In an article collectively written by Jamie Doward, Mark Townsend and Gaby Hinsliff the Observer newspaper omitted the details of the circumstances surrounding the brutal murder of 15 year old Rochelle Holness by the convicted rapist John McGrady. The story was focused on the contents of a soon to be released report into the murder of Naomi Bryant commissioned by Andrew Bridges, Chief Inspector of Probation. It is said to make ‘disturbing reading’ for the Government and highlights specific failures within the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (Mappa).
The article drew comparisons with the murder of John Monckton and the monitoring of his killer Damien Hanson, it also mentioned the tragic case of Mary-Ann Leneghan. In particular it also gave details of the child rapist Kevin Hazelwood who assaulted a nine-year-old girl and pleaded guilty to six charges of rape, two of attempted rape and two of indecent assault while subject to a Mappa supervision order. This is the example which has similarity with that of the recent but glaringly media marginalised Rochelle Holness case.
Deemed ‘the sex beast brother of two IRA killers’ by the Sunday Life newspaper, Rochelle’s killer John McGrady had a horrifying history of rape and sexual attacks on young women. In 1988, he was jailed for six years for raping two teenagers in Greenwich at knifepoint. McGrady forced the pair to commit humiliating sex acts on each other before raping each of them. In 1993, he followed a young woman off a bus in Woolwich, pulled a knife and threw her over a wall. The victim was saved by a passing police patrol who arrested McGrady.
The rape charge was dropped but he served five years for abduction. Following his release in 1997, McGrady has been acquitted of a series of rape charges but convicted of assault and theft offences.
However on 27 September 2005, innocent Rochelle was preyed upon by McGrady as she walked to a phonebox to call her boyfriend. It is believed he forced her at knifepoint off the street near the Milford Towers Estate, Catford, where he then took her up to his seventh-floor flat. McGrady will not admit what occurred once he had her prisoner inside his lair but police believe he strangled her shortly afterwards.
The former butcher then carved her dead body into nine pieces, placing them into five bin bags and wheeled them to a rubbish chute several floors below in a supermarket trolley. Rochelles dismembered body remained undisturbed for several days, before being discovered by ambulance staff who had been called to the estate. Rochelle had been missing for three days when McGrady cut his wrists and confessed to his girlfriend Margaret Arif. He was arrested by the Police after receiving treatment for minor cuts. Last week McGrady, 48, of Milford Towers, Catford, south London, pleaded guilty to murdering Rochelle at the Old Baliey.
Detective Inspector Tim Grattan-Kane said: "John McGrady is an absolute danger to any young woman, a spectacularly dangerous and violent man who when a desire befalls him he decides to inflicted it on innocent victims. He is prepared to use outrageous violence to achieve his ends."
The case has gained much currency in the African community due to the systematic way it has been ignored by the mainstream media in favour of similar crimes committed against non Africans. African victims of crimes are almost being treated as disparagingly as African perpetrators of crime. Last year there was a mass march organised by Rochelle’s family and attended by hundreds of young people in protest of this particular issue, but even this only received coverage on African community radio and a local newspaper.
Rochelle’s parents Jennifer Bennett and Denroy Holness spoke to the South London Press. Holding back tears Jennifer said; "It's disgusting this man was in the community… He's an animal - no human being could have done that to Rochelle... Prison is too good for him, the electric chair is too good for him… There is no form of punishment on earth that can make him feel the pain we are feeling."
Denroy said; "This man must have been possessed. The devil was let loose on us that day… That child was a gift from God. She has been snatched by the devil's work… If he was behind bars, or being closely monitored Rochelle would still be with us…”
External Links
Man admits murdering teenage girlSouth London Press – Rapist and murderer John McGradySunday Life - The evil butcherObserver - Revealed: chaos over sex attacker freed to kill
Media ignores march for Rochelle HolnessIn Honour of Rochelle Holness
The article drew comparisons with the murder of John Monckton and the monitoring of his killer Damien Hanson, it also mentioned the tragic case of Mary-Ann Leneghan. In particular it also gave details of the child rapist Kevin Hazelwood who assaulted a nine-year-old girl and pleaded guilty to six charges of rape, two of attempted rape and two of indecent assault while subject to a Mappa supervision order. This is the example which has similarity with that of the recent but glaringly media marginalised Rochelle Holness case.
Deemed ‘the sex beast brother of two IRA killers’ by the Sunday Life newspaper, Rochelle’s killer John McGrady had a horrifying history of rape and sexual attacks on young women. In 1988, he was jailed for six years for raping two teenagers in Greenwich at knifepoint. McGrady forced the pair to commit humiliating sex acts on each other before raping each of them. In 1993, he followed a young woman off a bus in Woolwich, pulled a knife and threw her over a wall. The victim was saved by a passing police patrol who arrested McGrady.
The rape charge was dropped but he served five years for abduction. Following his release in 1997, McGrady has been acquitted of a series of rape charges but convicted of assault and theft offences.
However on 27 September 2005, innocent Rochelle was preyed upon by McGrady as she walked to a phonebox to call her boyfriend. It is believed he forced her at knifepoint off the street near the Milford Towers Estate, Catford, where he then took her up to his seventh-floor flat. McGrady will not admit what occurred once he had her prisoner inside his lair but police believe he strangled her shortly afterwards.
The former butcher then carved her dead body into nine pieces, placing them into five bin bags and wheeled them to a rubbish chute several floors below in a supermarket trolley. Rochelles dismembered body remained undisturbed for several days, before being discovered by ambulance staff who had been called to the estate. Rochelle had been missing for three days when McGrady cut his wrists and confessed to his girlfriend Margaret Arif. He was arrested by the Police after receiving treatment for minor cuts. Last week McGrady, 48, of Milford Towers, Catford, south London, pleaded guilty to murdering Rochelle at the Old Baliey.
Detective Inspector Tim Grattan-Kane said: "John McGrady is an absolute danger to any young woman, a spectacularly dangerous and violent man who when a desire befalls him he decides to inflicted it on innocent victims. He is prepared to use outrageous violence to achieve his ends."
Rochelle Holness: A gift from God
Systematically ignored by mainstream media
The case has gained much currency in the African community due to the systematic way it has been ignored by the mainstream media in favour of similar crimes committed against non Africans. African victims of crimes are almost being treated as disparagingly as African perpetrators of crime. Last year there was a mass march organised by Rochelle’s family and attended by hundreds of young people in protest of this particular issue, but even this only received coverage on African community radio and a local newspaper.Rochelle’s parents Jennifer Bennett and Denroy Holness spoke to the South London Press. Holding back tears Jennifer said; "It's disgusting this man was in the community… He's an animal - no human being could have done that to Rochelle... Prison is too good for him, the electric chair is too good for him… There is no form of punishment on earth that can make him feel the pain we are feeling."
Denroy said; "This man must have been possessed. The devil was let loose on us that day… That child was a gift from God. She has been snatched by the devil's work… If he was behind bars, or being closely monitored Rochelle would still be with us…”
External Links
Man admits murdering teenage girlSouth London Press – Rapist and murderer John McGradySunday Life - The evil butcherObserver - Revealed: chaos over sex attacker freed to kill
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Media ignores march for Rochelle HolnessIn Honour of Rochelle Holness
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If he was behind bars, or being closely monitored Rochelle would still be with us...
Denroy Holness
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