14/08/91 - Continuation of statement of Mr John Patrick Shaughnessy
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On monday 010791 while i was out. Michelle phoned and the message i got was that she was in ireland and staying with edel in loughrea. I didn' t phone her back but i knew she had previously planned this trip and thought no more of it. I also learned then that my brother danny had verbally invited michelle to his wedding on 060791. He was getting married in peterswell co. Galway. Michelle should have returned to england on 300691.

The reason i got for her staying on in ireland was that she had travelled over with a girl called trish who had been staying in waterford and there was something about one or other of them had both their tickets. And then trish injured her back and couldn't make the flight. So effectively they were both forced to stay in ireland until that was sorted out. I have to correct the date i got the above call from michelle.

It was a few days before 290691 because on 290691 i went up to ros common because danny wanted me up for his stag do. I went to my brother gerards house in athlone where a lot of the family had gathered and michelle was there. She was actually staying there at this time. That night we both stayed at gerards. He sleeping in my nephew's room and michelle in breda's room. The next day we all went to my sister breda's place in loughrea. Co galway.

That is edel's mother. That night i stayed there on a mattress downstairs and michelle stayed in edel's room. Whilst she was over there michelle didn't seem as forward as she normally is and left me alone a lot of the time which is what i wanted. On wednesday 030791 a large group of us were invited to danny's stag do which was a meal in a chinese restaurant in roscommon and then we went to a pub in athlone for drinks.

Michelle also came along. I stayed in gerards house that night as did michelle and the sleeping arrangements were as before. I then spent the two days before the wedding in roscommon with my parents. Michelle came as well. While we were there i slept on the couch downstairs all the time and michelle had a bedroom. On saturday 060791 michelle travelled to the church in peters well with me but did not go with me in my car to the reception at the haydons hotel in ballinasloe co galway.

Danny's wife had already booked a room there for that night originally for myself and alison. The room had a double bed. I had quite a few drinks during the day but i wouldn't have said i was drunk. Late that evening michelle asked if she could put her cases in my room. They were in my car and michelle had no where to stay the night. I gave her the key so she could put her stuff in my room and later on she gave me the key back.

She asked if she could stay in my room the night as all the other rooms had been taken. I wasn't keen on the idea but i didn't want to start an argument and i wasn't in the best of moods anyway so i agreed making it clear that she could stay but that it would only be somewhere for her to spend the night. Michelle went up to the room about 2 or 3 hours before me that night. I went to the room at about 0400. Michelle was in bed with just a bedside light on. And she was awake.

It was a very warm night. Michelle had the bedclothes pulled up to her chest and at least was wearing nothing on top. I got undressed down to my briefs and got into bed pulling only one sheet over me. I turned my back to michelle and as i was very tired i just wanted to go to sleep. Michelle said something to the effect that she wanted to make love but i told her all i wanted to do is sleep.

I woke up again at 0700 and i believe that michelle actually woke me as she had come close in behind me and was fondling my genital area with her hand. I became aroused and she then got on top of me. She had taken off my briefs and she was also naked. She then inserted my penis inside her and we had started to make love when i told her that it wasn' t right and i got annoyed. She got back on her side of the bed then and huffed.

I was just going back to sleep when i heard her getting up. Dressed and leaving the room. I lay in bed until 1100 and then had a shower. I met her after that in the foyer of the hotel with a few of my nieces. Later on that day michelle caught the coach to dublin airport and left to go back to london. That was the last time i was alone with michelle. For the remainder of my time in ireland i stayed between my family in roscommon and alison's relatives in piltown.

I returned to london on 200791 and i travelled over with alison's mother and father and since then i have been staying with them in north london. I went back to work on 220791. Since then i have seen michelle twice at the clinic but we just said hello and she has also phoned me twice. The first time she phoned me was at the clinic on 25 or 260791 after she had spent 240791 with the police. She said to me that she wasn't happy with some of the things she was asked and felt that she was being accused.

She said that if she was interviewed again she would want her solicitor present. She seemed to go on about this. I can't remember what else she said. She phoned me again at the clinic on 020891 between 1600 and 1700 and she was talking about things in general and said that she didn't want me to give her the cold shoulder and that she wanted us to be friends. I remember saying "god help the person or persons who did this" and "god help those responsible".

