Detectives step up hunt for torso
Repost
This Is
London News Service:
Detectives step up hunt for torso
12/18/99
Detectives are intensifying the hunt for the killer of a teenager whose
dismembered torso is still missing.
Limbs found in a loch, and a severed head found on a beach 70 miles
away, have
been identified as those of Barry Wallace, 18.
The policeman leading the hunt for the Kilmarnock teenager's killer said
there
were as yet no motive and no clear suspects for the "very horrific"
crime.
Detective Superintendent John Geates, who is leading the murder inquiry,
said
Strathclyde Police were pursuing a number of leads.
Barry, a Tesco shelf stacker, went missing in the early hours of Sunday
December 5 following a works night out.
His head was found by a woman as she walked her dog on Barassie Beach,
near
Troon, Ayrshire, a popular spot for day-trippers, on Wednesday.
The discovery came after a set of human limbs were pulled from the
waters of
Loch Lomond by police divers last week.
Det Supt Geates said: "We have no clear suspect. We have a number of
lines of
inquiry to follow. We cannot rule out anything at this moment."
No arrests have been made.
Asked if the police were hunting a psychopathic serial killer he said:
"I
honestly do not know."
--------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 12/18/99 online edition of The
London
Daily Telegraph newspaper:
Saturday 18 December 1999
Teenager was victim of 'head in bag' killing
By Auslan Cramb and Richard Savill
A SEVERED head found on a Scottish beach was that of a "popular and
well-respected" teenager who disappeared after a works night out, police
said
yesterday.
His killer decapitated and dismembered his body before dumping the parts
at
sites more than 60 miles apart, raising fears that the teenager was the
victim
of a psychopath who may kill again. Detectives leading the inquiry have
not
ruled out the possibility that the murderer may have claimed previous
victims.
Det Supt John Geates said they had no reason to believe the murder was
the
result of a homosexual attack.
Barry Wallace, 18, a supermarket worker, was last seen walking through a
taxi
rank in the centre of Kilmarnock at around 1.45am on Sunday, Dec 5.
Police
divers found his severed legs and arms on the east shore of Loch Lomond
two
days after he disappeared. Earlier this week, a woman walking her dog
found his
head in a carrier bag on Barassie beach in Ayrshire, 10 miles from his
home in
Kilmarnock.
His father Ian, 49, a BT engineer, said two days ago that he was "99 per
cent
certain" his son was not the victim. But the teenager was identified by
DNA
testing and by a family friend.
Before his son's identity was confirmed, Mr Wallace said: "I asked him
if he
was coming home after the works party, but he said he would be going to
another
party with friends. His last words were that he would see me tomorrow."
A
police source said the victim had no previous convictions and was
"squeaky
clean".
The dead man's torso has not been found and officers have not ruled out
the
possibility that the murderer is taunting them by leaving bits of the
body in
different locations. More than 60 Strathclyde Police offers are involved
in the
murder inquiry and an incident room has been set up in Kilmarnock.
A police source said: "No motive for Barry's murder has emerged. He was
single
and lived with his parents and older brother Colin, aged 21. He was a
popular,
well-respected young man." Mr Wallace worked as a shelf stacker for a
Tesco
store near his home and had taken the day off on Dec 4 to prepare for
the
party.
Workmates said he had danced during the party at the Foxbar Hotel before
leaving to join friends at another venue. Mr Geates said: "We have no
clear
suspect. We have a number of lines of inquiry to follow. We cannot rule
out
anything at this moment." Chief Supt Bill Campbell, divisional commander
for
Kilmarnock and Ayr, urged revellers not to go for a night out
unaccompanied.
--------------------------------------
The following three news articles all appear courtesy of the 12/18/99
online
edition of The London Daily Record newspaper:
Saturday December 18,1999
Barry's Mutilation Spurs Police To Reopen Files On Unsolved Deaths
POLICE fear that Barry Wallace may not have been the killer's only
victim.
Detectives are now studying files of other unsolved cases which could
carry the
same hallmarks as the grisly death.
Those who examined the bizarre death of student Colin Swiatek two years
ago are
interested in details emerged about the chief suspect in Barry Wallace's
killing.
Colin, 21, vanished after a night out with friends at Bennets club in
Glasgow -
revealed yesterday as a favourite haunt of William Beggs.
Neighbours said Beggs regularly went to the gay haunt and was often seen
returning with young men.
Colin's body was recovered from the Clyde five months later and the case
was
closed after police said there didn't appear to be any suspicious
circumstances.
Colin had been working in a bar while searching for a job in science
after
graduating with a first-class degree in chemical engineering from
Strathclyde
University.
Around the time Colin's body was found, fellow Strathclyde student Paul
Christie was reported missing Paul's body has yet to be discovered.
