- John O'Shaugnessey
John O'Shaugnessey (born
1965 inChester ,England ) is a convicted British murderer. He raped and murdered his nine-year-old neighbour Kayleigh Ward on19 December 1996 , and dumped her body in theRiver Dee , where it was found 2 months later. O'Shaugnessey was a resident at theBlacon hostel where Kayleigh and her mother and sister had been living since being evicted from their nearby council house for rent arrears two months earlier.O'Shaugnessey admitted the rape and murder of Kayleigh Ward at
Chester Crown Court on5 December 1997 . He told the jury that he had killed Kayleigh in a panic because he feared that she would tell the police that he had raped her.O'Shaugnessey, 32 at the time, was sentenced to life imprisonment and the trial judge recommended that he should serve at least 30 years before being considered for parole. This recommendation is expected to keep O'Shaugnessey in prison until at least
2027 and the age of 62.References
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/37209.stm BBC News - Child killer sentenced to 30 years]
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