Warder 'offends' Attracta killer

Attracta Harron

Warder 'offends' Attracta killer
22 December 2011
The Daily Mirror
Laurie Hanna

MURDER

The rapist who murdered librarian Attracta Harron has complained to prison chiefs that he was offended by a warder using bad language. Sick Trevor Hamilton, right, was jailed indefinitely for the 65-year-old's killing in 2006. A source said:

"It is bewildering that someone so evil could claim to be offended by words. The warder made an off-the-cuff joke and Hamilton was the only one there who said he was insulted by it."

The Daily Mirror can reveal the brute, who is being held at Maghaberry Prison, Co Antrim, recently filed an official complaint saying he was upset when the member of staff used sexual language in front of him. The source added:

"He likes to think he is above such things now, which is a bizarre attitude for a convicted killer and rapist to adopt."

An investigation has been launched by the Northern Ireland Prison Service. Mrs Harron, a mother of six from Strabane, Co Tyrone, disappeared after leaving mass in Co Donegal on December 11 2003. Her body was undiscovered for more than four months and was finally found in April 2004.


At his trial it was revealed that Hamilton, a convicted rapist released from prison just four months before the killing, had lured Mrs Harron into his car and then battered her to death.

ABDUCTED

Her badly-decomposed body was later found buried in a makeshift riverbank grave less than 50 yards from Hamilton's home. [Note: Attracta Harron's body was found by Eddie].

Mrs Harron's clothes, bank documents and prayer book were burnt on a bonfire at his house as part of his attempted cover-up. [Note: Eddie found traces of Attracta in Hamilton's burned out car, DNA tests confirmed identity.]

Following the brute's murder conviction in April 2006, trial judge Mr Justice McLaughlin concluded the motive for the abduction was sexual and that Hamilton killed the pensioner to avoid detection.

A pre-sentence report stated the beast, now aged 28, had a "major difficulty in controlling and channelling his sexual feelings".

In 2008, Hamilton's original sentence, which would have seen him die in prison, was cut by the Court of Appeal to 35 years before he can be considered for release.

In 1999, Hamilton had been convicted of five offences of exposing himself to women.

And in 2000 when he was 17 he had been sent to a young offenders centre for seven years after pleading guilty to raping, assaulting and threatening to kill a 29-year-old woman.

A Northern Ireland Prison Service spokesman said:

"We cannot comment on individual prisoners."

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, Trevor Hamilton

Hi-tech software to help cops find missing people

Attracta Harron

Hi-tech software to help cops find missing people
1 September 2011
Evening Express
David Ewen

As a mountain rescue team leader, Graham Gibb honed his search skills in the toughest conditions. Since retiring, he has been helping to solve cases of people who have gone missing across the world. And on occasion, predictions of foul play have led to the snaring of killers. Graham now hopes the public may be able to benefit from his expertise.

The former Grampian Police inspector is searching for funding to develop computer software that will give a guide to tracking down missing people. The programme could be accessed over the internet or even as an application for mobile phones.

Graham said:

“Many hundreds of families are affected, whether they are searching for an elderly parent or a child. “Some people will panic and call the police after five minutes but others will leave it too long.”

As a former leader of both the police and Braemar mountain rescue teams, Graham started to see patterns in missing people’s movements and applied this to more general searches. Age, sex, mental state – such information can be used to build a picture of how far someone is likely to have gone and what might have happened to them. Not all searches have happy outcomes but detecting a crime quickly gives police a better chance of finding the perpetrator.

In August 2005, Graham persuaded police in Edinburgh that missing schoolboy Rory Blackhall was likely to have come to harm. Police changed the focus of their inquiry – and found the murdered 11-year-old a few days later in woods near his home.

On other occasions Graham has helped police rule out suicide or to renew investigations.

At Graham’s urging, Irish police reopened the case of Attracta Harron, 65, who went missing in December 2003. This led to the arrest of killer and convicted rapist Trevor Hamilton, who had buried her near his home.

