Dig site 6 minutes from where evil Murphy raped victim

Beast had tried to kill woman near scene of search

- MICHAEL O'TOOLE

GARDAI searching for evidence that Larry Murphy buried a woman are digging on land just six minutes from where he was caught trying to murder a victim, it has emerged.

This paper has established that the dig operation in rural Co Wicklow that has been going on all week is just under 5km from the scene of Murphy's shocking rape and attempted murder of a woman in 2000.

The search, which enters its third day today, is centred on land at Castleruddery Upper - amid suspicion that Murphy killed missing student teacher Deirdre Jacob before dumping her remains in a car and secretly burying it on the land.

Our analysis shows the new search site is just six minutes' drive from Spinan's Cross, where the monster subjected a woman to a nightmare ordeal in February 2000 - and where he was just seconds away from killing her.

He kidnapped his victim in Carlow town, before driving her to Kilkea in rural Kidlare and repeatedly raping her.