2006: MAN JAILED FOR LIFE FOR BRUTAL SEX MURDER IN BURY
A 2006: 38-year-old man identified as Ian O'Callaghan broke down in tears in the courtroom after being sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal sex-murder of a elderly woman twelve years earlier.Justice Mr.
Justice Henriques at Manchester Crown Court sentenced O'Callaghan, from Wragby Close, Brandlesholme, to serve a minimum of 28 years before eligibility for parole.
O'Callaghan, a single father with multiple convictions related to sexual offences, assaulted 66-year-old Shirley Leach in January 1994.
Mrs.
Leach, who lived on Holme Avenue in Brandlesholme, was in a toilet cubicle at Bury Interchange, waiting for a bus when she was attacked.
The attacker sexually assaulted her, strangled her, and mutilated her body by amputating her right breast.
The crime went unsolved for twelve years until police arrested O'Callaghan earlier this year over a drink-driving incident.
During the investigation, DNA evidence collected from his blood at the scene matched his DNA profile.
After hearing the verdict, O'Callaghan showed no immediate reaction, but the victim's family, including her son, silently grieved in the gallery.
When the life sentence was announced with a minimum of 28 years, O'Callaghan fainted and was assisted from the courtroom by prison staff, his cries audible as he was taken away.
In his sentencing, Justice Henriques condemned his violence, noting the brutality and possible sexual deviance involved.
He remarked that the mutilation of Mrs.
Leach's body might have been intended to conceal evidence or serve as a trophy.
The judge also highlighted O'Callaghan's history of violent and sexual offences against strangers, pointing out the vulnerability and suffering endured by the victim before her death, describing the attack as potentially horrific.
