FATHER OF SCHOOLGIRL MURDER VICTIM IN THE UK COMMITS SUICIDE AFTER LEARNING PEDOPHILE KEITH COLLARD COULD BE RELEASED NEARBY

In July 2009, the father of Katrina Monk, a 12-year-old girl murdered in 1993, took his own life after realizing that Keith Collard, the man responsible for her death, might soon be released to an address close to him.

Lewis Poole-Warren, aged 42, was said to have been overwhelmed by the prospect of encountering Collard, whom he referred to as a 'monster.' Katrina, his stepdaughter, had been abducted near her home while returning from school. Her body was discovered the following day in an alleyway nearby, her wrists and ankles bound, with a plastic bag taped over her head.

Keith Collard, then 24, a reclusive individual with a fixation on pornography, was arrested the day after Katrina's body was found. Evidence revealed that Collard had taken Katrina into his garden shed at gunpoint, had molested her, and eventually suffocated her before abandoning her body in the alley.

Today, Katrina’s mother, Valerie Monk, who had two daughters with Lewis Poole-Warren, expressed her distress over the possibility of Collard's release. She disclosed that they had recently learned about a parole hearing scheduled for December 22, 2009. The parole board was to decide whether Collard, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey in December 1993, was suitable for immediate parole or should be transferred to an open prison, with a chance of release if deemed well-behaved over six months.

Valerie Monk recounted the impact of the news: 'We had been trying to find out what was happening with Keith Collard so we contacted the parole board. They told us Collard has a hearing on December 22 this year to decide if he should have immediate parole or whether he should be sent to an open prison. Then if he is a good boy for six months he will be released.'

She explained how the news devastated Lewis Poole-Warren: 'Lewis and I were shocked. And to make it worse, Collard listed an Enfield address as his return address, which was too much for Lewis. When he found out, he was so furious he punched a wall, shattering his hand. As a carpenter, he couldn't work and had to sign on. He just couldn't cope—which led to his suicide; he hadn't worked for several weeks before he died.'

Tragically, Katrina’s brothers, Jason and Danny, also passed away, adding to the family's grief. Jason, who was trained by Lewis to be a kitchen fitter, died of tuberculosis in December 2003 at age 28. Danny, also a former apprentice, died from leukemia in October 2007 at age 30.

Ms. Monk reflected on how the prospect of Collard’s release reopened wounds: 'Hearing Collard could be out soon brought everything back for Lewis. After Katrina was found, suspicion immediately fell on him as her stepfather. Lewis was devastated when police searched the house because he loved her like his own and would never have hurt her. Lewis sat by my side throughout the 1993 court case, but later he struggled to cope, leading us to split for a time. We later married and had two daughters, Michaela (12) and Shannon (9). Lewis doted on them, and even when we separated in 2003, he saw them regularly.'

Monk added that she saw Mr. Poole-Warren the day before his death: 'He'd had the girls for the weekend and seemed in good spirits. I knew he was struggling with the news about Collard but we had set up a petition to fight his release. It was such a shock— the girls are beside themselves and struggling with school. Keith Collard should never be allowed out for what he did to our little girl; he's a monster. Lewis just couldn’t bear the thought of him being released.'