Anna Michelle McGurk (née Potts; 23 August 1968 – 28 August 1991)[1] was an English council worker from Gloucester, Gloucestershire. She was raped and murdered in Gloucester by Andrew Hagans, who was on bail and living at the nearby Ryecroft bail hostel.[2] Hagans had been arrested for the rape of a 20-year-old woman just 24 days before Anna's death. He had a long history of violent crime, and had been imprisoned for burglary. Hagans was sentenced to life imprisonment for Anna's murder, with a concurrent 10-year sentence for the rape.
Following a campaign by Kay Potts, Anna McGurk's mother, the crime led to changes in English law. Michael Stephen, then MP for Shoreham, moved the Bail (Amendment) Bill, which became the Bail (Amendment) Act 1993. The police and Crown Prosecution Service can now challenge a decision by magistrates to grant bail to an alleged offender.[3]
The Anna McGurk Trust, founded in her memory, awards bursaries to pupils of St Peter's High School, where McGurk had been a pupil. There is a small memorial stone in Gloucester.
References edit
- ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
- ^ "How Mrs Potts won some justice: When a bailed rapist murdered a young woman, her mother turned anger into determination to change the law. Harry Pugh reports". The Independent. 30 June 1993. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "BBC NEWS – UK – England – Gloucestershire – Protest against bail hostel plan". 3 September 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
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