A babysitter who killed three children and stabbed their bodies on garden railings has ben cleared for release.
Davis McGreavy was sentenced to life 1973 for killing Paul Ralph,4, and his two sisters Dawn ,2, and nine-month-old Samantha in their own home. Their mother “begged” authorities to keep him locked up, but the parole board document said over 45 years in custody said he had “changed considerably”.
McGreavy claimed he killed the children as one of them would not stop crying. He strangled Pal at the home whilst Dawn was found with a cut to her throat. Samantha died from a compound fracture to her skull. All three bodies were found on railings outside their home in Worcester. The killings gave him the nickname: “Monster of Worcester”.
The children’s mother, Elsie, said: “What this animal did to my children was every bit as bad as what the Moors Murderers did.
“He put my babies on spikes for God’s sake – he mutilated them and they died in agony.”
Elsie said she feels like people blame her for what happened that night because she was working to earn money for a home.
It said McGreavy now has “a considerable understanding of the problems that he has had and what caused them”.
“The psychologist identified a number of factors which make it less likely that Mr McGreavy will reoffend in future,”
“These included his improved self-control and the fact that Mr McGreavy has learnt to remain calm in stressful situations.”
“A network of supportive friends in the community was also identified as a protective factor.”
His release has been discussed by authorities for at least 10 years before the decision was made to release him.
What happened on Friday 13th April 1973?
1973 had not been a good year for McGreavy he had been kicked out of the Royal Navy and sacked from many jobs; his former fiancée also called of their engagement. Clive Ralph, an old school friend, took pity and allowed him to lodge with his young family until he found work. McGreavy liked to drink but when staying at the Ralph household he showed a better side. He would cook meals, babysit and would help keep the kids entertained.
However, on the 13th of April 1973 everything changed, whilst babysitting he became intoxicated with alcohol and lost his temper. Clive left him at home whilst he went to pick up his wife from the pub where she worked as a barmaid; it was only a few miles from the house and Clive would have one drink whilst she finished up the last orders.
Sometime between 10:15pm and 11:15pm, nine-month-old Samantha started crying for her bottle and McGreavy who had too much to drink had seen red. He placed his hand over her mouth and strangled her. A post mortem showed that she had also been cut by a razor blade and had been hit causing a fractured skull. He then carried on to two-year-old Dawn and used the same razor to cut her throat. McGreavy did not stop there, he grabbed curtain wire and strangled the oldest child Paul, aged four. He took it even further and grabbed a pickaxe from the basement and used it to dismember the children’s bodies; he took the bodies outside and placed them on the neighbour’s house before fleeing the scene.
The police that had been called were left severely shaken by the scene, Clive and Elsie arrived home to find their house cornered off by police. The officers would not let them in and took them to the police station to be told the news. The couple never entered the house again and later split. McGreavy was found by police and soon confessed what he did but had no explanation for what happened.
He was asked why he had killed the children he said: “It was all too bloody gruesome.
“It was me but it was not me. How could I do it?”
David McGreavy was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years in June 1973. He pleaded guilty and his hearing was barley eight minutes long. McGreavy has had many unsurprising attacks in prison and was treated as a vulnerable prisoner.
The Parole Board made the following statement: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of David McGreavy following an oral hearing. Parole Board decisions are solely focused on whether a prisoner would represent a significant risk to the public after release. Public safety is our No1 priority.”
