http://www.scotsman.com/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=6985&ArticleID=6355632
THE SCOTSMAN
'Body in the sea' killer paedophiles jailed for life
Published Date: 11 June 2010
By ALASTAIR DALTON
A PAIR of "dangerous and determined predatory paedophiles" who resorted to a
"despicable" murder to prevent a woman from reporting them for sexually abusing
a boy were jailed for life yesterday.
• Charles O'Neill, 47, (left) was jailed for eight years in 1998 for assaults
on boys aged nine to 17. William Lauchlan, 33, O'Neill's partner, was jailed at
the same time for six years for the offences. Pictures: Complimentary
Charles O'Neill and William Lauchlan were sentenced after they were convicted
of killing Allison McGarrigle, whose body has never been found after they
dumped it at sea.
And it was revealed at the end of their four-week trial at the High Court in
Glasgow that the gay lovers had been convicted last month at the same court of
sexually abusing boys aged six and 14.
Passing sentence, Lord Pentland described the pair as "relentless and
murderous" paedophiles and said they were "highly ruthless and unrepentant
individuals".
He said: "It is clear that you are both dangerous and determined predatory
paedophiles, and that you now represent a high risk to the safety of the
public, especially young men and boys."
The judge ordered O'Neill, 47, to serve a minimum of 30 years and Lauchlan, 33,
at least 26 years. They were also jailed for ten years each for the sexual
abuse of boys, aged six and 14, of which they were found guilty last month.
Mrs McGarrigle's family welcomed the verdict and said the men had "taken away
the best mum in the world".
Lord Pentland said: "The consistent theme which permeated the evidence in both
trials was your calculating and devious manipulation of vulnerable individuals
in order to further your appetites for sexually abusing young men and boys.
"You now stand convicted by the jury of the despicable murder of Mrs Allison
McGarrigle and of disposing of her body at sea, and you have been convicted by
another jury of other serious charges involving sexual abuse of a young boy and
the grooming of a six-year-old boy with the intention of abusing him.
"When you became aware that Mrs McGarrigle intended to report you, you
conceived of a callous and depraved plan to murder her and dispose of her body."
A jury took nine hours to convict the pair, who had denied the charges of
murdering Mrs McGarrigle in Largs, Ayrshire 13 years ago.
They had thought she intended to report them to the authorities for sexually
abusing a boy for three years beforehand.
The pair strangled her – seizing hold of her neck and compressing her throat.
The men were also found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by
hiding the 39-year-old mother of three's body under rocks on Largs beach, then
putting it in a bin or similar container and dumping it off the coast from a
boat.
During the trial, the court heard from a witness who said O'Neill told him Mrs
McGarrigle was "feeding the fishes" and pointed to the Firth of Clyde.
O'Neill had lodged a special defence of incrimination, saying that if a murder
was committed, it was carried out by another man.
There were whispers of "yes" from the public gallery as the verdicts were read
out and calls of "beasts" as the pair were led to the cells.
Mrs McGarrigle's son, Robert McGarrigle, said he was "over the moon" with the
sentences.
Speaking outside court, he said: "Lauchlan and O'Neill have taken away the best
mum in the world. Allison McGarrigle was a bubbly, happy woman with a heart of
gold.
"She loved children and she was taken away from us trying to protect a young
boy from abuse.
"For many years we have had to live with not knowing what had happened to her,
but we knew she was not missing. We miss her terribly and wish that we could
lay her to rest."
With the end of the trial, it could be reported for the first time that O'Neill
and Lauchlan were found guilty last month at the same court of sexual abuse of
children.
O'Neill was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy after drugging
him in 2003.
Both men were found guilty of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy, locking him
in a wardrobe and urinating on him in a motor home in Spain in 2004.
They were also convicted of intentionally meeting a six-year-old boy intending
to engage in unlawful sexual activity with him, between December 2007 and March
2008. They will both continue to be registered sex offenders indefinitely.
The family of the six-year-old groomed by O'Neill and Lauchlan said the pair
seemed like a "genuine couple" and urged other families to be alert and contact
police if they had suspicions.
They said in a statement: "When they showered us with gifts, we began to
suspect their motives and we contemplated phoning the police. We decided not
to, a decision we regretted after finding out who they really were.
"We would like to urge any family who suspects anyone who has contact with
children to please get in touch with the police. We would also give our
heartfelt gratitude towards the police for their time and effort towards the
case and support our family have received and continue to receive."
