The Murder of Shirley Finlay

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0:00:00 > 0:00:08This programme contains scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.

0:00:30 > 0:00:33On the afternoon of the 19th of September 2006,

0:00:33 > 0:00:36a man returning to his vehicle noticed a blue bundle

0:00:36 > 0:00:39lying in the corner of a church car park in Ballymena.

0:00:51 > 0:00:54His suspicions were aroused by the solid nature of the item

0:00:54 > 0:00:58and his discovery was reported to local police.

0:01:00 > 0:01:03Officers arrived on the scene soon after,

0:01:03 > 0:01:05and upon examining the contents of the duvet,

0:01:05 > 0:01:07discovered that it contained

0:01:07 > 0:01:09the naked body of a young woman.

0:01:25 > 0:01:30'The Major Investigation Team was requested by Ballymena Police,'

0:01:30 > 0:01:35and I attended in and around 6:30PM.

0:01:35 > 0:01:38The fact that the body was naked

0:01:38 > 0:01:45and that there was some bruising and marks around the neck and face,

0:01:45 > 0:01:47made me consider quite obviously,

0:01:47 > 0:01:50that this attack may well have been sexually motivated.

0:01:54 > 0:01:57The duvet covering the young woman's body

0:01:57 > 0:01:59had also been placed inside two black bin bags,

0:01:59 > 0:02:01which were removed with care,

0:02:01 > 0:02:04in the hope that they may be a valuable source of fingerprints.

0:02:08 > 0:02:10'I later learned that

0:02:10 > 0:02:15'contained within the duvet was an orange-coloured towel.

0:02:15 > 0:02:17'There was also a grey fleece,

0:02:17 > 0:02:20'and there was a red-coloured top,'

0:02:20 > 0:02:23which had a hood and the number 10 on the back.

0:02:23 > 0:02:29I formed an opinion it early on that this was actually a deposition site,

0:02:29 > 0:02:33and that potentially, the murder had not occurred at that location.

0:02:33 > 0:02:38Having now established that they had a murder case to solve,

0:02:38 > 0:02:41police were keen to identify the victim as quickly as possible.

0:02:44 > 0:02:48'There was no report of any person missing, and we issued an appeal.'

0:02:48 > 0:02:51If anyone knew who this girl might be,

0:02:51 > 0:02:54to please contact the police.

0:02:54 > 0:02:57RADIO: "92-95FM."

0:02:57 > 0:03:00- "And 1341MW."- "BBC Radio Ulster."

0:03:02 > 0:03:06I first heard about the body that had been found in Ballymena

0:03:06 > 0:03:08when I was getting ready for work,

0:03:08 > 0:03:09and I was listening to the radio.

0:03:09 > 0:03:12RADIO: 'It's 8 o'clock. This is the news with Linda Ray.

0:03:12 > 0:03:15'A police investigation has been launched

0:03:15 > 0:03:17'after a body was found in Ballymena.

0:03:17 > 0:03:20'It was discovered in a parking area just off Mount Street.'

0:03:20 > 0:03:23REPORTER ON RADIO: 'The woman, who is believed to be in her early 20s,

0:03:23 > 0:03:26'was found by an employee of a town centre shop.

0:03:26 > 0:03:28'It's been reported that the body was wrapped in a duvet.'

0:03:28 > 0:03:30I don't know why,

0:03:30 > 0:03:34but I immediately got a very strong sense that it was Shirley.

0:03:36 > 0:03:39I obviously was upset,

0:03:39 > 0:03:42because people in work were asking me if I was OK,

0:03:42 > 0:03:44and I explained then that I thought

0:03:44 > 0:03:46this body in Ballymena could be our Shirley.

0:03:46 > 0:03:49And they encouraged me to ring the police.

0:03:49 > 0:03:52And you really don't want to look stupid.

0:03:52 > 0:03:56Hello there, my name is Mary Corry.

0:03:56 > 0:03:59My daughter's name is Shirley Finlay.

0:03:59 > 0:04:04And I heard the news this morning about you finding a body.

0:04:04 > 0:04:06'I think the policeman asked me a question.'