Graham, 52, from Tarland, is now a specialist adviser with the National Police Improvements Agency.

He initially developed the profiling system for Grampian Police with Dr Penny Woulnough after analysing 3,000 cases.

Copies of a guide are given to all police officers trained in missing person searches. Graham is hoping money can be raised to help make the tool accessible to the public and help anxious family and friends trace loved ones.

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, Trevor Hamilton

DNA test could find kidnapper

DNA test could find kidnapper
SPECIAL REPORT
20 September 2009
The Sunday Life
Aaron Tinney

Method used in Omagh case is crucial to solving Maddie mystery says ex-Ulster cop

It is an amazingly powerful tool, so it's a real shame we will never get to use it with Maddie

A controversial DNA test used in the failed Omagh bomb case is the key to finding Madeleine McCann's kidnapper, Ulster investigator Dave Edgar has claimed.

But the former RUC detective sergeant's team will never be able to use it as Portuguese authorities will not give him access to forensic information.

Speaking exclusively to Sunday Life at the HQ of his Alpha Investigations Group in Cheshire, the ex-cop leading the search for Maddie believes that DNA tests, which can establish a profile from just a few cells, could help solve the mystery.

Edgar said he tries to maintain "a decent relationship" with Algarve cops but has blasted them for contaminating the scene of her disappearance.

He claimed if Low Copy Number (LCN) DNA testing had been carried out at the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz, where Maddie vanished from two years and four months ago, it is "highly likely" her abductor would have been nailed.

LCN DNA is a highly sensitive forensic procedure which magnifies potential evidence that is unidentifiable by traditional DNA testing. It can obtain a perpetrator's profile from only a few cells as small as a millionth the size of a grain of salt.

Some argue its magnification method leaves evidence open to distortion. Doubts were raised when south Armagh electrician Sean Hoey was cleared of charges connected to the Omagh bombing in a case which focused on LCN DNA.

But Dave has seen it work before.

His team used it in 2007 to snare killer Stephen Mottram, who stabbed love-rival Andrew Batterton to death in a jealous rage.

Dave said:

"It's an amazingly powerful tool, so it's a real shame we will never get to use it with Maddie."

Prosecutors in the Omagh case claimed that LCN analysis had shown links between the bomb timers used in the attack and Hoey. But the judge rejected the use of the technique because it was not yet seen to be at a sufficiently scientific level to be considered evidence and Hoey was cleared of a total of 58 charges, including 29 murders.

A UK-wide suspension of the technique after the Omagh case collapsed was lifted in January of last year and detectives are now free to use it again.

The PSNI has championed Low Copy Number DNA analysis, pointing out that it helped catch Trevor Hamilton, the serial offender who brutally murdered Strabane pensioner Attracta Harron in December 2003.

LCN DNA was also crucial to the conviction fireman Gordon Graham for the 2000 murder of Lisburn man Paul Gault, husband of Graham's Fire Service lover Lesley, a mum of triplets.

Graham battered his love rival to death with a hockey stick and tried to the make the killing look like work of a burglar. But Graham's attempt to commit the 'perfect crime' was undone by traces of his sweat found on the handle of sports bag at the Gault's Audley Park home.

Graham, who has always denied the murder, was ordered to serve a minimum 18 years behind bars by the judge who branded him "brutal and merciless" killer.

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, Madeleine McCann, Trevor Hamilton

Working dog focus fast Eddie

Attracta Harron

17 May 2009
The Sunday Life

Elite police sniffer dog Eddie is a shining example to all working dogs. The specially-trained English springer spaniel found the body of murdered Sion Mills pensioner Attracta Harron in 2003.

He was also taken to Praia de Luz in Portugal to take part in the hunt for Madeleine McCann.

Eddie has also been called in to help police forces in the Republic of Ireland and in America and, with handler Martin Grime, who is attached to the South Yorkshire police force, has been given an award for Outstanding Achievement and Dedication to Duty.

