Pensioner from Milton Keynes town jailed for brutal rape and murder of niece in oldest double jeopardy case

A pensioner from a town in MK has been jailed for life for the brutal rape and murder of a girl almost 50 years ago, in the oldest double jeopardy case in England.

Dennis McGrory, aged 75, of Cherry Road, Newport Pagnell, was 28 when he sexually assaulted, stabbed and strangled 15-year-old Jacqui Montgomery in Islington, north London, in 1975.

He was tried on circumstantial evidence in 1976 but cleared of murder.

McGrory was tried again after swabs from the teenager's body proved to be a one-in-a-billion DNA match to him. He was found guilty last month at the Old Bailey of the rape and murder of the teenager and sentenced earlier today at Huntingdon Crown Court.

It’s likely, given his age, that he will die in prison.

McGrory was finally brought to justice for his horrendous crimes thanks to the tireless efforts of officers and forensic experts who created a watertight case against him following a review of the historic case.

Because McGrory had been charged with the murder back in 1975, and later acquitted by a judge, officers from the Specialist Casework Team had to demonstrate the new evidence against him was compelling. This evidence came in the form of a DNA sample found on the victim, which forensic experts were able to establish was one billion times more likely to belong to McGrory than anyone else.

Detective Constable Jane Mascall, from the Met’s Specialist Casework Team, said: “In 1975 there was no way of testing for DNA, so detectives had to rely on other forms of evidence.

"Samples from the time were carefully labelled and securely retained. And this is how they remained until all these years later when they were retrieved for further testing during a review of the case, as requested by Jackie’s sister.

"Forensic experts discovered a trace of McGrory’s DNA on a swab taken from Jacqui which meant we were also able to establish that he had raped her, something officers at the time could not prove.

"This crucial piece of evidence has allowed us to apprehend this violent man who thought he had got away with murder. Kathy was determined that her sister’s case should not be forgotten and that determination has paid off. I hope for her sake, and for the rest of Jackie’s family, that this outcome will provide some comfort and a certain sense of closure.”

Detective Supterintendent Rebecca Reeves, Central Specialist Crime, said: “McGrory’s conviction coming after so many years demonstrates the lengths that police and prosecutors will go to in the hope of securing justice for victims and their families, no matter how much time has passed.

“McGrory is a violent man, a bully who terrified the women in his life. He thought he had managed to evade justice, but thanks to the hard work of specialist detectives and expert forensic scientists, he has now finally been held accountable for taking the life of a young girl in 1975.

“Jacqui was courageous and bright. She stood up for her aunt who had fled from McGrory’s violence and abuse. She is missed deeply by her siblings and by the other members of her family who are still alive and my thoughts are with all of them today.

“We know that we cannot bring answers to every family with a loved one lost to murder, but we never give up and we work with the benefit of cutting-edge modern forensic techniques.

“I hope this case, in its own way, sends a message to domestic violence offenders today about the determination of police and prosecutors to make London safer for women and children.”

Jacqui’s sister, Kathy, said: “Jackie and I always said that we could trust no-one. A violent man who had been living within our family raped and murdered my sister. He has been able to live his life. He has spent nearly 50 years as a free man doing as he pleased. I find that unbearable when my sister didn’t even reach her 16th birthday.”

Jackie’s body was discovered by her father in the early hours of 2 June 1975 at their home address in Offord Road, Islington.

"A post-mortem revealed she had been stabbed several times, strangled with the flex of an iron, and received blunt force trauma injuries to her face. The scene also showed signs that she had been sexually assaulted.

“At the time of the murder, McGrory was the ex-long term partner of Jacqui’s aunt. He was swiftly arrested in connection with the incident and taken into custody. Images taken of him at the time revealed a number of visible injuries, including a bruised lip and long scratch to his neck, and smaller scratches to his wrist and arm.

On 10 July that year he was charged with Jacquie’s murder. But he was later acquitted by a jury following a direction from the judge.

In November 2015, detectives from the Met’s Specialist Casework Team commenced a review of the case following a request from Jackie’s family, who had been living with unanswered questions for decades.

On 3 March 2020, McGrory was re-arrested for Jacqui’s murder at his home address in Newport Pagnell. He was charged with her murder for the second time in June 2020, 45 years after she was killed.