0:04:06 > 0:04:09I can't even remember what it was.

0:04:09 > 0:04:12I KNEW then. That confirmed it for me.

0:04:12 > 0:04:14That it was her.

0:04:18 > 0:04:20When we arrived at Foster Greens,

0:04:20 > 0:04:23the police liaison officer was there,

0:04:23 > 0:04:25and they did begin to tell us

0:04:25 > 0:04:29about some of the circumstances of Shirley's murder.

0:04:29 > 0:04:32But nothing prepares you for that experience.

0:04:32 > 0:04:33Nothing in life.

0:04:33 > 0:04:38It's something I would hope I'd never have to do it again.

0:04:41 > 0:04:44No-one expects to look at a child

0:04:44 > 0:04:48that they've known and loved and reared, to be lying on a slab.

0:04:51 > 0:04:54I knew immediately it was her. And all I could say was,

0:04:54 > 0:04:57"Oh, my God. Somebody's hurt her. They've hurt her."

0:04:59 > 0:05:01And my husband didn't recognise her at all.

0:05:01 > 0:05:05All he could see was the injuries. He couldn't see beyond those.

0:05:05 > 0:05:08And I had to say to him, "It is her. It is her."

0:05:08 > 0:05:12And obviously, both of us got very, very upset

0:05:12 > 0:05:18at the thought of how brutally attacked she must have been.

0:05:18 > 0:05:21Because her face and her head were quite bruised.

0:05:24 > 0:05:27'The post-mortem indicated that Shirley had sustained

0:05:27 > 0:05:28'blows and punches to her face,'

0:05:28 > 0:05:31particularly the left side of her face.

0:05:31 > 0:05:35There was also extensive bruising to her neck,

0:05:35 > 0:05:41and grab marks, leaving bruises on both her upper arms.

0:05:41 > 0:05:44The marks to her face and head, although they were severe,

0:05:44 > 0:05:46they were not life-threatening.

0:05:46 > 0:05:50And the bruising around her neck clearly indicated

0:05:50 > 0:05:53that she had been grabbed quite ferociously

0:05:53 > 0:05:56and died from strangulation.

0:05:56 > 0:06:00The funeral of Shirley Finlay has taken place in North Belfast.

0:06:00 > 0:06:03The 24-year-old was murdered in Ballymena two weeks ago.

0:06:03 > 0:06:05This morning, a priest told mourners

0:06:05 > 0:06:07the young women had been brutally murdered

0:06:07 > 0:06:09and then dumped like trash.

0:06:09 > 0:06:12REPORTER: Among the mourners were members of Shirley's birth family

0:06:12 > 0:06:14and her two foster families,

0:06:14 > 0:06:17who also spoke during the funeral service.

0:06:17 > 0:06:19'We shared everything, we played all day,

0:06:19 > 0:06:21'we had our fights like sisters do.

0:06:21 > 0:06:24'But no matter what, I always loved you.

0:06:24 > 0:06:26'Then one day, you had to leave,

0:06:26 > 0:06:30'which was the saddest day of my life.

0:06:30 > 0:06:32'Though no matter where you lived,

0:06:32 > 0:06:36'you were and always will be my wee sis, Shirley.'

0:06:41 > 0:06:45In September 1981, Shirley Finlay was born

0:06:45 > 0:06:48in the Royal Maternity Hospital in Belfast.

0:06:51 > 0:06:54Her mother had suffered from long-term mental health problems,

0:06:54 > 0:06:57so Shirley was placed in the care of foster parents

0:06:57 > 0:06:59at just 10 months of age.

0:07:03 > 0:07:05'She came and she settled in very well.'

0:07:09 > 0:07:10I think Joanne, my daughter,

0:07:10 > 0:07:13was delighted there was another girl in the house,

0:07:13 > 0:07:15because I have three boys and Joanne.

0:07:15 > 0:07:16So for her, it was a sister.

0:07:16 > 0:07:19Oh, what's this? THEY SQUEAL

0:07:19 > 0:07:21'Shirley was always full of fun as well.

