.'She was lucky' he said of the woman he beat and raped
By Kevin Doyle


Monday July 05 2010

A CONVICTED rapist who is suspected of being a serial killer will never be brought to justice because gardai cannot find a crime scene.

Psychopath Larry Murphy who is the prime suspect in the mysterious cases of Deirdre Jacob, Jo Jo Dullard and Annie McCarrick will walk free from prison on August 12.

He has served just 10 years for the horrific abduction and rape of a woman in 2000, but is thought to have been behind a string of attacks in the years previous to that.

Over the weekend, retired Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne, who led a special operation aimed at solving the cases of several missing women, said that is was one of the "major disappointments" of his career that they remain unresolved.


DANGEROUS

"In the circumstances of the crime for which he was convicted, that was a terrifying ordeal. People must reach their own conclusions about Larry Murphy," said Mr Byrne.

He said the "lack of a crime scene was a critical problem".

Gardai have long believed that Murphy (45) was behind the disappearance of the women in the Leinster area during the 1990s.

He was sentenced to 15 years in jail in 2001 after pleading guilty to the abduction and brutal rape of a Carlow woman, but is to be released early for good behaviour.

The Wicklow Mountains sex beast is the second dangerous rapist to be released from prison in just over a year. Gardai are already keeping a close tab on serial rapist Michael Murray who sexually attacked six women in six days.

The men are considered to be two of the most dangerous criminals in the country.

And the Herald can reveal Murphy is refusing all offers of medical and mental treatment, including the chance to take part in a rehabilitation programme. He has been locked up in Arbour Hill prison since being arrested in 2000 where sources have described him as a loner and model prisoner.

The horrific abduction followed a similar pattern to that of the three women who "disappeared" between 1993 and 1998.

As part of a special operation set up to investigate the case of six missing women, detectives formed the opinion that Murphy could have been responsible for three.

Operation Trace aimed to solve the cases but without any bodies, gardai have not been able to bring any charges.

kdoyle@herald.ie

- Kevin Doyle