John
06-10-2010, 05:06 PM
Two paedophiles have been jailed for life for the murder of a woman almost 13 years ago who they believed intended to tell authorities about their abuse of a boy.
At the High Court in Glasgow, Charles O'Neill, 47, was ordered to serve a minimum of 30 years and William Lauchlan, 33, a minimum 26 years for murdering Allison McGarrigle and dumping her body at sea in 1997.
They were also jailed for 10 years each for the sexual abuse of boys aged six and 14 of which they were found guilty last month at the same court.
Sentencing the pair, Lord Pentland 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."
The men were brought to trial after a multi-force investigation led to their arrest in March 2008. Officers from Strathclyde, Fife, Central Scotland and Lancashire were all involved in the operation. Mrs McGarrigle's body has never been found.
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."
Outside court her son Robert McGarrigle said he was "over the moon" with the sentence.
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. If she was still alive she would not have left her three kids and missed out on watching her four grandchildren growing up. We miss her terribly and wish that we could lay her to rest."
The family of the six-year-old groomed by Lauchlan and O'Neill told how they were taken in by the pair. They said in a statement: "Lauchlan and O'Neill befriended us through a third party and they seemed like a genuine couple. 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."
At the High Court in Glasgow, Charles O'Neill, 47, was ordered to serve a minimum of 30 years and William Lauchlan, 33, a minimum 26 years for murdering Allison McGarrigle and dumping her body at sea in 1997.
They were also jailed for 10 years each for the sexual abuse of boys aged six and 14 of which they were found guilty last month at the same court.
Sentencing the pair, Lord Pentland 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."
The men were brought to trial after a multi-force investigation led to their arrest in March 2008. Officers from Strathclyde, Fife, Central Scotland and Lancashire were all involved in the operation. Mrs McGarrigle's body has never been found.
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."
Outside court her son Robert McGarrigle said he was "over the moon" with the sentence.
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. If she was still alive she would not have left her three kids and missed out on watching her four grandchildren growing up. We miss her terribly and wish that we could lay her to rest."
The family of the six-year-old groomed by Lauchlan and O'Neill told how they were taken in by the pair. They said in a statement: "Lauchlan and O'Neill befriended us through a third party and they seemed like a genuine couple. 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."