0:07:21 > 0:07:24'She had the strangest little giggle of a laugh,'

0:07:24 > 0:07:27and many people would often comment about it,

0:07:27 > 0:07:29this giggle that she had.

0:07:29 > 0:07:32She also had a fantastic imagination,

0:07:32 > 0:07:35and sometimes that went against us.

0:07:35 > 0:07:37Other times it made us laugh.

0:07:39 > 0:07:40She could be great fun,

0:07:40 > 0:07:42and she could be a terrible nuisance as well.

0:07:44 > 0:07:46When Shirley was growing up,

0:07:46 > 0:07:49she began to show some behavioural problems.

0:07:49 > 0:07:52At one stage, we had thought about maybe

0:07:52 > 0:07:55we would go for adopting Shirley but once those problems...

0:07:55 > 0:07:57her behaviour started to cause problems,

0:07:57 > 0:07:59we got a bit frightened about that.

0:08:02 > 0:08:04She got very bad tempered.

0:08:04 > 0:08:06She could be quite explosive

0:08:06 > 0:08:10and she would fight with Joanne and the boys over nothing.

0:08:10 > 0:08:13And so, along with social services and ourselves,

0:08:13 > 0:08:19we began to try and work with what was happening for her.

0:08:19 > 0:08:20Shirley left our care about age 11,

0:08:20 > 0:08:24and that was an extremely difficult time for all of us.

0:08:24 > 0:08:27It had followed many discussions and many meetings

0:08:27 > 0:08:30with ourselves and social services,

0:08:30 > 0:08:33and eventually it was decided what was best for her and for us.

0:08:33 > 0:08:35That she should move to another foster family.

0:08:35 > 0:08:39Although Shirley no longer lived with the Corrys,

0:08:39 > 0:08:43they stayed in regular contact in the years that followed,

0:08:43 > 0:08:46and she was a frequent visitor to the family home.

0:08:46 > 0:08:48THEY LAUGH

0:08:48 > 0:08:50'They used to go down and collect her every Sunday,

0:08:50 > 0:08:53'and bring her up here for Sunday lunch.

0:08:53 > 0:08:56'And that continued for quite a while after she moved from here.

0:08:57 > 0:08:59'She had a habit of not going to bed too early.

0:08:59 > 0:09:02'And we'd be in bed, and I'd say to Jim,

0:09:02 > 0:09:05'"Do you smell something burning?"

0:09:05 > 0:09:07'And you'd come down,

0:09:07 > 0:09:11'and she's stuck something under the grill and had forgot about it.'

0:09:11 > 0:09:13Shirley, you've burned the toast! Shirley!

0:09:13 > 0:09:15'Also when she stayed,

0:09:15 > 0:09:17she used to spend hours in the bathroom.

0:09:17 > 0:09:20We used to have to say, because we only had one bathroom,

0:09:20 > 0:09:22if you need to use it, use it quick, because Shirley is going in.

0:09:22 > 0:09:25Shirley, come on! I have to get to work!

0:09:25 > 0:09:29And then when she'd be going home, you'd look in her bag,

0:09:29 > 0:09:32and she maybe have toilet rolls and bleach and cleaner.

0:09:32 > 0:09:34I'd say to her, "Look, if you want anything, ask."

0:09:34 > 0:09:38I don't think she saw it as stealing off you or anything.

0:09:38 > 0:09:41I think she wanted to take part of you with her,

0:09:41 > 0:09:43and those seemed to be the parts she chose.

0:09:46 > 0:09:48KNOCKS ON DOOR

0:09:51 > 0:09:54'When Shirley left, we were still very close.

0:09:54 > 0:09:57'And then later on in years when I had my own house,

0:09:57 > 0:10:00'she would land up with her black bag and stay for a week.'

0:10:00 > 0:10:02Maybe two weeks, maybe a month.

0:10:02 > 0:10:04It depends how we got on.

0:10:06 > 0:10:08What do you think I should do?

0:10:08 > 0:10:10If you sit down and just say,

0:10:10 > 0:10:12"Look, this is how I'm feeling

0:10:12 > 0:10:15"and this is the way it's going to turn out."

