For the last seven weeks, RTÉ Documentary On One has tried to raise awareness about the murder of Elizabeth Plunkett in the hopes of securing for her the conviction she was robbed of nearly 50 years ago…
Elizabeth and Mayo woman Mary Duffy were brutally abducted, raped and murdered by Ireland's first serial killers - John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans in 1976.
While both men were originally charged with the murder, rape and false imprisonment of Elizabeth and Mary, a parole application from Shaw in 2023 revealed that nobody was ever convicted for the murder of Elizabeth.
But there are other victims of these men who also never received justice.
Remember the reason why the men came to Ireland in the first place? They were trying to evade rape and sexual assault charges relating to three women in the Greater Manchester area.
The podcast team is hopeful these women are alive and justice may eventually be served, but as they learned through the making of this series, many lives, most of which we've never heard of, were impacted by the deviant actions of Shaw and Evans.
And this week, for the first time, some of those stories are finally told…
Because the podcast may be coming to an end, the fight for justice for Elizabeth and all of these potential victims is only just beginning.
So, before you read on (and eventually listen), I would like to remind you that the more information the public can provide on this case, the greater the chance the Plunkett family can secure the cold case review and legislative change needed to honour Elizabeth.
life would be like for their sister Elizabeth if she had lived.'
Witness
In the months since this podcast began, over a dozen new witnesses have come forward with information about Shaw and Evans.
Why are these accounts so important for the future of this case?
Because the more corroborating evidence that can be gathered from these sources, the stronger the chance the Plunkett family have to get a cold case review and hopefully another trial for Elizabeth.
We know that Shaw and Evans moved around the country around the time of the murders, searching for houses, pubs and caravans to burgle.
We now know they were also hunting for new victims...
This week, the public will finally get to hear their stories.
A woman called Dolores told the podcast that in 1976, two men with English accents tried to give her a lift in Blackrock, Co Dublin.
When she refused, thankfully they drove away. She swears the men were Shaw and Evans.
In Bray, Co Wicklow, not far from where Dolores met the men, another witness claims he interacted with them in late August 1976.
He was just 12 and a half years old, but vividly recalls an unkempt Englishman of medium build with hair like a scraggly bird's nest pestering him to go for tea and a bun.
He managed to escape the encounter, which lasted around 10 minutes. The description he gave the team matches Geoffrey Evans.
Other witness accounts include two young women in a mobile home near Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, being hassled by two strange men to invite them in for tea.
When the women went out to a disco that night, the men came back… circling the caravan that now had the girls' aunts inside, while trying to gain entry.
To hear the rest of that story, hit play above...
The accounts submitted stretched as far as Cavan, where a man recalled two female friends screaming because two men had tried to shove them into the back of a car.
He managed to catch a glimpse of the passenger in the car when the two women saw it driving past them again. He believes the men were Shaw and Evans.
There is also a series of accounts in this episode from the West of Ireland, the same region where Mary was taken…
One of these victims confronted the men and asked what they wanted from her. They said one word - "you" - that’s after they nearly ran her car off the road…
It’s worth mentioning that this was reported to the gardaí and happened before Mary was abducted.
To learn more, you need to hit play, but some of these accounts involve young women being violently pursued by the men, so please proceed with caution.
The podcast has put all these new witnesses in touch with James MacGuill to aid the Plunkett family’s case.
People have come forward once they started hearing the podcast, so there is evidence available that would not have formed part of the case file at the time of trial that may justify a cold case review at this stage
- James MacGuill, Plunkett family solicitor
have come forward with information'
The case of Gillian
The reports submitted to the podcast match the places and the timeline of the murderers.
Another witness, Gillian Mills, came forward after Elizabeth’s inquest earlier this year.
She was just 16 years old in 1976 and had been in McDaniels pub the same night as Elizabeth before she was abducted.
While walking back to her accommodation with friends, Gillian’s arm was struck by a car, and she landed in a ditch. The car never stopped.
She was taken to Loughlinstown Hospital, as proven by records found by the Plunkett family’s solicitor.
