Case No. 1284Murder, rape, false imprisonment · Co. Wicklow · 1 Aug 1976
No new Garda investigation or cold case review into 1976 murder of Elizabeth Plunkett
Elizabeth Plunkett, 23, from Ringsend, Dublin, was abducted, raped and killed near Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, in August 1976, and a month later Mary Duffy, a woman from Mayo, was murdered by the same men, British criminals John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans, who had come to Ireland intending to kill one woman a week. Shaw and Evans were arrested in Galway in September 1976 and both received life sentences, but the DPP dropped charges against Shaw for Elizabeth's murder in 1979 after a deadlocked jury, and Evans died in custody in 2012. Shaw, now 79, remains in Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin, and his 2023 parole bid was rejected, with a new application expected in early 2026. Despite new evidence, a 2025 inquest verdict of unlawful killing, and RTÉ's podcast Stolen Sister prompting women to come forward, no new Garda investigation or cold case review has been launched into Elizabeth's killing.
- Reported
- Arrested
- Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Elizabeth Plunkett, 23, from Ringsend, Dublin, was abducted, raped and killed near Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, in August 1976, and a month later Mary Duffy, a woman from Mayo, was kidnapped and murdered by the same men, both subjected to extensive sexual violence.
- British men John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans came to Ireland from the UK with the aim of murdering one woman every week, and before arriving they were wanted by British police for allegedly raping three victims over five days in Cheshire and Leigh, northwest England.
- Where
- Shaw and Evans were arrested in Galway in September 1976, and Shaw remains in Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin.
- In court
- A judge ordered Shaw and Evans to be tried separately for each woman, resulting in four trials; the jury deadlocked on Shaw's first trial, he was retried and convicted of Mary Duffy's murder, and the DPP dropped charges against Shaw for Elizabeth's murder in 1979.
- Shaw's 2023 parole application was rejected, and the Parole Board is currently reviewing a new application, with Shaw expected to apply again in early 2026.
- Sentence
- Both Shaw and Evans received life sentences; Evans died in custody in 2012 at age 72, while Shaw, now 79, has been in jail for 49 years.
- Investigation
- The Garda investigation into Elizabeth's murder concluded in 1976, and despite new evidence and a family campaign, no new Garda investigation or cold case review has been launched.
- Greater Manchester Police completed a cold case review of Shaw's alleged 1970s rapes in England and said no new developments had been made in the case.
- Solicitor James McGuill, representing the Plunkett family, has called on the Garda to reopen the murder investigation, but the DPP has stated cases cannot be reopened without a new Garda file.
- Other details
- The Plunkett family learned in 2023 that Shaw was never convicted of Elizabeth's murder, that no death certificate had been issued for her, and that they were not classified as relevant victims in the case.
- An inquest held in 2025 recorded a verdict of unlawful killing, and RTÉ's six-part podcast Stolen Sister prompted multiple women to come forward saying they were targeted by men in the mid-1970s.
44 statements extracted from the articles
- whatElizabeth Plunkett was a 23-year-old woman from Ringsend in Dublin (irishtimes.com)
- whatElizabeth was kidnapped and murdered in 1976 by two English men (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe killers were John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans (irishtimes.com)
- whatShaw and Evans came to Ireland with the aim of murdering one woman every week (irishtimes.com)
- whatGeoffrey Evans died in custody in 2012 at the age of 72 (irishtimes.com)
- whatJohn Shaw, 78, remains in Arbour Hill Prison (irishtimes.com)
- whatA death certificate had not been issued for Elizabeth Plunkett (irishtimes.com)
- whatRTÉ started publishing a six-part podcast on the case called Stolen Sister (irishtimes.com)
- whatA woman was knocked down by a car very close to where Elizabeth was abducted in Co Wicklow (irishtimes.com)
- whatShaw is 79 years old (irishtimes.com)
- whatShaw and Geoffrey Evans came to Ireland from the UK (irishtimes.com)
- whatElizabeth Plunkett, 23, was abducted and killed near Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, in August 1976 (irishtimes.com)
- whatA month later, Mayo woman Mary Duffy was kidnapped and murdered by the men (irishtimes.com)
- whatBoth women were subjected to extensive sexual violence (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe men were caught and confessed to their crimes (irishtimes.com)
- whatBefore arriving in Ireland, Shaw and Evans were wanted by British police for allegedly raping three victims over five days in Cheshire and Leigh, northwest England (irishtimes.com)