0:10:15 > 0:10:17'When Shirley came to stay with me, we would have sat up

0:10:17 > 0:10:19'talking about me and my problems'

0:10:19 > 0:10:21and her and her wee problems.

0:10:21 > 0:10:23We confided in each other an awful lot.

0:10:23 > 0:10:26Thanks, baby!

0:10:26 > 0:10:29I have enough to worry about without worrying about you!

0:10:29 > 0:10:31I know! Well, some of the wee lads you went out with, I mean...

0:10:31 > 0:10:34'Sometimes we got on really well and she could stay for a month,

0:10:34 > 0:10:37'and other times, we would fight like cat and dog.'

0:10:37 > 0:10:40One minute she was there, and then the next minute she wasn't.

0:10:40 > 0:10:43'Shirley!' >

0:10:43 > 0:10:46Shirley! Your breakfast is ready!

0:10:46 > 0:10:48You hear me?

0:10:52 > 0:10:54KNOCKS ON DOOR

0:10:54 > 0:10:55Shirley?

0:10:57 > 0:11:00'Whenever Shirley left,

0:11:00 > 0:11:02'even if we'd fought or whatever,

0:11:02 > 0:11:05'Shirley knew that my door was always open for her.'

0:11:05 > 0:11:07No matter what. No matter what.

0:11:12 > 0:11:14After leaving the care system,

0:11:14 > 0:11:16Shirley moved to Ballymena in 1999,

0:11:16 > 0:11:19and quickly befriended Sylvia Clail.

0:11:19 > 0:11:24'The first time I met Shirley Finlay, Shirley was 18 years old.'

0:11:24 > 0:11:27She was wearing a bright red leather jacket,

0:11:27 > 0:11:30and she was very bubbly. Very happy.

0:11:30 > 0:11:35THEY CHAT AND LAUGH

0:11:35 > 0:11:39'I met Shirley Finlay at age 18 at Millhouse Hostel.

0:11:39 > 0:11:42'I knew Shirley about eight years.'

0:11:42 > 0:11:45She was very jolly, so she was.

0:11:45 > 0:11:47And outgoing. Loved to party.

0:11:51 > 0:11:54'She was the life and soul of the party,

0:11:54 > 0:11:57'and appeared very confident at face value.'

0:11:57 > 0:11:59But to those that did know her,

0:11:59 > 0:12:02there was a lot of deeper stuff going on in Shirley's mind

0:12:02 > 0:12:04and in her life as well.

0:12:06 > 0:12:08FOSTER MOTHER: 'She did talk to me

0:12:08 > 0:12:13'about a prescription of antidepressants from her doctor.

0:12:13 > 0:12:15'But she never mentioned it again.'

0:12:15 > 0:12:19And because I didn't see any obvious change in her,

0:12:19 > 0:12:23I don't think at the time I felt great concern about it.

0:12:23 > 0:12:27Shirley's friends in Ballymena, however, did notice a change in her

0:12:27 > 0:12:31whenever she moved into a flat on her own for the first time.

0:12:31 > 0:12:35'I started to notice Shirley doing things that she'd never done.'

0:12:35 > 0:12:37She was talking to herself as well.

0:12:37 > 0:12:40And that's when I noticed a change in her.

0:12:40 > 0:12:42That her mental health started to go down.

0:12:42 > 0:12:46Shirley became a familiar face on the streets of Ballymena,

0:12:46 > 0:12:52often alone, wrapped in a duvet and consuming alcohol.

0:12:52 > 0:12:54You seen her drunk a lot as well.

0:12:54 > 0:12:56In the town and that, you know.

0:12:56 > 0:13:00She used to sit on the kerbs and drink tins of beer.

0:13:00 > 0:13:04She always managed to pick herself back up and get on with life,

0:13:04 > 0:13:06and at the age of 23 or 24,

0:13:06 > 0:13:09Shirley stopped doing that.

0:13:12 > 0:13:14You'd have met her sitting on steps,

0:13:14 > 0:13:15talking to herself.

0:13:15 > 0:13:16She knew who you were,

0:13:16 > 0:13:19but she couldn't recall past memories of things you'd done,

0:13:19 > 0:13:21like living in Toronto.