Mrs McGarrigle, originally from Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, was reported
missing in 1998 and declared dead in 2005.
The men were brought to trial after a multi-police force investigation led to
their arrest in March 2008.
Officers from Strathclyde, Fife, Central Scotland and Lancashire were all
involved in the operation.
Strathclyde Assistant Chief Constable Ruaraidh Nicolson, who was in overall
command of the inquiry, said: "Two extremely dangerous individuals have been
removed from our communities as a result of police forces combining to work in
the interests of protecting the public.
"O'Neill and Lauchlan were devious, manipulative and highly dangerous. They
were willing to kill to ensure their activities did not come to the attention
of the authorities.
"The work carried out by the Fife, Central Scotland, Strathclyde and Lancashire
forces combined intelligence-gathering with focused investigative work and
intensive evidence gathering which ultimately led to their convictions.
"The scale of these operations cannot be underestimated. Dozens of officers
from the forces worked around the clock, using every means at their disposal,
to stop these men from targeting the vulnerable."
Scott Pattison, the Crown Office director of operations, said it was
"chillingly clear" that the pair were "sexual predators who were willing to
kill to secure access to children and abuse them for their own gratification".
He said: "Allison had tried to defend a young boy from abuse at their hands. To
silence her, Lauchlan and O'Neill threatened her, held her against her will,
murdered her and then disposed of her body.
"Her body has still not yet been recovered; as a result, her family has not
been able to lay her to rest since her disappearance in 1997. We can only
imagine the depth of their sorrow.
"Our prosecution teams in Ayrshire and Central have been tireless in their
efforts to bring both these men to justice for their crimes.
"Now that Lauchlan and O'Neill have been convicted, justice has been done and
in this we hope that the families of all those who have suffered find some
degree of comfort."
Trail of abuse the led from Scotland to Spain – and ended in killing
PAEDOPHILES William Lauchlan and Charles O'Neill have a string of convictions
for sexually abusing children.
They preyed on youngsters both in the UK and abroad, grooming children in
Holland and Spain, where they sexually abused a boy.
Police described the pair, who were lovers, as "very, very dangerous, predatory
paedophiles" who were "like-minded individuals". The pair also sometimes
claimed they were cousins to suit their "own depraved ends", officers said.
Their convictions date back to 1998 when they were jailed for abusing
youngsters at their Clyde coast den after luring them with drink and drugs.
O'Neill, 47, was sentenced to eight years at the High Court in Glasgow for
sexual abuse charges, with three years imposed for supplying cannabis to the
boys which ran concurrently.
Lauchlan, 33, was jailed for six years for sex charges and three years,
concurrently, for drugs supply.
The court was told at the time that a series of assaults on boys aged nine to
17 were committed during a six-year period in Ayrshire.
The crimes came to light when one of their victims broke down and told his aunt
after he watched a news report about a boy who had been murdered by a
paedophile.
And last month they were convicted of more abuse charges against young boys at
the High Court in Glasgow.
O'Neill was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy after
drugging him in 2003.
Both men were found guilty of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy, locking him
in a wardrobe and urinating on him in a motor home in Spain in 2004 and
intentionally meeting a six-year-old boy intending to engage in unlawful sexual
activity with him, between December 2007 and March 2008.
The conviction could not be reported until now due to reporting restrictions on
the case.
Police had begun investigating the pair again after mother-of-three Allison
McGarrigle vanished in 1997. She was reported missing seven months later.
Officers said the lovers had been on their radar for "some time", and when Mrs
McGarrigle went missing they were "obviously of interest". The pair travelled
to Holland and Spain where they continued to groom children, detectives said.
They returned to the UK in 2007, settling in Lancashire and informing police of
their whereabouts.
Detective Superintendent John Mitchell from Strathclyde Police said: "Lauchlan
and O'Neill have, over the years, been predatory paedophiles.
"They have preyed on the most vulnerable people in society and have left a
number of victims in their wake.
"I hope that the McGarrigle family can now move on to a more settled and normal
life."
Yesterday the pair were found guilty of murder and jailed for life.
The murder trial at the High Court in Glasgow heard Lauchlan and O'Neill were
friends of Mrs McGarrigle before her disappearance in June 1997.
The 39-year-old's body has never been found.
Her husband, Robert McGarrigle, told the court his wife did not own a passport
and could not drive. He also said she struggled with reading and writing and
needed help.
Last Updated: 10 June 2010 11:45 PM
Source: The Scotsman
Location: Edinburgh
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