- whatDuring one attack, a 15-year-old girl was kidnapped and raped over eight hours (irishtimes.com)
- whatGeoffrey Evans, aged 68, died in custody in 2012 (irishtimes.com)
- whatElizabeth Plunkett was raped and murdered in 1976 by British criminals John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans. (irishtimes.com)
- whereShaw remains in Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin (irishtimes.com)
- whereEvans and Shaw were arrested in Galway in September 1976. (irishtimes.com)
- whenIn August 1976, Ms Plunkett, aged 23, was abducted and killed near Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe Garda said its investigation into Elizabeth's murder concluded in 1976 (irishtimes.com)
- investigationSolicitor James McGuill has called on the Garda to reopen the murder investigation to secure a conviction against Shaw (irishtimes.com)
- investigationBritish police carried out a cold case review into rapes allegedly committed by John Shaw (irishtimes.com)
- investigationA cold case team from Greater Manchester Police re-examined the rape offences last August (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe police force said no new developments have been made in the case (irishtimes.com)
- investigationNew evidence failed to prompt a fresh Garda investigation into the killing. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationA Garda investigation was conducted in the 1970s into the death of Ms Plunkett. (irishtimes.com)
- courtShaw applied for parole in 2023 (irishtimes.com)
- courtShaw's last parole bid was rejected (irishtimes.com)
- courtShaw is expected to apply for parole again early next year (irishtimes.com)
- courtA judge ordered Shaw and Evans to be tried separately for each murdered woman, meaning four trials in total (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury became deadlocked on a verdict in Shaw's first trial (irishtimes.com)
- courtShaw was retried and subsequently convicted of Mary Duffy's murder (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe family have received legal advice that it is possible to reopen a case after charges are dropped in rare cases (irishtimes.com)
- courtAn Garda Síochána said it is up to the DPP to decide on reopening the case (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceBoth Shaw and Evans received life sentences (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe podcast has led to multiple women coming forward saying they were targeted by men in the mid-1970s (irishtimes.com)
- otherJames MacGuill is a solicitor representing the Plunkett family. (irishtimes.com)
- otherPeople came forward offering information after RTÉ broadcast a podcast series called Stolen Sister. (irishtimes.com)
- otherEvans died in jail in 2012. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe Parole Board is currently reviewing an application for release from Shaw. (irishtimes.com)
- otherShaw is now 79 and has been in jail for 49 years. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 19 Jul2025No new Garda investigation or ‘cold case review’ into 1976 murder of Elizabeth Plunkett
Reports that no new Garda investigation or cold case review has been launched into the 1976 murder despite new evidence and family campaign; the Parole Board is reviewing Shaw's release application and the Plunkett family were excluded from the parole process as relevant victims.
victim, Elizabeth Plunkett, 23, female, irish (judged from name)Elizabeth Plunkettsuspect, John Shaw, 79, male, British, named, non-irishJohn Shawsuspect, Geoffrey Evans, male, British, named, non-irishGeoffrey Evans - 7 Jul2025‘Ireland’s first serial killer’ John Shaw could be freed from prison in early 2026
Reports that Greater Manchester Police completed a cold case review of Shaw's alleged 1970s rapes in England with no new developments; Plunkett sisters call for Irish investigation to be reopened; DPP states cases cannot be reopened without a new Garda file; RTÉ podcast 'Stolen Sister' has prompted women to come forward.
victim, Elizabeth Plunkett, 23, female, irish (judged from name)Elizabeth Plunkettvictim, Mary Duffy, female, irish (judged from name)Mary Duffysuspect, John Shaw, 79, male, British, named, non-irishJohn Shawsuspect, Geoffrey Evans, 68, male, British, named, non-irishGeoffrey Evans - 5 Jul2025Elizabeth Plunkett: How murdered woman’s family discovered they were not ‘relevant victims’ in serial killer case
Details how the Plunkett family learned in 2023 that Shaw was never convicted of Elizabeth's murder, the 1979 DPP decision to drop charges, the absence of an inquest or death certificate, the inquest held earlier in 2025 recording a verdict of unlawful killing, the RTÉ podcast 'Stolen Sister', and the family's ongoing campaign to reopen the case.
victim, Elizabeth Plunkett, 23, female, irish (judged from name)Elizabeth Plunkettvictim, Mary Duffy, female, irish (judged from name)Mary Duffysuspect, John Shaw, 78, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)John Shawsuspect, Geoffrey Evans, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Geoffrey Evans