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Irish women in fear as suspected serial killer loose

Angry crowd surround half-way house

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Larry Murphy exits Arbour Hill prison, Dublin on Thursday

An angry crowd gathered outside a prison half way house in Dublin last night believing that freed rapist and suspected serial killer Larry Murphy was staying there.

The group of 60 protesters gathered in the Dublin suburb of Coolock shouting "get him out".

"I can't understand why he was let out in the first place," local resident Eddie Mitchell said. "Look at the reaction of the people here. I have two daughters aged 24 and 32. People are in fear."

Some tried to clear a fence surrounding the facility but were prevented by police.

Meanwhile the release of  Murphy has struck fear into the hearts of women living in his Wicklow hometown.

He was released from jail having refused all  treatment and showing no remorse for his actions 10 years ago when he repeatedly raped a young woman. He is the prime suspect in the disappearance of six other women.

Now the people of Baltinglass, Wicklow his hometown are living in fear as no one is sure of his location.

Ten years ago the high-profile and gruesome Murphy case brought unwanted publicity to the village of Baltinglass and now that Murphy has been released the locals are at once infuriated and also scared for the safety of the women in the area.

The Evening Herald questioned some of the locals about the suspected serial killers release. A 15-year-old girl said "Everyone's scared out of their minds. All my friends feel the same way, no-one wants him out. The thought of what he did to her (his victim) is just sickening. I could see him coming back here alright, as where else would he go?

"I would go out on the horse three times a day but I wouldn't go on the same routes anymore. There's so many remote forests around the area but I would be staying away from them for a while."One man said “They should just shoot him. We want to forget about that."

Another woman said "His release has scared the living daylights out of us and of course he should have served his full sentence.”
“The fact that he didn't take any counseling is even worse. I'm friends with one of the guys that came upon him that night and it affected him very badly. Hearing his side of the story and what he saw that night would terrify anyone.”

During his 10-year prison stay, for the kidnapping, repeated rape and attempted murder of a 28-year-old Carlow business woman, Murphy was questioned by the police, working on Operation Trace, in connection with the disappearance of six other women, including Annie McCarrick, a Long Islander who disappeared in March 1996 on a visit to Wicklow.
He refused to cooperate with their investigation.

Even Murphy’s own brother admits that it is too much of a coincidence that the no one else went missing in the area after Murphy was imprisoned.

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