04/06/91 - STATEMENT OF JOHN PATRICK SHAUGHNESSY


STATEMENT OF JOHN PATRICK SHAUGHNESSY
ADDRESS:
AGE / DATE OF BIRTH: 29 07121961
OCCUPATION: ASSISTANT PURCHASING MANAGER

THIS STATEMENT, CONSISTING OF 6 PAGES EACH SIGNED BY ME, IS TRUE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF AND I MAKE IT KNOWING THAT, IF IT IS TENDERED IN EVIDENCE, I SHALL BE LIABLE TO PROSECUTION IF I HAVE WILFULLY STATED IN IT ANYTHING WHICH I KNOW TO BE FALSE OR DO NOT BELIEVE TO BE TRUE.

DATE 040691
SIGNED JOHN SHAUGHNESSY
SIGNATURE WITNESSED BY

I was born in Dublin, Eire on 071261 and came to the United Kingdom in 000984, I initially lived in Leeds for about three Months when I first arrived in England, after that I came to London, I stayed in the Crouch Hill area of London for three months, after which I got a job as a part time porter at the CHURCHILL HOSPITAL, LAMBETH ROAD, SE1 7PW and I Moved into accommodation supplied by the Hospital, in fact at 60 Lambeth Road, SE1, I moved out of the accommodation supplied for me as a single man when I got Married on 230690.

I married Alison Jane BLACKMORE who was born on 071170. We married in Pilltown in County Tipperary, Eire, and due to a fatal accident involving a cousin of mine, the honeymoon was cut short, Alison and I moved into a bedroom in a house still at 60 Lambeth Road, SE1 in the hospital supplied accommodation, We lived together there until 070191 when we moved into rented accommodation at (address supplied).

We moved into flat number 1, the house being divided into three separate flats. In the basement flat lives an elderly white woman named Mrs WRIGHT, On the ground floor lives Mick CASEY, both of these people live alone. Flat 1 where Alison and I live is a first and second floor flat, the entrance of which is through our own front door, The three flats are in a house which has been converted, Mrs URIGHT has her own independent entrance, Mr CASEY, Alison and I share a communal entrance door, and then have our own front, doors, The communal door has a "Yale" type lock and a mortice lock, and Alison and I have keys to both locks, as does Mr CASEY.

After entering through the communal door, our own door is facing the entrance. Mr CASEY'S is on the left hand side, Between the communal door and the flat doors is a hallway about ten or twelve feet long, Our flat has got a single "Yale" type door lock on it. Our flat has two bedrooms which are on the second floor, as is the bathroom, On the first floor is the Kitchen and Sitting room.

On the landing from ground floor to first floor level is the toilet. Alison and I have had a happy marriage; there were of course arguments, but it was always the case that one of us would make it up almost immediately. I have never used violence towards Alison in any shape or form. I should perhaps say I met Alison nearly five years ago, firstly in the Archway Tavern in Archway, North London, Alison and I were together for about three years before we got engaged.

Alison worked for Barclays Bank PLC at the branch in the Strand nearest to Waterloo Bridge. Alison and I always left home together in the mornings to go to work, usually between 0805 and 0820. This was our definite routine in the mornings. We walked down VARDENS ROAD till we reached ST JOHN'S HILL when we turned right and walked down to CLAPHAM JUNCTION RAILWAY STATION. We caught a train together to Waterloo each day and we there parted company.

I walked each day to my work at Lambeth Road. Alison caught a bus, either a number 1 or a number 68 going to the Strand. Alison had to be at work at 0900 each workday and worked until 1700 or sometimes a little bit later, She worked in the Open and Closed department, this dealing in branch held accounts, On every occasion that we could, in the evenings, we met outside Our Price records in Waterloo and travelled home together, My work usually involves staying quite late each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, In fact that's not quite right because I attend Morley College, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 each Tuesday and Thursday evening, I am doing weight training in a class.

The nights I go to weight training I in fact go home first, Alison usually arrives about ten or fifteen minutes after me. This would be at sometime between 1730 and 1745, Friday was a definite night for going home together because we did the shopping then, On Monday 030691 Alison and I left together at about 0820, We travelled our normal route to Waterloo where we said goodbye, It would have been at about 0840 that we did so, Alison telephoned me at about 1630 whilst I was at work.

It was a brief conversation, I think we talked about American Football because we were intending to go to the World Bowl next weekend at Wembley on Sunday 090691, Alison was her normal self on the telephone, She was a pleasant and shy girl, We chatted for about two or three minutes and then said goodbye, From the background noise of a busy office, I am certain that Alison was at work when she phoned me, I left work at about 2015 or 2020, I have my office in the stores in the basement at the Churchill Hospital, Working with me was Michelle TAYLOR who I have known since she came to work at the hospital.

I think for almost giving or taking a month, for as long as me, To make some extra money I do some flower arranging for the hospital and each Monday is the night I do it, MICHELLE drove me home in her car, a white Ford Sierra Estate motor car, We arrived in Vardens Road at about 2030 or just gone, Vardens Road is a quite narrow road with cars invariably parked each side of the road, Michelle drove past our flat and parked just around the corner from Vardens Road, I'm not sure of the name of the road, it was just around the corner from the Round House pub, We walked back together, I had my keys, I was carrying a bunch of flowers for Alison and my briefcase.

I put my key into the mortice lock to open it, Alison was a very careful girl who always used the Mortice lock when she either entered or left the flat, Mick CASEY was also in this habit, Anyway the Mortice wasn't on so I unlocked the 'Yale' lock and we both went into the hall, We walked together to the flat door, This was closed and I opened it with my key, I went in first, Michelle closed the door, Michelle was only coming in to use the toilet because she was going to take some empty flower pots back for me, I went up the stairs, onto the landing by the toilet, turned left to go up the Small flight of stairs to the first floor.

I saw Alison lying on the floor by the Kitchen door, Alison's head was by the Kitchen door and her legs were around the banister rail, As I approached her, I was shocked but was hoping that she had collapsed, I knew something was wrong because I could see marks on her leg, I looked at her face and I felt for her pulse. Her arm was cold to the touch, I put my hand on her head, it was lukish warm, and I thought at this point she was still alive, Michelle had I think, sat on the floor and was screaming, I stayed on the side of Alison which was by the Small flight of stairs, that is with her back to me.

I was panicking by now, I was trying to keep calm but it didn't work too well, I ran down to Mick's and knocked on the door but it took a while to get a reply from him cause he told me later he had been in bed, Michelle had run out and returned later with three men, I told Mick to phone the Police but I can't remember exactly what I said to him, I then went back upstairs but i did't go near Alison cause by now i felt the worse had happened, and that she was dead.

A little while later a police woman came, she met me on the landing outside the toilet, She told me to go downstairs and wait with Mick while she organised things, I did tell her that it was my wife Alison lying there, When I first came into the flat I left my briefcase and the bunch of flowers on the landing outside of the toilet, I should also say that I picked up Alison's keys which were on the floor on the other side of her, Maybe a foot or so away in distance, I should add that Alison was wearing a multi-coloured skirt with red flowers on it, black tights, and I think it was a black top.

JOHN SHAUGHNESSY
SIGNED STATEMENT

TAKEN PLACE:
DATE: 040691
TIME:
WITNESS TO SIGNATURE:
OFFICERS SIGNATURE: ROY SAUNDERS DS