Why does her statement stand out?
Because the hospital records provided additional detail about the car that struck Ms Mills.
Initially, there was speculation about a stain on her clothes. Was it wet paint or maybe blood?
Witness reports about the car reported that it had a large amount of rust on the door. Could this mystery red stain left on Ms Mills be from that rust?
She recalled being interviewed by the gardaí within a week or so of her accident, but there was no follow-up.
However, Mr MacGuill believes this incident and Ms Mills memory of it could be significant because it occurred so close to the time Elizabeth was abducted.
And Shaw admitted to driving around this exact area on that evening…
If the statement is corroborated by Gillian being able to put this strange car in this vicinity at the time that would shore up the statement of confession
- James MacGuill, Plunkett family solicitor
February 2026
Despite being on the run for only a month, Shaw and Evans covered a lot of ground in Ireland while committing some of the most heinous crimes in the history of the State.
Shaw’s most recent parole application was refused, however, a letter from the prison service to the Plunkett family explained that he will be eligible to reapply in February 2026.
This means that his parole process will continue while the Plunkett family remains locked outside of that process.
In May, the Plunkett family’s solicitor, James MacGuill, wrote a detailed letter to the Garda Commissioner, the DPP, and the Minister for Justice, raising the new developments in the case from the inquest to the new witness testimonies.
He argued that the family should be given access to decisions made by the DPP and to the records of their sister Elizabeth.
He also urged An Garda Síochána to conduct a cold case review into Elizabeth’s case.
When the family heard nothing back, they contacted the leader of the Labour Party, Ivana Bacik. To her credit, she raised the issue in the Dáil (for the second time).
To hear what the Taoiseach said, you need to listen to the episode…
The podcast team separately sent a letter to the Minister for Justice in March in search of records about Elizabeth’s case.
Sixteen weeks later, they got a reply - just as production on the series was wrapping up.
Will this response help the family get the help they need? Go to a streaming service to find out.
So our chap now is due to apply for parole in February '26
- Kathleen Nolan
Elizabeth Plunkett in the hopes of securing for her the conviction she was robbed
of nearly 50 years ago.'
Memory
To this day, the Plunkett family says they still imagine what life would be like for their sister Elizabeth if she had lived.
The Duffy family carry the same lifelong trauma of losing their sister in such a violent, sudden manner.
A few months ago a new bench was put by Lough Inagh in honour of Mary.
Her family wanted somewhere to remember her. Because in the words of her sister Ann, "The only thing that can keep you going is the lovely memories of them".
As the episode nears its end Kathleen and Bernie go to Deansgrange Cemetery to visit Elizabeth’s grave.
Bernie, Kathleen and their other sister Joan come here regularly and always on Elizabeth’s birthday.
Myself, Joan and Kathleen would say we're going to have a day out. We're going to book a meal and after we go to Liz we’re going to take her with us and speak about her for the whole day
- Bernie Plunkett
Elizabeth
It would be remiss to conclude this article and series without mentioning the soundtrack composed by Oscar winner Stephen Warbeck and performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
It perfectly captured every tone change in this very complex and tragic tale, while elevating every feeling this podcast has attempted to articulate to its audience.
Mr Warbeck said he composed one piece in particular specifically with Elizabeth in mind. When the Plunkett sisters heard the news, they burst into tears.
He spoke to the family to try to understand more about Elizabeth before he wrote the piece.
These deeply personal exchanges are included in this episode, along with the family hearing the soundtrack being recorded by the Orchestra in the RTÉ radio centre.
Before I conclude this piece, I must confess I haven’t been entirely honest. This technically isn’t the final episode of Stolen Sister - the full testimonies of the witnesses who continue to come forward during the series will feature in an upcoming bonus episode.
So, if you can help this investigation in any way do not hesitate to contact documentaries@rte.ie.
Even when Liam told us, he said, I have news for you girls, he said Stephen Warbeck is going to compose some music and we're going to call it Elizabeth. Floods of tears we've cried over this
- Bernie Plunkett
Catch up with the previous episodes of Stolen Sister here