I also said to her "you wouldn't hurt alison would you?" She said "you don't think i had anything to do with this?" I never answered her and let her do the talking. The only other thing i remember she said was "i hope they catch those responsible that was a poor innocent person." I have been shown a copy of two note books which is shown as as/13. I now refer to this as ag/17.

I have read through this in its entirety and firstly i would say that i recognise the writing as that of michelle taylor. I was unaware that she kept any such records. This is a side of michelle that i didn't know about and having read it. It would appear that she was totally obsessed with me. Something that i was unaware of until now. However there are things which she has written that are not true. Firstly i have been asked about a reference on page 20.

Where she speaks of a lead on a car. I believe this refers to an incident which happened in 000890 when lisa was allegedly abducted but i don't know anything more about this. As regards page 29 where she says i get jealous. This is not true because when she used to tell me about people who had asked her out i used to try and encourage her to go. On page 30 and 31 i don't remember any incident like this.

I may have gone down to the room but i would remember if she was dressed in just a cardigan and pants. And i never made love to her if alison was in or near the building. On page 39 and 40 i don't remember the incident of grabbing her from behind at the window. And although i do suffer from migranes and there has been a night as she describes. I do not remember her staying the entire night as she would always leave about 0200 or 0300.

I should perhaps correct what i said earlier in this statement where i said she stayed the night on a couple of occasions when alison went to north london. She would never stay the entire night. Just a few hours. On page 46 where michelle says that i told her i loved her. This is not true. I only said that once when i was drunk. I may have said i cared about her though. With reference to page 47 where she calls alison 'a bitch' etc.

This shocked me when i read it. However i would say that michelle was very quick tempered and when she lost her temper she could do or say anything without thinking. I would also describe her as a stubborn and secretive person. With reference to page 49 and 50 where michelle speaks about wanting alison to disappear. On reading this. Again i was shocked and i also found that particular comment frightening and disturbing.

Especially in the light of what has happened. Again i can only say that until now i had no idea of the depth of her feelings towards me and also in a different way towards alison. The rest of the contents appear to be fairly accurate but obviously i can't really comment on her own thoughts which she has committed to paper. As a result of what michelle has told me in the past i believe that while she was doing ju jitsu she had an argument at the club and as a result she had to change to another club but that is all i know about this incident.

As a result of the ju jitsu and weight training i would say that michelle was a strong girl who could probably look after herself. In fact i remember about two years ago. I remember michelle phoned me at work and said that she had been involved in a fight in a pub car park when three black girls had come up to her and one had a knife and i remember her saying that she kicked one of the girls using a ju jitsu kick and she said she saw the girl's leg went up in the air and then the girl had lay on the ground screaming in pain and that her leg had been broken.

This is so long ago now that is all i remember about it. I have been asked about scratches on michelle's face which appeared about once a month. I have asked her about these and the only explanation i ever remember getting was that the cat had scratched her. I have been asked if at any time before i got married i ever said to anyone that i didn't want to marry alison.

I can definitely say this has never happened as i have always loved alison dearly and getting married to her was my dream come true. I have been asked if michelle could have seen any of my mail. I cannot think that she could have. Except if it was something i had taken to work with me in which case she would have to had got it from my briefcase from my office or if it was something that would have been delivered to 60 lambeth road after we had moved to vardens road.

Michelle drank a lot of orange juice as she doesn' t drink tea or coffee and as far as i am aware it has never had any adverse effects on her digestive system. Michelle taylor is right handed whereas alison was left handed when she was writing. But would pick up things with her right hand. Before 030691 my relations and alisons all thought michelle was a nice pleasant person. Except alison's mum breada who was always dubious about her.

However after alison's funeral word began to get about that alison didn't like michelle and because alison was so highly thought of. Everyone began to like michelle less. At no time did michelle ever threaten me or try to blackmail me in any way over our relationship or did she try to put me under any pressure to leave alison. She did on a few occasions try to get me to go away with her for a weekend but i always refused this.

Although i cared for michelle i did not love her. I told her that i loved alison deeply and she knew our relationship wasn't going to amount to anything. She knew i was never going to leave alison for anyone. I have tried in the past to end the relationship between michelle and myself but it ended in rows. I couldn't finish things between us completely as i wanted us to regain friends.

I have been encouraging her to go out with other men and i was giving up flower arranging on a monday in the hope that the sexual side of our relationship would end and that we could still be friends. If i had seen any more in our relationship i would have reacted more positively in ending the relationship. I would agree that i did take advantage of michelle when the opportunity presented itself and used her in a sexual way.

