Terence Whall: Crossbow attacker found guilty of murdering pensioner outside home

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A man has been found guilty of murder after he shot dead a pensioner with a crossbow in a “a barbaric, medieval-style execution”.

Terence Whall was convicted of killing retired lecturer Gerald Corrigan, 74, outside his home in Anglesey, north Wales, in the early hours of 19 April last year.

Whall and co-defendant, Gavin Jones, were also convicted by a jury at Mold Crown Court on Monday of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Jurors were told they may never know why Mr Corrigan was murdered but heard that the pensioner and his partner, Marie Bailey, had previously handed over £250,000 to convicted fraudster Richard Wyn Lewis.

On 31 May, Whall and Jones were arrested at the Anglesey home of Mr Lewis, who remains under investigation, following an incident that the jury heard was a dispute over money.

Peter Rouch QC, prosecuting, said Whall’s association with Mr Lewis “may be of significance”, but David Elias QC, defending Whall, said there was no evidence linking the two before the shooting.

Whall, a tai chi instructor from east London, denied ever meeting Mr Corrigan, who died in hospital on 11 May.

However, the court heard that he hid outside Mr Corrigan’s home until he came outside to look at his satellite dish, which had been tampered with.

The crossbow bolt that Whall fired went through the pensioner’s body, resulting in serious internal injuries and bruising to the heart.

It also shattered a bone in the victim’s arm.

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Kearney said: “Gerald Corrigan was the victim of a barbaric, medieval-style execution in one of the safest parts of the UK.

“Gerald, a pensioner, lived in a tranquil and remote location, with his disabled partner Marie. He was entirely innocent.”

Whall’s movements on the night of the shooting were given away by the GPS system in his Jaguar Land Rover, which was discovered burnt-out in an abandoned quarry on 3 June.

Information recovered from the vehicle proved that it had been in the vicinity of Mr Corrigan’s residence that night and on the previous night, when Whall was said to have been “scoping out” the home.

Whall initially claimed to police that he had been at home on the evening Mr Corrigan was shot.

When the GPS disproved this version of events, Whall said he had been in the area having a sexual encounter with friend Barry Williams. Mr Williams denied this.

Mr Kearney said: ”Terence Whall believed he had planned and committed the perfect murder. There was no forensic evidence, no direct eye witness evidence to the shooting and in fact no-one saw him going to and from the scene.”

During the trial, which lasted more than four weeks, Jones’s brother, Darren, and his friend, Martin Roberts, pleaded guilty to the arson of Whall’s car.

Although Whall admitted owning a crossbow, he told police that he had sold it by the time of the killing.

He also claimed that a new one he had ordered online had not been delivered by 19 April.

The jury heard that he had previously ordered identical bolts and broadheads for his crossbow to the ones used to shoot Mr Corrigan.

Whall’s punchbag was found to have holes in it, suggesting it was used for target practice.

Mr Corrigan moved to Anglesey 20 years ago after retiring from his post as a lecturer in photography and video in Lancashire.

He cared for his partner, Ms Bailey, who suffers from multiple sclerosis.

Additional reporting from PA