0:13:21 > 0:13:24When we used to show her pictures of it and talk to her about it,

0:13:24 > 0:13:28she used to cry and get really upset, because she couldn't remember

0:13:28 > 0:13:33and couldn't recall being in Toronto and all the time she spent.

0:13:33 > 0:13:35Hi, Mum. How are you?

0:13:35 > 0:13:39In December 2005, Mary Corry received a phone call from Shirley,

0:13:39 > 0:13:42to organise her usual Christmas visit to the family home.

0:13:42 > 0:13:46Shirley agreed to call back later to confirm arrangements,

0:13:46 > 0:13:48but Mary never heard from her again.

0:13:48 > 0:13:51'When she wanted to be with you, she was with you.'

0:13:51 > 0:13:54And when she didn't, she wasn't.

0:13:54 > 0:13:58So it wasn't surprising that she hadn't been in touch.

0:13:58 > 0:14:00Although, I suppose, when I think about it,

0:14:00 > 0:14:04the fact that she hadn't been in touch might indicate to me

0:14:04 > 0:14:06that definitely she had gone downhill very much

0:14:06 > 0:14:08with her mental health.

0:14:08 > 0:14:09Because, you know,

0:14:09 > 0:14:11obviously she'd isolated herself.

0:14:18 > 0:14:21TV REPORT: 'The young women found murdered in Ballymena on Tuesday

0:14:21 > 0:14:23'was strangled before her body was dumped

0:14:23 > 0:14:26'at the car park in the town's Mount Street.'

0:14:26 > 0:14:29Detectives say tracing the last movements of Shirley Finlay

0:14:29 > 0:14:31will be vital in catching her killer.

0:14:31 > 0:14:34Police say she was a very vulnerable young women,

0:14:34 > 0:14:37and her death was brutal and horrific.

0:14:37 > 0:14:40She would have been seen around Springwell Street as well.

0:14:40 > 0:14:41She was found...

0:14:41 > 0:14:44As Shirley's body had been dumped in a public car park,

0:14:44 > 0:14:48police believed the murder must have taken place nearby

0:14:48 > 0:14:52and focused their investigation in and around the Mount Street area.

0:14:52 > 0:14:55Coincidentally, a resident of Hill Street

0:14:55 > 0:14:57had been brought into police custody

0:14:57 > 0:15:00on the very day that Shirley's body had been discovered.

0:15:00 > 0:15:01Nyet.

0:15:01 > 0:15:05At the time we were conducting house-to-house enquiries in the Mount Street area.

0:15:05 > 0:15:09We discovered that Henryk Gorski, who resided at 5A Hill Street,

0:15:09 > 0:15:11in Ballymena was in custody.

0:15:15 > 0:15:21Gorski was a 49-year-old Polish national who had worked in meat plants all over Europe.

0:15:21 > 0:15:24He arrived in Northern Ireland in September 2005,

0:15:24 > 0:15:27and he'd taken up employment working in Ballymena Meats.

0:15:27 > 0:15:30During the investigation of Shirley's murder,

0:15:30 > 0:15:34Gorski was already in custody for allegedly obtaining money by deception

0:15:34 > 0:15:38and threats to kill a fellow Polish national.

0:15:38 > 0:15:44When we looked at his background in Poland, we saw that he had criminal convictions,

0:15:44 > 0:15:49and these were for burglary, for theft, for assault.

0:15:49 > 0:15:52As a result of those enquiries,

0:15:52 > 0:15:56we went to Poland and we spoke to members of Henryk Gorski's family.

0:15:56 > 0:16:00THE SPEAK POLISH

0:16:08 > 0:16:12From that picture we saw that he was a very, very violent man,

0:16:12 > 0:16:15that he regularly beat his children and his wife.

0:16:15 > 0:16:17Because he was a person of interest,

0:16:17 > 0:16:22an interview was conducted in prison with Henryk Gorski.

0:16:22 > 0:16:27We've two witness reports, Henryk, stating that Shirley sat there on your doorstep.