I should say at this stage that when i first met michelle she was already on the pill and i had the impression that she had been on it for some time. From the start of our relationship. I cannot say that i ever thought of her as inexperienced in sex. I have been asked when michelle and alison first met. And i have thought about this and i am sure it was actually well before alison and myself got engaged. And they would have met on more than one occasion before that.

Although i cannot remember any particular instances but alison would quite often be around the clinic. It would not have come as a great shock to michelle about my engagement as it was common knowledge around the clinic for anything up to a month before the event. That is why a party had been arranged in matrons office to celebrate it.

People who were at that party included alan tuck. David alexander. Pattie thow. Pauline gross. Sally peake. Hannah and kathy from the linen room and other members of staff including michelle. And other girls from accounts. Marion styles used to do the flowers if i was not there and michelle couldn't do it. For example when we were on holiday at the same time or on the occasion of alison's funeral.

Michelle started doing the flowers last summer ( 1990 ) when i was in ireland. While myself and alison were living at 60 lambeth road we occupied the room next to jj. The walls were quite thin and it was possible to hear people in the next room. When michelle moved in she lived at 62 but the houses are connected by fire doors and from michelle's room you could hear people on the phone outside our room.

Also michelle spent a lot of time in jj's room which would explain the entry on page 58 of ag/17 about me singing happy birthday to alison. At school my hobbies included stamp collecting and most sports. Including rugby. Soccer. Gaelic football and marathons. I was also involved in various community activities including being a member of the knights of malta which included working with old people and which also took me to france and rome.

Since coming to england. Apart from aerobics. Weight training and american football as mentioned i was also interested in photography and attended a course at the lillian bayliss branch of morley college on wednesday nights from september to christmas 1990. This course mainly centered on photographing scenery. There was never any kind of glamour photography and i have never taken what might be termed "saucy snaps" of anyone.

At the clinic i got involved in organizing trips to france etc and also a lottery for the old people. I have been asked about any knowledge of a magazine called "mischief. I am told that this mag is advertized in a photography book i read but i have never seen the advert. I have been told alison had the advert cut out. To my knowledge she has never sent for the magazine but may have been planning to send for it out of curiosity.

I have been asked about my knowledge of a birthday party at the clinic for jj in june this year. Our department had received an invitation to the party which was pinned to the wall in stores. I had not intended to go to this party. The invitation was to everyone on the department and not me personally. I have my own locker at the clinic and i have been asked if i took anything from it the day after the memorial service at st georges ( 130691 ) and i don't know why.

But i had some adult magazines in there and a card from michelle. I suppose i felt ashamed about these as i knew the police would be looking in my locker. Alison knew i had the magazines and didn't mind. She occasionally read them herself. As i said earlier we were planning a family and as far as i am aware no one else knew about this. However it is common knowledge that one day in the future alison and i had hoped to return to ireland to live.

I have been asked whether the kitchen door of our flat at vardens road was normally left open or closed. The door has always been kept wide open by a wooden wedge but if the door was hit the wedge would slide and the door close. It is also spring loaded to close automatically. I have been asked about various people. The first is peter middleton who is the hotel and services manager at the clinic and is responsible for the domestic staff and also the catering at the clinic.

I get on quite well with him but other staff don't. I have been asked about jay and dirk who were staff at the bank who i have met socially with alison if i met her after work for a drink in the strand. John keyes works at barclays in the strand. He comes from clonmel. Kilkenny and was at alison's 21st birthday. He has since become a friend of the family and was one of the pall bearers in england at the removal of alison's remains.

I have been asked if i know anyone called philip who is a black man. There is a porter at the clinic called philip who is half-caste and knows lisa but that is the only one i know of. Irene aspris works at barclays in the strand. I first met her at an engagement party before i met alison and never saw her again until i was going out with alison.

She has phoned me since alison's death to ask how i was and have a chat. Teresa 0'sullivan works at the clinic as a domestic and was suspected by michelle of spreading rumours about our relationship. However michelle was also of the opinion that teresa fancied me and was jealous of this. I have been asked if alison had any kind of life assurance.

I can say she didn't although we had been looking into this as i haven't got any either. We were looking for an insurance which we could transfer to ireland should we ever move back there. She had i have discovered since her death. That she had a pension scheme at the bank and i have since been contacted by the bank telling me that as a result of this pension i am to collect a lump sum of almost £19. 000 And after that i receive so much per annum.

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