The police sniffer dog, which is trained to locate minute traces of blood, has worked with the FBI.

His handler Martin Grime said: "Dogs like Eddie are very, very good at what they do and he has lots of operational experience.”

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, FBI, Madeleine McCann, Martin Grime, South Yorkshire Police, Trevor Hamilton

Canine experts at centre of Jersey body search

25 February 2008
Yorkshire Post

Two specialist sniffer dogs belonging to South Yorkshire Police are at the centre of the grim search of a former children's home in Jersey where the remains of a body has been uncovered.

Teams at Haut de la Garenne in St Martin, on the east coast of the island, are working with canine experts Eddie and Keela and using specialist equipment - including ground penetrating radar - to fully excavate parts of the Jersey youth hostel.

The search is now centering on a bricked up cellar at the hostel, which was formerly an orphanage.

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, Haut de la Garenne, Jersey, Keela, Madeleine McCann, Martin Grime, South Yorkshire Police, Trevor Hamilton

Specialist team in bodies hunt at ex-children's home

25 February 2008
Press Association National Newswire
Katie Hodge

The investigation at a former children's home in Jersey has pulled together an extensive team of specialist officers and forensic experts to hunt for more remains.

Teams at Haut de la Garenne in St Martin, on the east coast of the island, are working with sniffer dogs and specialist equipment - including ground penetrating radar - to fully excavate parts of the Jersey youth hostel.

The specialists, who range from archaeologists to scientists and pathologists, play a crucial role in discovering, preserving and identifying any remains found during a forensic examination.

But the work is being led by two sniffer dogs - one which specialises in detecting human remains and another which specialises in detecting blood.

Springer spaniel Eddie was involved in the hunt for Madeleine McCann in Portugal and was responsible for finding the remains at Haut de la Garenne through several inches of concrete on Saturday.

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, Haut de la Garenne, Jersey, Keela, Madeleine McCann, Martin Grime, South Yorkshire Police, Trevor Hamilton

Dog that nailed Ulster killer is used in hunt

25 February 2008
Belfast Telegraph
Claire McNeilly

Springer spaniel Eddie, a victim recovery dog, is helping police look for  more remains in the area surrounding the former children's home. Last night, the investigation was focusing on one area of the building,  after Eddie was understood to have indicated that there may be further  victims there.

The crimefighting dog helped police put evil killer Trevor Hamilton behind bars after he found the blood of Attracta Harron (63)  on the 23-year-old murderer's car.  The dog found her body in a  shallow grave in April 2003.

Eddie - who works with South Yorkshire Police with his handler Martin Grime - was also involved in the search for  the body of Arlene Arkinson. The Tyrone teenager vanished after  leaving a disco in Bundoran in August 1994, but her body has never been  found.

Continue Reading... Labels: Arlene Arkinson, Attracta Harron, Eddie, Haut de la Garenne, Jersey, Martin Grime, South Yorkshire Police, Trevor Hamilton

Endemic abuse at home: ex-RUC officer

Endemic abuse at home: ex-RUC officer
25 February 2008
Belfast Telegraph
Deborah McAleese

Former RUC man Lenny Harper said police, who are acting on intelligence that arose from a major child abuse investigation, are now investigating six more sites in the grounds of Haut de la Garenne, a former care home in St Martin on the east coast of the Channel Island, and that it is possible they may find more remains.

Mr Harper, who is now Jersey's Deputy Chief Police Officer, said that the excavation at the site - which featured as a police station in the TV series Bergerac and is now Jersey's youth hostel - took place after a number of abuse victims said they believed human remains were buried at the scene.

"The (child abuse) investigation started when police became concerned about the number of persons in a position of responsibility caring for children being arrested, charged and sometimes convicted of paedophile type offences."

Once (the investigation) was public we were overwhelmed with the number of people saying they were assaulted either physically or sexually at the care home, and our investigation has continued since then," Mr Harper said.

