 1976. Evans was convicted of Ms Duffy's murder but acquitted of Ms Plunkett's killing. He died in jail in 2012. Shaw was also convicted of Ms Duffy's murder but the DPP later dropped the charge of murdering Ms Plunkett, without explanation. Ms Plunkett's sisters found out only recently that neither man had ever been convicted of her murder and were jailed for life for Ms Duffy's killing only. The Parole Board is currently reviewing an application for release from Shaw, who in now 79 and has been in jail for 49 years. Though they were initially included in that process as 'relevant victims', Ms Plunkett's family were excluded when it was realised the only sentence Shaw is now serving is for the murder of Ms Duffy. Ms Plunkett's family believe Shaw still poses a danger to the public and should not be freed. Multiple women have come forward in recent years to say they believe they were also targeted by Shaw and Evans during the men's 1976 crime spree.
RTÉ News
18-07-2025
- RTÉ News
Plunkett family appeal for public to contact gardaí over 1976 murder
The sister of Dublin woman Elizabeth Plunkett said that a garda request for new information into her death was the "first positive reaction" they have had since her murder 49 years ago. Kathleen Nolan said she and her sister Bernie Plunkett feel validated that they contacted the team at RTÉ Documentary On One to collaborate on the Stolen Sister podcast and are happy with this next step. John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans confessed to abducting, raping and murdering both Elizabeth Plunkett in Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, and Mary Duffy in Conamara, Co Galway, in 1976. Originally, both men were charged with murder, rape and false imprisonment of Elizabeth Plunkett and Mary Duffy. However, when Shaw began a parole application in 2023, it was revealed he had never been convicted for Elizabeth Plunkett's murder despite previous reports. It was also revealed to the Plunkett family that the State never held an inquest into the death of Ms Plunkett, nor ever issued a death certificate in her name. The collaboration between the family and the Stolen Sister podcast led to an inquest being held into Elizabeth Plunkett's death earlier this year. In a statement, gardaí said: "Any person who believes they have new information into the death of Elizabeth Plunkett should make that information known/ available to An Garda Síochána in Wexford/ Wicklow Garda Division." It added that any new information which is brought to the attention of An Garda Síochána will be assessed. In late May, the Plunkett family's solicitor, James MacGuill SC, wrote to the DPP, the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice requesting a cold case review into Elizabeth Plunkett's death and a renewed public appeal for evidence. An Garda Síochána has not commenced any new investigation or cold case review into the murder of Ms Plunkett. Ms Nolan explained that it was an area they knew nothing about at the beginning, and that they had had to pick through everything a thousand times to understand why the case was left the way it was. Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne she said they were grateful to their legal team, and that the research conducted by Documentary On One has been "fabulous". "We have been putting together a timeline of everything that happened, and now we just need to know why these decisions were made. "With people able to use the guards in Wicklow and Wexford, the Doc On One and the legal team, that's three places that if anyone wants to get in contact. It opens it up another little bit. "Hopefully, the more leads we get, the better." She said that the process has been chilling and shocking, and that she and her sister had never considered that there would be anyone else affected by this. Bonus episode detailing case progress Today, they are launching a petition on the website called: "Justice for Elizabeth Plunkett", and they encouraged people to sign it. Ms Nolan said it is another way of presenting the case to the parole board, the Government, An Garda Síochána, the DPP and the Minister for Justice. "We want to let everyone see what happened, and they can be part of the change and really help us." Speaking about taking part in the podcast, she said that she and her sister felt a responsibility to Elizabeth and everyone out there, and it was a hard thing to do, but the support since has been amazing. "After we relived what we had gone through that we had buried, it just became completely unacceptable. "Irish life has changed so much over time. What might have been acceptable in the 1970s is definitely not acceptable now, and that's why we decided to approach the Doc On One team". She said that she was grateful to their relations, colleagues, friends, and neighbours in Ringsend, Dublin. She added that their children and grandchildren were nervous for them, but very proud of them at the same time.
