Dennis McGrory, a double-jeopardy killer, will spend at least 25 years in prison for raping and killing Jacqueline Montgomery in 1975.
Nearly
fifty years ago, when McGrory raped and killed 15-year-old Jacqueline
Montgomery at her London home, he was 28 years old. The attack was vicious and
alcohol-fueled.
He
was condemned today to at least 25 years and 126 days in prison and is now in
his mid-seventies. He will probably pass away in prison.
"VICTIM"
When
the 15-year-old was raped and murdered in her Islington, north London, home by
28-year-old McGrory, a violent drinker,
He
was upset and trying to find his ex-girlfriend Josie, Jaqueline's aunt. He
allegedly attacked her in an effort to get her to give out Josie's new address.
When
Jacqueline's father returned home, he discovered his daughter's body.
With
the iron cord found around her neck, she had been strangled after being raped
and stabbed in the back, heart, and diaphragm.
McGrory
attacked "fueled by alcohol and driven by fury and passion for
Jackie," the sentencing judge, Mr. Justice Bryan, said.
He
claimed that the murderer had previously "tried it on" with Jaqueline
and had a "unrequited sexual desire" in her.
The
court described it as a "horrific, violent, and continuous
experience" and said there was "quite severe suffering before
death."
According
to doctors, Jacqueline may have survived with the terrible injuries for up to
10 minutes before she passed away, which would have left her
"terrified," he continued.
The court remarked, "It beggars comprehension how any man could inflict such sexual and physical torture onto a 15-year-old child who had done them no wrong."
Because
of the iron cord around her neck and the burn mark on her leg, he said that it
was also possible that she had been subjected to torture.
"I still purchase her holiday cards."
For
his victim and her family, McGrory was said to have displayed "not one
iota of remorse or compassion" in court.
After
hearing the verdict, Jacqueline's sister Kathy Montgomery expressed her
"overjoy" in a statement outside the court.
"He
earned what he received. Since day one, everyone has known he did it "She
spoke.
She
claimed that her father's death was "destroyed" by the murder and
that her parents would be pleased with today's conclusion.
"It
has been quite challenging. As though she were still here, I continue to purchase
her cards every year, including Christmas and birthday cards "She spoke.
Despite the damning new DNA evidence against him, McGrory had persisted in denying that the murder had occurred.
The
murderer initially stated that he had not been to Jacqueline's house and that
he had been attacked and beaten up by four strangers on the night of the
murder.
However,
the prosecution claimed that they were wounds brought on by his victim's
attempts to repel him.
Ultimately,
an Old Bailey judge dismissed the case in 1976 after concluding that the
prosecution's circumstantial evidence was insufficient.
However,
vaginal swabs from Jacqueline's body were saved and retested using modern
scientific methodologies.
They
displayed a billion-to-one match with McGrory's DNA, which served as his own
genetic signature. He was detained once more and subsequently accused of both
rape and murder.
In under three hours, the jury at Huntingdon Crown Court found him guilty of both rape and murder.
There
have only been a few retrials of defendants who had previously been found not
guilty after the double jeopardy legislation changed.
Found Guilty
The
most well-known is the prosecution of Gary Dobson, who was cleared of all
charges in the 1993 slaying of black boy Stephen Lawrence in South London.
He
was found guilty in 2012 and sentenced to life in prison together with another
original suspect, David Norris, who had never been put on trial.