Courts / Wicklow / Report
Deviant serial killer John Shaw, Ireland's longest serving prisoner, to get temporary release
Summary
The Court of Appeal has been informed that the Minister for Justice has accepted a recommendation to grant temporary release to John Shaw, the State's longest serving prisoner. Shaw, aged 73, an English national, has been in custody for almost 44 years following his conviction at the Central Criminal Court on February 9, 1978, for offences including abduction, rape, torture and murder in Wicklow and Mayo. He will be entitled to two days escorted release annually. The court heard that a legal challenge to the Minister's earlier refusal of temporary release proceeded to full hearing in January despite the Minister having already reversed that decision. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy expressed concern that the reversal was not communicated timeously to Shaw's legal representatives, resulting in proceedings that were effectively moot. The court noted the matter without imposing costs penalties. A 2016 risk assessment had identified Shaw as presenting high-level re-offending risk.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Deviant serial killer John Shaw, Ireland's longest serving prisoner, to get temporary release. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- February 9, 1978 Incident
- April 2016 Other
- November 29, 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 9 Hearing Or Sentence
- January 14 Hearing Or Sentence
- January 13 Hearing Or Sentence
- June 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2020-02-04 Publication
Case subjects
Background Person
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 by the Parole Board.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Central Criminal Court
- Mater Hospital
- Arbour Hill prison
Topics
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