He added that following intelligence that a body may be buried at the site a number of experts and specially trained police dogs - including Eddie, the springer spaniel who helped nail evil Ulster killer Trevor Hamilton - were brought in to examine the area before any excavation began.

" We have been planning this (the excavation) for several weeks. We became aware that a number of victims were saying they thought there were human remains buried at the scene."

Mr Harper added:

"The home is situated in a lovely part of the island. It belies what has gone on behind its walls."

 

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, Haut de la Garenne, Jersey, Trevor Hamilton

UK sniffer dogs join hunt for Madeleine

UK sniffer dogs join hunt for Madeleine
9 August 2007
The Irish Examiner

A pair of elite police sniffer dogs attached to an English police force has been helping Portuguese police in their hunt for missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann, it has emerged.

The specially-trained English springer spaniels Eddie and Keela were reportedly flown to Praia da Luz in the Algarve last week to take part in the investigation.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, the pair were brought in to help after the police looking into her disappearance re-focused on the McCanns’ holiday apartment.

Madeleine has now been missing for 98 days and police are increasingly desperate for any kind of breakthrough in her case – as are her parents Kate and Gerry, who are still in Portugal.

Both sniffer dogs are attached to South Yorkshire Police and are trained to locate traces of blood to help officers in murder and missing person inquiries.

Eddie is a "victim recovery dog" who can detect blood and human remains, while Keela has been trained only to detect human blood and specifically very small samples.

It appears highly likely she was the dog brought in by British detectives last week which located tiny traces of blood in the McCanns’ apartment despite alleged attempts to wash them off.

Police are still waiting for the results of tests on the recovered traces, which arrived yesterday at a top UK forensic laboratory.

The sniffer dogs have already travelled around Britain, and to Ireland and the US to help police investigating murder and missing person cases.

Eddie located the body of pensioner Attracta Harron in a shallow grave in Co Tyrone in April 2003 after the 65-year-old was murdered on her way home from Mass, the Belfast Telegraph said. Her killer, Trevor Hamilton, 23, was put behind bars last year for the murder - which was committed less than four months after he completed a sentence for rape.

As well as locating the pensioner’s body, the seven-year-old dog found the murdered woman’s blood on Hamilton’s burned-out Hyundai.

A dog diary about Keela on the South Yorkshire Police website when she was six months old says she and Eddie live "with my dad" at home in Bawtry, Doncaster.

It reads: "He is going to train me to search for very small spots of blood at crime scenes, so small that the humans can’t see it. "My very sensitive nose will be able to smell the blood and I will show Dad where it is. He can then show the scientists so that they can take samples."

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, Keela, Madeleine McCann, South Yorkshire Police, Trevor Hamilton

Forensic tests as Madeleine milestone looms

Forensic tests as Madeleine milestone looms
9 August 2007
The Irish Examiner

Tests were being carried out last night at a top British forensic laboratory on evidence recovered from Madeleine McCann’s holiday apartment. Samples, suspected to contain tiny traces of blood, arrived yesterday at the headquarters of the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham.

The traces, recovered from a wall of the Algarve apartment, were only uncovered this week, more than three months after the four-year-old vanished. It is believed a trained sniffer dog, brought in by British detectives, located the tiny traces despite attempts to wash them off.

Scientists will be hoping to extract DNA from the samples to cross-reference against an example obtained from a toothbrush or hairbrush used by Madeleine.

Detectives are desperate for a concrete forensic lead in the search, which is due to mark its 100th day on Saturday.

A Forensic Science Service spokesman confirmed the samples were received but declined to comment further on a "live case".

The family are expected to mark the grim 100-day milestone with a series of events, including a special Catholic prayer service in Praia da Luz.

In Britain, Premiership League football clubs will play a video reminding fans that Madeleine is still missing.

Portuguese newspapers have claimed police believe the blood will prove Madeleine died in the apartment, whether she was murdered or by accident.