The 27-year-old was studying for a Masters degree. He was a brilliant
student
and a member of the high-IQ club Mensa.
He went missing in February last year and there were immediate fears
that he
may have met with the same fate as Colin.
Police launched a nationwide search for Paul, who lived alone in a flat
in May
Street, Largs, Ayrshire.
The day before Paul went missing, a policeman sent to deal with an
incident in
May Street called at his flat by mistake and saw him with three people
they
later tried to trace.
Paul's father, Sandy, recently said he was convinced his son was still
alive
and urged him to get in touch.
He said: "Paul won't know that his mother is very ill and I'm sure he
wouldn't
be happy with me if I didn't make every effort to let him know.
"It's information he needs to have. What he decides to do is up to him.
I don't
want to interfere with his life.
"I can empathise with what he has done and I can also understand that
when you
go away it's very difficult to retrace your steps.
"He may feel there's recrimination and blame, but there is nothing like
that at
all from me.
"Paul's my son and I love him, but I also like him as a person. I'm
interested
in his life and what he's doing with it. That's the hardest thing - not
knowing."
Meanwhile, detectives are looking again at the 1995 killing of Mick
Docherty,
whose mutilated body was found buried in swampy ground on a back road
between
Port Glasgow and Kilmacolm in Renfrewshire.
It has always been believed that the 36-year-old's death was a contract
hit,
made after he double-crossed gangsters over a drug deal.
Father-of-four Docherty was released from jail in April 1995 after
serving six
years for armed robbery.
He was last seen in Port Glasgow two months later.
--------------------------------------
Saturday December 18, 1999
Ripper Is 'toying' With Police
A SCOTS psycho-logist says Barry Wallace's killer is a brutal maniac who
gets
his kicks toying with police.
Ian Stephen, who inspired TV crime thriller Cracker, fears the murderer
could
be another serial psycho in the mould of monsters Jeffrey Dahmer and
Dennis
Nilsen.
Ian says the killer is playing a sick game with detectives by scattering
dismembered body parts as clues for them to find.
Last night, he warned: "Watch out for the torso to turn up on Christmas
Eve or
Christmas Day."
Forensic psychologist Ian, an expert with more than 30 years experience,
fears
police face an uphill struggle to catch the murderer.
He said: "The killer would probably pass as a normal person in the
street -
self-contained with a quiet wee smile on his face.
"This is someone who thinks they are extremely clever and in control.
There is
a game involved. He is playing with the police."
Ian said if he was advising the detectives involved in the murder hunt,
he
would tell them to look for a young man in his 20s or 30s.
He explained: "You are looking at someone who is probably a loner, who
doesn't
have many social companions. He probably has a history of some kind of
mental
illness, care or violence of some kind.
"You would probably look among the local community first, for somebody
who's
got a history of abnormal, violent behaviour."
"He is probably somebody who had a damaged childhood and some degree of
sexual
problems."
One theory is that Barry fell victim to a pervert who lured him to his
home
under false pretences and tried to take advantage of him.
Ian said: "The person they would be looking for would probably be a
known
homosexual, probably looking to pick up people.
"He may have found this guy a bit drunk and decided this was a likely
target -
a nice-looking lad unable to look after himself.
"Maybe he picked him up, took him home apparently with good intentions
then
started to sexually approach him."
Barry may have been killed when he realised what was happening and
reacted
against it.
But Ian said the killer might just as easily have set out from the start
to get
his kicks from the act of murder.
He added: "He could be someone who sees people as expendable - as
objects to be
used.
"The killing process and dismemberment don't seem to have been frenzied,
it
seems to have been cold and calculated."
In some ways, the killer's methods resemble those of Jeffrey Dahmer, a
homosexual loner who admitted killing and dismembering 17 men and boys
and
eating the flesh of his victims.
Body parts were found scattered around Dahmer's Milwaukee flat.
Ian said: "It may have been a ritual, it may have been a fantasy, it may
have
been something he's actually done in the past.
"There is a likelihood that, if there are rituals involved and it was a
fantasy
that he was acting out for the first time, there is a greater chance of
it
being repeated, especially if it is a sadistic killer of a particularly
psychopathic nature and there is a compulsive element.
"It depends on how much power and satisfaction he took from the
killing."
Detectives will also have to consider the unusual way the body was
disposed of.
Ian said: "You would have to look at someone with interests or skills in
butchery or surgery and someone who is fairly psychopathic in their
attitudes.
"Whoever carried out this killing would need to dismember the body.
"They would also have to have access to somewhere where it could be
carried out
without the blood being noticed.
"And then they would need access to a refrigerator. A domestic household
freezer would do. The cold would delay the decaying process.
