Murderer was 'high risk' offender

Trevor Hamilton, 23, murdered Strabane woman Attracta Harron

The man found guilty of murdering a Strabane woman was one of the most closely monitored sex offenders in Northern Ireland, it has emerged.

Trevor William Hamilton, 23, of Concess Road, Sion Mills, was told by a judge on Wednesday that he may serve the longest jail term ever passed in NI.

Attracta Harron, 65, was killed in 2003, less than four months after Hamilton had completed a rape sentence.

DUP MP Gregory Campbell has called for an inquiry into the Hamilton case.

Mr Campbell, who has successfully campaigned for sex offences legislation in Northern Ireland to be brought into line with England and Wales, said he was concerned.

"I think there has to be a full investigation of this case to see how closely he was monitored, how systematic the entire monitoring was and to see what improvements in the existing legislation there can be," he said.

Mrs Harron, from Strabane, vanished near Murlog, Donegal in December 2003.

Attracta Harron was found in a makeshift grave

She was last seen walking home from morning Mass.

The body of the mother of five was found months later in a makeshift grave near Hamilton's home. She had been battered to death.

Hamilton, who showed no emotion at the verdict, may never be released.

The case made legal history, as the jury was allowed to hear evidence of Hamilton's previous convictions.

Hamilton had been sent to a young offenders centre for seven years after pleading guilty to raping, assaulting and threatening to kill a 29-year-old woman in February 2000 when he was 17.

He had been released less than four months when he abducted and killed Mrs Harron.

HAMILTON'S DARK PAST February 2000: Aged 17, Hamilton rapes 29-year-old woman - sent to a young offenders centre for seven years December 2003: Just four months after he is released, Attracta Harron goes missing March 2004: Hamilton charged with Mrs Harron's murder. Days later, Mrs Harron's body found in makeshift grave near Hamilton's home April 2006: Hamilton found guilty of Mrs Harron's murder

The co-ordinator of the Sex Offenders Strategic Management Committee, Willie McAuley, said that he and his colleagues would be considering what lessons could be learnt from the Hamilton case.

"He was being closely monitored in that he would have been regularly visited by police officers because of his sex offender registration, because of his risk management plan and he would have been visited by probation officers through his being on supervised probation order and on the risk management plan," Mr McAuley said.

"He would have been visited very, very regularly. Probably more regularly than any other sex offender at that point in time in Northern Ireland."

On Wednesday, Mr Justice McLaughlin said he was sentencing Hamilton to life immediately.

He said that the tariff on the sentence, which has yet to be decided, would possibly be the longest given in Northern Ireland.