Kate McCann said she and her husband Gerry are in close contact with Portuguese detectives who have told them they believe Madeleine is alive.

Friends of the family said they were disgusted at what they said was a smear campaign against them.

Earlier, another line of inquiry was all but extinguished when Belgian prosecutors said tests on a milkshake bottle used by a girl who looked like Madeleine were inconclusive.

A DNA sample taken from a restaurant in Tongeren, close to the Dutch border, where a woman reported seeing Madeleine with a suspicious couple, was that of a man.

But investigators said the finding did not rule out the possibility that Madeleine was present, and said they were still hunting the couple’s black Volvo car.

Spokeswoman Katja Vandoren said: "The possibility exists that the bottle was finished by the man who was with the little girl present. We continue to examine all useful tips."

The sniffer dog that found the body of murdered Ulsterwoman Attracta Harron was flown to Portugal to aid the search for Madeleine. English springer spaniel Eddie and his companion Keela are trained to sniff out minute traces of blood.
  

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, Forensic Science Service, FSS, Keela, Madeleine McCann, Trevor Hamilton

New hunt gets under way for Arlene's body

New hunt gets under way for Arlene's body
13 December 2006
Belfast Telegraph

A new search was today under way in Co Tyrone for the body of missing Castlederg teenager Arlene Arkinson - as Crown lawyers prepared to unveil a report into how they handled the prosecution of a sex beast acquitted of her murder.

Robert Lesarian Howard (61) - guilty of a 40-year litany of sex crimes,- was with the 15-year-old girl when she was last seen. He was acquitted of her murder at his trial in 2005.

A report was due to be released later today by the Public Prosecution Service.

Continue Reading... Labels: Arlene Arkinson, Attracta Harron, Eddie, Trevor Hamilton

New hunt to find Arlene's remains

New hunt to find Arlene's remains
12 December 2006
Belfast Telegraph

The news comes as it emerged that the findings of an inquiry into the controversial prosecution of a sex fiend for the murder of Arlene Arkinson will be published tomorrow. Before Christmas more searches will be carried out to find the body of the missing schoolgirl, last seen in the company of convicted rapist and murderer Robert Howard.

A spokesperson for the PSNI in Strabane said that bogland in Co Tyrone close to where previous searches took place will be examined within weeks in a bid to find the body of 15-year-old Arlene, who vanished 12 years ago.

The news follows confirmation of an internal inquiry carried out by the Public Prosecution Service into its handling of Howard - the man widely believed to be responsible for the death of Arlene.

Continue Reading... Labels: Arlene Arkinson, Attracta Harron, Eddie, Trevor Hamilton

Attracta sniffer dog joins hunt for new killer

30 October 2006
Belfast Telegraph
Brendan McDaid

The sniffer dog that helped detectives nail Attracta Harron's killer has assisted gardai probing the horrific killing of Cork woman Meg Walsh, it has emerged.

Six-year-old English springer spaniel Eddie from South Yorkshire Police and his female companion Keela have formed part of a specialist dog team hunting for clues after the 35-year-old's badly decomposed body was found floating in Waterford Quays on October 15.

Continue Reading... Labels: Arlene Arkinson, Attracta Harron, Eddie, Keela, Martin Grime, Meg Walsh, South Yorkshire Police, Trevor Hamilton

Attracta dog helps FBI to track killer

22 August 2006
Belfast Telegraph
Brendan McDaid

The sniffer dog that helped detectives jail evil killer Trevor Hamilton has just returned from assisting the FBI with a murder probe in America.

Six-year-old English springer spaniel Eddie's career took off internationally shortly after he returned to Ulster for a third time to help in the hunt for missing Arlene Arkinson.

Eddie helped police nail Hamilton after the victim-recovery dog found blood from Attracta Harron (63) on a mat from Hamilton's burnt-out Hyundai car.

He burned it the day that he murdered the retired librarian.

Eddie found her body in a shallow grave in April 2003.