"It would also need to be somebody who had knowledge of police business,
that
the divers trained at that pier regularly and that particular beach was
regularly used by people walking their dogs."
Ian said once Barry was dead, his killer decided to toy with the police.
He said: "The follow-up stuff has become almost like a game in a way.
"The key bit is the missing trunk, because that may give the answers to
what
actually happened."
Ian thinks the killer will wait until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
before
letting the police find the torso.
He said: "If he is following his pattern he would be looking for several
days
on to see how the police are getting on and then the next bit would be
left.
"A lot would depend on what the trunk means to him.
"It is almost as if he is giving away clues, and it depends on whether
he is
going to give away the last clue - which is the trunk.
"It's like a TV series gradually unfolding, bit by bit. It is almost as
if he
is watching and sitting back and seeing how well they are doing.
"There is a feeling of power in this - that he knows what is happening
and no
one else does - and that is part of the thrill of the thing, this being
one up
on everyone else."
Ian said it was difficult to make comparisons with previous killings
because
the murder was so unusual.
He said: "If there is a gangland component to this, it could be somebody
caught
taking money and this was done to discourage others.
"Whether it's an individual or a group, it is a novel way for gangsters
to get
rid of one of their own.
"But it could also be a revenge killing or a family dispute. Whatever it
is,
there is also a game being played and there is no doubt whoever is doing
it is
a psychopath.
"It was not an out-of-control killing. There doesn't appear to be any
frenzied
slashing, although the torso may reveal the cause of death and any
mutilation."
Ian said it was very rare for a murderer to dismember a body and scatter
the
remains for police to find.
London serial killer Dennis Nilsen cut up his victims - but that was to
stuff
the bits down drains in a bid to dispose of the evidence.
Yesterday, Ian hinted that the Scots killer's arrogance could be his
undoing,
and drew parallels with yet another famous psycho.
He said: "Look at the Yorkshire Ripper. He was caught while he was
playing his
games with the police.
"You sometimes find that with some of the more sadistic murderers and
the more
experienced serial killers in America.
"There is an element of varying things just to test out and see what
happens -
just to show their power.
"The power is the key thing in this, it is part of the buzz they get out
of it.
"It may be an opportunistic thing which is developing out of control or
part of
a ritualistic process. Until you know a bit more about the crime, you
can't
say."
--------------------------------------
Saturday December 18, 1999
Find The Gay Ripper
THE prime suspect in the limbs-in-the-loch murder of Barry Wallace was
on the
run last night.
Homosexual William "Ian" Beggs, 36, was cleared on a technicality of the
razor
murder of a 28-year-old Scots student.
He also has three convictions for slashing men with razors.
Despite a huge police raid on his flat, officers refused to confirm they
were
looking for him. Beggs fled hours before dozens of police swarmed over
his home
in Barry's home town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.
Officers all over the UK have been told to look out for him.
A source close to the case said: "Because of his history, he fitted
perfectly
the profile of a person we want to talk to."
A fingertip forensic search of Beggs' flat and a nearby lock-up garage
was
going on last night.
Beggs was nicknamed Fred West by neighbours, and had a video camera in
his flat
to watch the street below.
Locals also recalled how a naked man once leapt through the glass of his
first-floor window, covered in blood.
Police swooped as they confirmed the Record's exclusive revelation that
a
severed head found at an Ayrshire beach on Wednesday was that of Barry,
18. He
was reported missing on December 6 after a works night out in
Kilmarnock.
The Tesco shelf-stacker's arms and legs were discovered in Loch Lomond
eight
days before the head was found by a woman walking her dog. His torso is
still
missing.
The killer is thought to have kept Barry's head in a freezer before
dumping it
at Barassie Beach near Troon.
Experts have likened his behaviour to that of serial murderers Jeffrey
Dahmer
and Dennis Nilsen.
Beggs, described as fat, 5ft 6ins tall, dark-haired and unshaven, was
convicted
in 1987 of murdering student Barry Oldham, 28, on the North Yorkshire
moors.
He met Barry, from Aberdeen, at Rockshots gay nightclub in Newcastle.
They
slept together, then set off next day on a camping trip.
A court heard it was during that trip that Beggs butchered Barry with a
razor.
He was jailed for life, but his conviction was quashed on a technicality
at the
High Court in London.
Four years later, Beggs was jailed for six years at the High Court in
Edinburgh
for a brutal attack on a young homosexual man.
He met Brian McQuillan at a gay disco in Glasgow and took him back to
his flat
in Kilmarnock.
There, he slashed his leg with a razor and so terrified him that he
jumped
through the glass of a first-floor window to escape.
Neighbour Elizabeth Fisher, 38, recalled yesterday: "We helped a young
man who
leapt through Beggs' window stark naked and covered in blood."
