SERIAL killer John Shaw is blaming a new podcast for having a recent day release application turned down.
The evil rapist and murderer had hoped to get out from Dublin’s Arbour Hill Prison — but it’s understood he was denied by the Irish Prison Service last week.
The 78-year-old lifer has been granted permission in the past to leave the prison on temporary day release and walk around Dublin with two prison officers.
And Shaw is blaming a recent RTE podcast for the recent refusal.
He believes Stolen Sister, which centres on his victim Elizabeth Plunkett, is behind the decision not to let him out, a source revealed.
And Shaw is said to be annoyed that the series is bringing his crimes to light once more.
The source said: “Shaw is not a happy camper. He’s fuming since he heard that there was a podcast out about him and was not one bit happy.
“Unlike some killers who relish in the spotlight, Shaw wants his evil crimes to be forgotten.
“He is of the belief the recent attention the podcast has been gathering is part of the reason why he is not being granted day release.
“He had been getting out the odd time but that seems to have come to an end. He is really p****d off and blames the recent refusal by the IPS for day release on the podcast and all the newspaper articles it has been generating.”
The source said Shaw doesn’t do much inside prison and likes to spend his days making tea and working at the reception of the jail laundry.
They said. “He works on the reception in the prison laundry and spends the whole day just sitting there making tea. It’s about all he’s capable of doing.”
IRELANDS FIRST SERIAL KILLERS
Shaw, along with accomplice Geoffrey Evans, became known as the country’s first serial killers.
The career criminals met in an English prison where they hatched their chilling plot to abduct, torture, rape and murder women.
The pair, from northern England, travelled around Ireland in the summer of 1976 resolving to kill one woman a week.
Their twisted killing spree ended with the murder of young clerk Elizabeth, 23, in Co Wicklow and cook Mary Duffy, 24, in Co Mayo.
The two men were caged for life in February 1978 but shockingly, despite Shaw confessing to the killing of Elizabeth with his now deceased partner-in-crime, the pair were never convicted of the Dublin woman’s murder.
Ms Plunkett’s sisters, Bernie and Kathleen, are now speaking out for the first time in Stolen Sister as they seek justice for Elizabeth.
Speaking on the podcast, Bernie said: “We had tried every avenue, everything. We appealed and appealed and appealed. We went to the DPP, they said no, the Garda Commissioner said no and we went to the State solicitor’s office. This is our last resort, breaking our silence.”
Earlier this year, Ms Plunkett’s family urged Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to reopen the case and resubmit a file to the DPP following a verdict of unlawful killing at her inquest.
