| The Dream Solution
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03/02/02 - Alison was stabbed,
but i lost my life too
LINDSAY FERGUS
The People
THE woman convicted and later cleared of stabbing Alison
Shaughnessy to death has spoken for the first time of
her affair with the victim' s husband.
Londoner Michelle Taylor spent nearly two years in Holloway
prison after she was found guilty of knifing Kilkenny
woman Alison Shaughnessy 54 times while her sister Lisa
was alleged to have kept watch. Alison, who was married
to Dublin-born John Shaughnessy, was killed at her London
home in February 1991.
The victim's husband now lives in Killarney with his second
wife and son. Michelle, 32, who is married with two children,
was cleared of the crime on technicalities in 1993. The
case is being reviewed by London cops. To this day the
sisters deny any involvement in Alison's death.
She said: "I was 19 when I began dating John - but
five months into our relationship he confessed he was
engaged to Alison. "I was distraught and angry. I'd
believed him when he said he was visiting friends at weekends."
The affair ended but was rekindled five months later.
"Our affair grew more intense and I prayed he'd call
off his wedding in Ireland. "Instead he invited me
and paid for the trip and we spent the night before the
wedding making love.
"Finally after 10 months I realised John wasn't torn
between two women - he was simply enjoying a passionate
double life. I found the strength to end the affair."
However, rather than walk away Michelle continued to socialise
with her ex-lover and his wife. On the day of the murder
Michelle gave John a lift home from work.
She said: "John opened the door... there on the landing
was a black court shoe, a blood-smeared leg, a black skirt
pulled high over a bare thigh. Blood covered her face
and body. "I pulled down her skirt, then lifted her
wrist. No pulse.
She was dead. "I moved the hair from her face, unaware
of the blood covering my hands. "I ran outside and
cried 'call an ambulance and the police'. "When I
saw Alison's body again I felt nauseous. As I leaned over
the toilet I noticed my hands were stained with blood.
I scrubbed them in the bathroom sink.
"Later at the police station I answered all of their
questions - except one. I denied my affair with John."
But it did not take police long to discover the truth.
Michelle said: "Police found my diary and knew about
my affair with John. I admitted I had lied but told them
that it had been over for six months."
Michelle thought that was the end of the matter, but on
August 7 1992 she and her sister were arrested by cops.
The following day they were charged with murder. She said:
"Our trial began on July 6 1992 at the Old Bailey,
London and my diary was read out as evidence.
"It said: 'My dream solution would be for Alison
to disappear as if she never existed, and then maybe I
could give everything to the man I love.' "The prosecution
alleged I'd murdered Alison because John had said they
were planning to start a family and move back to Ireland
- lies.
"Lisa and I were innocent. "We were confident
the jury wouldn't convict us so nothing prepared us for
the verdict." The Taylor sisters were sentenced to
life imprisonment, but just over a year later they walked
free when three appeal judges ruled the convictions 'unsafe
and unsatisfactory' because police had failed to disclose
evidence.
They also said that sensational press coverage had been
sufficient to prejudice a jury. Michelle said: "Our
conviction was quashed on a technicality and because of
that everyone believes we killed Alison Shaughnessy. "Nearly
two years of our lives had been stolen while the killer
remained at large.
"Everyone we met was obsessed with out past. So I
moved away and slowly reinvented myself. "That was
nine years ago. Instead of celebrating my innocence and
freedom, I've become a woman with a secret and still fear
being recognised.
"My only crime was to have an illicit affair, something
thousands of people do everyday in Britain - only most
people can forget theirs. I'll never escape the consequences
of mine. "Scotland Yard's Murder Review Group is
currently deciding whether or not to reopen the case.
"Lisa and I want it to be - Alison's killers should
be caught." |
| Contact : bernard.omahoney@bernardomahoney.com |
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