0:16:27 > 0:16:31HE TRANSLATES INTO POLISH

0:16:36 > 0:16:39When repeated to him that a number of witnesses had identified Shirley

0:16:39 > 0:16:43as regularly sitting on his doorstep on Hill Street,

0:16:43 > 0:16:47he simply maintained his stance that he didn't know and had never seen her.

0:16:47 > 0:16:51We have a witness statement here that says that you described

0:16:51 > 0:16:55to a colleague how you approached Shirley on one occasion and that she run off.

0:16:55 > 0:17:01It says here that you described Miss Finlay as being "mental."

0:17:01 > 0:17:03THEY SPEAK POLISH

0:17:03 > 0:17:06HE SPEAKS POLISH

0:17:06 > 0:17:08- HE TRANSLATES:- "It's lies."

0:17:09 > 0:17:13Having established that Gorski had a history of violence to women,

0:17:13 > 0:17:17police were increasingly suspicious of his involvement

0:17:17 > 0:17:21in the murder of Shirley Finlay, and looked to forensic results for confirmation.

0:17:30 > 0:17:34There had been an extensive amount of material found,

0:17:34 > 0:17:38and the first major breakthrough that we had were the two black bin liners

0:17:38 > 0:17:41which had covered the upper and lower parts of the duvet.

0:17:47 > 0:17:52We were able to identify fingerprints on both bin bags,

0:17:52 > 0:17:56which were identified as those belonging to Henryk Gorski.

0:17:58 > 0:18:01As a result of this, we obtained warrants

0:18:01 > 0:18:04and we conducted a search in the home of Gorski.

0:18:04 > 0:18:10We were looking at that time for anything which would link

0:18:10 > 0:18:16the duvet, the towel, Shirley's clothing or the bin liners that were recovered

0:18:16 > 0:18:20at the deposition site in Mount Street back to the flat in 5A Hill Street.

0:18:23 > 0:18:27During their examination of Gorski's flat, forensic officers

0:18:27 > 0:18:31discovered a number of fibres from two of the flat's carpets

0:18:31 > 0:18:35which matched fibres found on the towel from the deposition site.

0:18:38 > 0:18:41Forensic examination of the blue duvet cover that Shirley had been wrapped in

0:18:41 > 0:18:46revealed distinctive mud staining, which was quickly traced back to a flat roof

0:18:46 > 0:18:48at the rear of Gorski's property.

0:18:50 > 0:18:53So what we think happened is that somehow,

0:18:53 > 0:18:59either before Shirley was put in the duvet, it was in contact with the flat roof.

0:18:59 > 0:19:01Maybe it was out to dry

0:19:01 > 0:19:03and it blew onto the roof.

0:19:03 > 0:19:06Or that Shirley's body

0:19:06 > 0:19:10was in the duvet and made contact with the roof on being moved.

0:19:10 > 0:19:15We don't know. Either way, it make contact with both the metal stairs and the roof,

0:19:15 > 0:19:20and that would provide a satisfactory explanation for the results that we got.

0:19:24 > 0:19:26With the forensic case building,

0:19:26 > 0:19:30police were hoping for a confession of guilt from Henryk Gorski.

0:19:30 > 0:19:32Did you kill Shirley Finlay, Henryk?

0:19:34 > 0:19:37Did you grab her off the street?

0:19:37 > 0:19:38HE TRANSLATES Nie!

0:19:38 > 0:19:42Did you pull her body into the hallway?

0:19:42 > 0:19:45Did you punch her and beat her about the face?

0:19:45 > 0:19:49Did you strangle Shirley Finlay, Henryk?

0:19:49 > 0:19:51Nie!

0:19:51 > 0:19:52- < HE TRANSLATES:- "No."

0:19:52 > 0:19:57Meanwhile, further forensic material retrieved from the duvet cover

0:19:57 > 0:20:01was about to become crucial evidence in solving the murder of Shirley Finlay.

0:20:03 > 0:20:05The main types of evidence

0:20:05 > 0:20:06that we became aware of

0:20:06 > 0:20:09early on in the investigation

0:20:09 > 0:20:13was the presence of a number of fragments of paint

0:20:13 > 0:20:18which had been identified among the debris that was recovered from the duvet cover.