Continue Reading... Labels: Arlene Arkinson, Attracta Harron, Eddie, FBI, Martin Grime, South Yorkshire Police, Trevor Hamilton

Eddie hailed as a hero for sniffing out Attracta killer

Eddie hailed as a hero for sniffing out Attracta killer
5 August 2006
Belfast Telegraph
Brendan McDaid

A Team of Ulster detectives yesterday heaped praise on a heroic sniffer dog which helped them nail evil killer Trevor Hamilton.

Springer Spaniel Eddie, which was brought over from the South Yorkshire Victim Recovery Dog Unit, was hailed as instrumental in securing the conviction against the rapist and murderer.

Hamilton (23) received what could turn out to be the longest prison sentence in Northern Ireland's legal history yesterday. He was jailed for life with no possibility of release for the murder of Attracta Harron.

The investigation into Mrs Harron's murder was accelerated after Eddie sniffed out her blood on a car mat in Hamilton's burnt-out red Hyundai Lantra. The car had been torched at the rear of Hamilton's home on the same day he murdered the 65-year-old grandmother and mother of five.

The blood in the car matched the DNA from the dead woman.

Mrs Harron's body was found by a canine companion of Eddie's from the South Yorkshire unit in a shallow grave near Hamilton's home on April 5.

Speaking about Eddie's contribution to the investigation, a PSNI spokeswoman for the detectives said:

"These dogs were trained to locate any traces of human remains. "Eddie was tasked to examine a number of cars parked in the secure compound at Strabane police station. "One of the cars was a burnt-out shell of a red Hyundai Lantra that had been seized by police investigating the murder of Attracta Harron.

"Trevor Hamilton had admitted driving the car on the day Attracta went missing."

DNA from a piece of cloth removed from the car for testing was found to be a one in a billion match for Attracta.

Eddie was the first recovery dog ever to be tasked to examine a vehicle or scene that had been subjected to so much heat and water.

The spokeswoman added: "At this stage in the investigation, we still had not recovered Mrs Harron's body and this was a very significant development in the case." Mrs Harron was brutally murdered less than four months after Hamilton was released from a seven-year sentence for raping and threatening another woman.

Attracta vanished on her way home from Mass in Lifford, Co Donegal, in late 2003. Her bludgeoned body was discovered in a shallow grave behind Hamilton's home the following April and he was arrested shortly afterwards.

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, South Yorkshire Police, Trevor Hamilton

Pressure grows on Government to scrap the policy of 50% remission

Pressure grows on Government to scrap the policy of 50% remission
5 August 2006
Belfast Telegraph
Deborah McAleese

Pressure was once again mounting on the government last night to scrap Northern Ireland's controversial remission policy that allowed predatory sex offender Trevor Hamilton to walk free from jail early to kill.

A Serious Case Review into the monitoring and management of one of the province's most dangerous men raised concerns about the policy that permitted Hamilton to walk free after serving just half of a seven year sentence for rape - despite serious concerns about his likelihood to reoffend - and the fact that he was not judged suitable for home leave.

The independent review, carried out by the PSNI, Prison Service and Probation Board, recommended that all agencies involved in the management of sex offenders should raise concern with the government about the much criticised early release policy.

"There are questions to be considered about the basis and timing of Hamilton's release. His was a determinate sentence, leaving the Northern Ireland Prison Service no option or discretion over time of release of an offender who continued to refuse to acknowledge his offending and to do anything to address his behaviour during custody,"

the report states. It adds:

"Yet at that point, and for some time before it, all professionals involved in this case remained concerned that he represented a material risk to society, as reflected in the Hydebank Head of Custody's refusals to a number of applications for home leave."

The Belfast Telegraph is campaigning for 50% remission to be scrapped and already has over 20,000 signatures supporting our Justice For Attracta campaign.

There was major public concern and speculation following the murder of Mrs Harron in December 2003 that sex offenders were not being properly managed or monitored within local communities.

