Page 99 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

On June 16, 1982, 31-year-old Corrigan appeared alongside McInnes, then
aged just 16, in the dock at Birmingham Crown Court. His guilty plea to a
charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility was
accepted and he was jailed for life, although the judge declined to set a
maximum term.

McInnes also denied murder but admitted manslaughter and was sentenced
to seven years in detention. The pair had robbed a boy of his future and left
his perfectly happy family with nothing but memories.

While his father said that he wanted to see Corrigan hang for his crime, a
senior detective on the case summed the killer up: “There is no doubt, and
others share my view, that Corrigan is the evilest man I have ever met.”

As I read the file contents in its entirety, the tears of sadness poured down my
cheeks. I gulped back the urge to just let go and cry openly for I had also
read the police notes of the horrendous injuries and sexual torture inflicted
upon an innocent teenager, struck down in the most horrific way before his
life had really begun. Out of respect for his parents who suffered
unimaginable heartache and with no wish to sensationalise the horrific
demented actions of a sick twisted individual, I have decided not to reprint
those details here.

Paul Corrigan died at Lincolnshire open prison on December 11, 2018. My
view controversial as it may seem, agrees with that of John Haddon senior,
that this evil, sadistic disturbed creature, enjoyed almost 40 more years of life
than the innocent child whose life he destroyed.

A final coincidence

For a few years whilst I served as a police officer, some years after the murder
of John Haddon, my wife pursued her own career, rising the ladder of
management in ladies retail fashion stores. After my early shifts, or on my way
to my afternoons, I would often drop in to see her when she was working in a
store in Sutton Coldfield. I was curious as to why one lady who worked for my
wife always greeted me with a smile that seemed more welcoming than
others. I was to learn that this lady was the mother of John Haddon and hr
smile and friendly greeting was he way of expressing her appreciation for the
support the police had shown her following and since the death of her son. I
had played no personal part in the arrest of detention of Corrigan, who
murdered her son, but to this day I remain humbled by her kindness.

Many years later, with a family of my own, my son James attended Bishop
Vesey Grammar School where John Haddon was a pupil. James is now a
grown man and has gone on to make a successful life and career for himself.
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