A further seven people have come forward to allege they were potentially targeted, or witnessed others being targeted, by serial killers Geoffrey Evans and John Shaw in 1976, around the time the pair murdered two women in different parts of Ireland.
In June, eight women alleged they were potentially targeted by the men.
Dublin woman Elizabeth Plunkett was murdered by Shaw and Evans in 1976. The two men went on to rape and murder another woman, Mary Duffy (23), in Galway before being caught a short time later.
A podcast series launched by RTÉ concerning Ms Plunkett’s murder has highlighted the fact that despite the men’s confessions, no one was ever convicted for her death.
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Evans died in custody in 2012. Shaw, the State’s longest-serving prisoner, has been denied parole on multiple occasions.
Since the Stolen Sister podcast began, several witnesses have come forward with claims that they were approached by the men or witnessed other people being approached by them.
Evans was tried and convicted for the murder of Ms Duffy, but the trial judge ordered the jury to return a not-guilty verdict for Ms Plunkett’s murder.
Shaw was put on trial solely for the murder of Ms Duffy. His first trial ended in a hung jury. He was convicted in a later trial, and both men received life terms.
The Director of Public Provisions subsequently withdrew charges against Shaw relating to Ms Plunkett’s rape and murder.
Despite this, over the years it became accepted knowledge that Shaw and Evans were convicted of her murder. The “fact” was repeated in books, articles and by authorities.
The new witnesses come from across Ireland, including Dublin, Wicklow, Tipperary, Galway and Mayo.
Similar to previous testimonies, the witnesses suggest Shaw and Evans made failed attempts to murder more victims than previously known.
The witnesses have been put in touch with James McGuill, the solicitor who represents the family of Ms Plunkett.
Mr McGuill said: “We believe that if a decision was taken not to prosecute John Shaw for this murder, it was in all probability influenced by a view that there was inadequate corroborative evidence of his confession.”
He added “there is evidence available that would not have formed part of the case file at the time of trial that may justify a cold case review at this stage.”
One Mayo woman claimed that when she was 20, she was chased by Shaw and Evans while she was driving to Galway city in 1976. They followed her to the house where she was staying.
“As I pulled up outside the house they pulled in beside me, right beside my passenger door. I could see the driver. He had a beard and was wearing glasses. I saw the second man going behind the car and coming around to my side. So I just hopped out of my car, I had the house key in my hand.”
She said she walked backwards into her house, telling the men she had no money to take. She asked them what they wanted, to which one of the men replied: “you”.
She said she then got inside, closed the front door and fainted.
The incident was reported to Eglinton Garda station. The woman said her only memory of being interviewed by gardaí was “them giving out to me for not getting the number plate and asking me what I was doing driving on my own at that hour of the morning.”
She said a number of years ago, a woman from Mayo shared a similar experience with her.
“The subject of Mary Duffy came up and she mentioned how Shaw and Evans had tried to abduct her before Mary Duffy was killed, and I was like, what did you just say?”
One man claims he was approached by Evans in Bray in 1976, when he was 12½ old. He is the first man to contact the podcast with evidence matching the timeline of the case.
He claims he was approached by an “unkempt man with an English accent” while looking at CB Radios in Dicker’s electrical shop window.
“I didn’t like the look or sound of him so I ignored him. He persisted and out of politeness I eventually responded”, he said.
“He asked me if I wanted to go with him for a cup of tea and a bun. At this stage alarm bells were ringing loud and I had a strong sense of stranger danger. The whole encounter from start to finish lasted about 10 minutes.”
He forgot about the incident until 2012, when he saw a photograph of Evans in The Sunday World, in an article reporting his death.
Another man claims Shaw and Evans tried to abduct two of his female friends in 1976.
He said the two men jumped out of their cars and tried to push the women into the back seat.
“The girls were fit and strong and fought back and screamed”, he said.
[ The late summer murders: Two men on a mission to kill Irish womenOpens in new window ]
“Shortly after they began pointing at a car driving towards us and that was the two men who tried to abduct them. I saw the passenger quite clearly.”
He said “I believe the two men who tried to abduct my friend’s sister and her friend could well have been them [Evans and Shaw].”
