THE HORRORS of what might have been are hitting Nantwich families as "cruel and ruthless" murderer Kevin Morrision begins a life sentence.

For after a jury found him guilty of killing 74 year old Wirral widow Alice Rye, torturing her and mutilating her body the court heard he also faced thirteen charges alleging rape, inde

cent assault and serious sexual offences against three girls including a six year old.

Morrison moved on to a caravan site at Poole, on April 28, just days before he was charged with brutally killing the mother of three in her home at Spital.

Owner of the site, Mark Hocknell and his family were shocked and alarmed when police swooped in to examine the scruffy caravan in which Morrison lived with his daughter. And throughout the build up to the trial and its proceedings the Poole farmer and his wife have had to suffer the trauma of having their Pinfold address used as Morrison's home.

"We are so relieved it's all over. We couldn't say anything during the trial. But now I can stress that this evil man was not on the site very long. We dread to think what may have happened in this area if he had," said Mr Hocknell.

"When he arrived I directed him to a spot away from the rest of the caravans, which included holiday makers. Both him and his van were scruffy, but I had no reason to think he was the nasty, dangerous man he turned out to be," he added.

Mr Hocknell revealed that after CID officers had examined the van it was towed away and destroyed. Morrison's daughter went to live elsewhere.

And an indication that Morrison may have intended to remain at Poole for several weeks came from the Hocknell's neighbour, local borough councillor John Beech.

He spoke to Morrison on a number of occasions.

"He talked about bringing his horses down from the Wirral and asked me what he should do. It gives me the shivers to think what kind of man he turned out to be," said Mr Beech.

A jury of nine women and three men took three and a half hours to unanimously find Kevin Morrison guilty of murder.

Sentencing, Mr Justice Douglas Brown told him, "You are a truly evil man and you are also, on the evidence, very dangerous.

"The jury convicted you of a wicked murder which was obviously planned and carried out in a cruel and ruthless manner.

"What made you submit yourself to the scrutiny of the police may never be known for certain. But you obviously wanted a substantial reward and took the chance that after eighteen months nothing would connect you with this murder.

"You then callously accused an innocent man causing him great distress and those allegations were of course totally false.

That they were false was demonstrated by the great skill of the forensic science service, both government and private, to whose application and perseverance the public owes a considerable debt."

White-haired Morrison, 60, a police informer, had denied murdering 74 year old Mrs Rye at her home in Spital in December 1996.

The mother of three had been tied hand and foot, gagged, choked with a rope and sexually tortured with a knife.

She was then repeatedly stabbed in the chest and back and after her death small kitchen knives were pushed into each eye.

Morrison had been described by prosecuting counsel Robert Fordham as "a cruel lunatic and a sexual oddity, a circuit not properly wired".

Thirteen charges alleging rape, indecent assault and serious sexual offences in1969-86 plus seven alleging theft, handling stolen goods, deception and burglary were laid on the file against him. He had denied the charges.

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