Courts / Wicklow / Report
Notorious serial killer Shaw to continue release bid
Summary
John Shaw, a 73-year-old English national serving a life sentence for murders committed in 1976, has been granted an extension of time to appeal a High Court decision at the Court of Appeal. Shaw has been in Irish custody since September 1976, when he and Geoffrey Evans were arrested for the abduction, rape, torture and murder of two women in Wicklow and Mayo. Both men received life sentences in February 1978. In 2016, the Parole Board recommended Shaw be granted two days of escorted temporary release annually, a recommendation the Minister for Justice declined to support. Shaw's legal challenge to that decision was dismissed by the High Court in March, though the presiding judge noted the Minister's reasoning was inadequate. At today's hearing, President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham approved the late filing of Shaw's appeal, accepting that he had formed clear intention to appeal within the required timeframe.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Notorious serial killer Shaw to continue release bid. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- September 1976 Incident
- February 9, 1978 Incident
- April 2016 Other
- 2019-02-04 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Outcome: Shaw and Evans were both given life sentences at the Central Criminal Court on February 9, 1978. Over the years, Shaw's case has been the subject of a number of reviews, first by the Sentence Review Group and subsequently the Parole Board.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- High Court
- Court of Appeal
- Mater Hospital
- Arbour Hill prison
Topics
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