The High Court heard Beggs had two previous convictions for razor
attacks on
men.
Sentencing him, Lord Morison said it was clear he had an abnormal
personality.
That was a view shared by Beggs' neighbours in the Bellfield area of
Kilmarnock, where he bought his own council flat.
Knowing his history, they had tried repeatedly to get him out of the
area. They
even went to court, but a sheriff rejected their plea to have him
evicted.
Mrs Fisher, a market trader, said: "Everyone stayed away from him and we
always
called him Fred West.
"Nobody was happy about him living here and we tried, but failed to get
him
moved.
"Bennets gay nightclub in Glasgow was his favourite haunt and he would
often
bring back men.
"We were not really surprised to see the police break down his door
today."
Husband Ian added: "He was always away camping, come hail, rain or
shine.
"He would always go away with a toolbox and a big woodman's saw, which
was very
strange."
Another neighbour said: "Everyone kept their children away from Beggs
and his
flat. We all knew who he was and what he was about.
"I don't know how he had the audacity to stay here."
Beggs put up security lights at his flat and placed a tiny video camera
in an
air duct so he could monitor the street.
Some neighbours said he put it up to watch his Peugeot 205 car, which
was often
attacked by anti-gay youths.
But others believe he used it to watch young boys doing their milk
rounds.
Beggs used to lead camping trips for the local church, his mother's
camper van.
St Ninian's session clerk Tom Deans said: "I can picture this man at
worship
but I remember little of him.
"I think he was involved with the youth fellowship, but if he did take
children
away he would not have been with them alone."
Beggs, born to a family of five children, is originally from Lurgan in
Northern
Ireland. He was a bright schoolboy, passing nine O-levels and two
A-levels.
He was interested in politics, debating and music, and in 1982 he began
a
course in public administration at Teeside Polytechnic.
His parents are understood to be living in Belfast.
More than 60 police are working on the hunt for Barry's killer,
including local
uniformed officers and detectives. The Serious Crime Squad and
specialist
scenes-of-crime officers are also involved.
At a press conference in Kilmarnock, Detective Superintendent John
Geates,
leading the inquiry, said DNA tests had confirmed the severed head and
limbs
belonged to Barry.
He said: "This is a horrifying murder that has stunned the community and
shocked experienced detectives.
"Our thoughts are with Barry's parents and family. Their sense of shock
and
grief at losing their son in such appalling circumstances is unbearable.
"No motive for Barry's murder has emerged. There seems to be absolutely
no
reason why something so awful should happen to him."
Referring to the raid on Beggs' home, he added: "We do not have a
particular
suspect in mind. There have been no arrests and we have interviewed
no-one in
connection with that flat.
"A search was carried out there and at the lock-up as part of a number
of
inquiries. We are actively seeking no-one at the moment."
DS Geates paid a warm tribute to Barry, describing him as "a popular,
well-respected young man who was keen on snooker and golf and loved
music".
Barry failed to return home after a staff night out at the Foxbar Hotel
in
Kilmarnock early on December 5.
He was last seen by a friend at about 1.15am walking through at taxi
rank at
the Foregate in the town centre.
Barry was described as 6ft 2ins tall, with brown hair, of medium build,
fair
complexion and green eyes.
He was wearing a cream jacket, a light-blue shirt and dark-coloured
jeans.
DS Geates went on: "The main focus for the inquiry at present is to
establish
Barry's movements from when he was last seen.
"We are studying CCTV camera footage. There would have been a number of
people
about, such as people on Christmas nights out and taxi drivers.
"We are urgently appealing for anyone who was in the area to contact us
- your
information may be vital.
"Also I would repeat appeals for information from anyone who noticed
anything
suspicious on the beach at Barassie or any part of the Firth of Clyde
coast.
"It is still not clear where the murder was committed. But because
Barry's
remains were found 80 miles apart, I am convinced a vehicle must have
been
used."
Chief Superintendent Bill Campbell tried to reassure the community,
still
scarred by the murder of 17-year-old Mhairi Julyan by pervert Gavin
McGuire in
1996.
He said: "I want the public to know we are out there in numbers at this
difficult time."
Local MSP Margaret Jamieson said: "Mhairi was killed at the same time of
year,
so this brings back memories to a lot of people.
"People are stunned that such a tragic murder has taken place in the
town, and
until he is apprehended there is always the worry that the killer can
strike
again.
"It appears to be a random killing, and that is very frightening."
Barry's parents Ian and Christine were being comforted by relatives.
Their home
was under police guard.
His former headmaster at Grange Academy, Hugh Miller, said: "Staff and
pupils
are extremely upset as he was highly popular with everyone.
"He will be best remembered for his hard work, pleasant nature and the
enthusiasm he brought to the school."
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