However, the report, which was released yesterday after Mr Justice McLaughlin told Hamilton he will never be free again, does not identify any major failings within the agencies.

Last night the umbrella group responsible for the management of sex offenders here - Northern Ireland Sex Offenders Strategic Management Committee (NISOMC) - said that the blame for Mrs Harron's murder must stop with Hamilton.

"You have an individual who is a sexual predator who had the propensity to kill, who went and committed another horrendous crime in the murder of an innocent lady. That is where the blame and the buck has to stop - with Trevor Hamilton,"

said NISOMC policy co-ordinator William McAuley. He added:

"The agencies did all they possibly could in relation to the management of his risk in context of the legislation available at that time and that obviously was not enough. As a result he was able to kill."

"Trevor Hamilton may have gone on to kill even beyond his full served time. All I can say is that if he had been in prison he would not have been able to commit this murder."

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, Trevor Hamilton

He faced his fate with a mocking grin

He faced his fate with a mocking grin
5 August 2006
Belfast Telegraph
Deborah McAleese

Handcuffed and flanked by two prison officers a grinning Trevor Hamilton was unceremoniously led into the packed court room. Dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans, and with his hair neatly shaven, in any other circumstances the killer-rapist could have passed for a normal, respectable young man. As he strode confidently into the dock the 24-year-old farm labourer appeared completely unperturbed by the fact he was due to be sentenced for a brutal murder which shocked the whole of Northern Ireland.

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, Trevor Hamilton

Dog that snared a monster

Dog that snared a monster
5 August 2006 
Belfast Telegraph 

Eddie the spaniel sniffed out Attracta's killer

This is the dog which helped police catch the evil murderer of Strabane woman Attracta Harron.

Eddie, a springer spaniel, was drafted in from a special unit based in England to help police gather the forensic evidence they needed to snare the retired librarian's killer, 23-year-old Trevor Hamilton.

Hamilton was jailed yesterday for life with no possibility of release for the murder of Mrs Harron in what has been described as a landmark legal decision for Northern Ireland.

The investigation into Mrs Harron's murder was given a significant boost when sniffer dog Eddie detected her blood on a car mat in Hamilton's burnt-out Hyundai.

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, South Yorkshire Police, Trevor Hamilton

Attracta Harron - Killer refused to divulge murder details

13 April 2006
The Irish News
Martin King

The six-week murder trial was told that Trevor Hamilton steadfastly refused to divulge details of his gruesome crime in police interviews. During the course of the hearings the jury was exposed to every detail of the 65-year-old retired librarian's murder.

Among the most harrowing was an in-depth forensic description of the injuries that caused her death.

The court was told Mrs Harron may have been hit with an axe or hatchet with great force which left "the bones of the skull in pieces".

State pathologist Jack Crane said death would have "occurred fairly rapidly".

A recorded interview was played to the jury of six men and six women, in which a policeman asked Hamilton: "I'm going to appeal to you here now. I'm also going to appeal to you on behalf of the Harron family for you to tell us where this woman's body is at so they can give this woman a Christian burial that she rightly deserves - you think about that, you cannot be that cold Trevor, or can you?"

All that was heard was the hiss of the tape as Hamilton refused to answer the question.

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, Martin Grime, Trevor Hamilton

Police dogs sniff out 'decay'

Police dogs sniff out 'decay'
9 March 2006
Mirror

A murder trial was told yesterday of the "distinct smell of decay" after a police dog [Eddie]  found the body of Attracta Harron. Dungannon Crown Court also heard the river-bank where the grave was found bordered the home of farm labourer Trevor William Hamilton, 23. [Hamilton later convicted]

He denies murdering the 65-year-old mother of five on December 11, 2003. Mrs Harron's body was uncovered in the makeshift grave near Sion Mills in April 2004 by police dogs from South Yorkshire police. [Eddie] 

Continue Reading... Labels: Attracta Harron, Eddie, John Ellis, Martin Grime, South Yorkshire Police, Trevor Hamilton