A man who murdered three children and impaled their bodies on garden railings in 1973 has been cleared for release by the Parole Board. David McGreavy, now in his late 60s, killed Paul Ralph, four, and his sisters Dawn, two, and nine-month-old Samantha at their home in Worcester.
McGreavy, who was the family's lodger, strangled Paul, cut Dawn's throat, and caused a fatal skull fracture to Samantha. He claimed the killings happened because one of the children would not stop crying. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and became known as the "Monster of Worcester".
The children's mother, Elsie Urry, also known as Dorothy, said she had begged for him to remain in prison. She told The Sun: "What this animal did to my children was every bit as bad as what the Moors Murderers did. He put my babies on spikes for God's sake - he mutilated them and they died in agony." She added that she felt betrayed after being reassured at his trial that he would never walk free.
A Parole Board document said McGreavy had "changed considerably" over his 45 years in jail and now had "a considerable understanding of the problems that he has had and what caused them". It noted that a psychologist identified improved self-control and an ability to remain calm in stressful situations as factors reducing the likelihood of reoffending, along with a network of supportive friends in the community.
The possibility of McGreavy's release has been under discussion for at least a decade. Ian Kelcey, co-chair of the Law Society's criminal law committee, said the Parole Board would have been "extremely cautious" in the current climate following the John Worboys case. Rose Dixon, chief executive of the Support After Murder and Manslaughter charity, said the decision would throw the family back to "the day of the murder".