0:20:18 > 0:20:22The paint chemistry was very distinctive.

0:20:22 > 0:20:23We would normally deal with

0:20:23 > 0:20:24household-type paints

0:20:24 > 0:20:26and automotive-type paints,

0:20:26 > 0:20:28but this was something completely different.

0:20:30 > 0:20:34The little fragments of paint themselves were also visually very distinctive.

0:20:34 > 0:20:37Most of them were actually C-shaped.

0:20:37 > 0:20:40It was my opinion at the time that these fragments were actually

0:20:40 > 0:20:46breaking away from the edge of a hole on a metal object.

0:20:46 > 0:20:52At that time I was thinking of something like a large, grey-painted colander.

0:20:53 > 0:20:57In a bid to find the source of these distinctive paint fragments,

0:20:57 > 0:21:00Jim Armstrong went to the home of Henryk Gorski.

0:21:01 > 0:21:03In the corridor off the bathroom

0:21:03 > 0:21:07there was a satellite dish, a black-coloured satellite dish sitting on the floor.

0:21:07 > 0:21:12The satellite dish had hundreds of small holes punched in it

0:21:12 > 0:21:16as part of its manufacture, and closer examination of the satellite dish

0:21:16 > 0:21:21showed me that there was actually grey paint below the black,

0:21:21 > 0:21:24and that the original colour of the satellite dish had been grey,

0:21:24 > 0:21:28and that it had been freshly over-painted with black paint.

0:21:29 > 0:21:35An examination of the holes on the satellite dish showed that

0:21:35 > 0:21:40small, C-shaped fragments of paint were breaking away from the edges of these holes.

0:21:43 > 0:21:48Comparison of the grey paint from Mr Gorski's Hoover,

0:21:48 > 0:21:51the grey paint on the satellite dish

0:21:51 > 0:21:56and the grey paint from the duvet that Finlay had been wrapped in

0:21:56 > 0:22:01showed that all three were physically and chemically indistinguishable.

0:22:01 > 0:22:06At the point whenever we were able to establish

0:22:06 > 0:22:13the paint from the satellite dish matched the paint samples which were found

0:22:13 > 0:22:19in the duvet cover, for me, was a eureka moment in the investigation.

0:22:19 > 0:22:23Why were your fingerprints on the bin bags, Henryk?

0:22:23 > 0:22:26HE TRANSLATES

0:22:26 > 0:22:29HE SPEAKS POLISH

0:22:29 > 0:22:31"I don't know. I don't really know."

0:22:31 > 0:22:35Well, they're your fingerprints. Our forensics have proved that.

0:22:35 > 0:22:39We can also link the towel and the duvet back to your flat.

0:22:39 > 0:22:44We have a hair sample taken from your carpet had belonged to Shirley Finlay.

0:22:44 > 0:22:49We have witness reports stating that Shirley regularly sat on your doorstep.

0:22:49 > 0:22:51You've no alibi.

0:22:51 > 0:22:54Our evidence suggests that you murdered Shirley Finlay

0:22:54 > 0:23:00at your flat in Hill Street and then used the buggy to transport the body

0:23:00 > 0:23:04from the exit at the rear of your property to the car park on Mount Street.

0:23:04 > 0:23:09HE TRANSLATES

0:23:09 > 0:23:14I'm going to ask you one more time. Did you kill Shirley Finlay?

0:23:14 > 0:23:17HE TRANSLATES

0:23:17 > 0:23:19Nie! Nie! Nie!

0:23:20 > 0:23:25Henryk Gorski denied seeing Shirley Finlay on the night of her murder,

0:23:25 > 0:23:28but police evidence suggested a different sequence of events.

0:23:32 > 0:23:34Are you OK?

0:23:35 > 0:23:38- Yeah.- Do you need help?- No.

0:23:38 > 0:23:41It's OK. I will help you.

0:23:48 > 0:23:51No, leave me alone! Leave me alone!

0:23:53 > 0:23:56SHE SCREAMS

0:24:02 > 0:24:05STRAINING AND CHOKING

0:24:44 > 0:24:48Henryk Gorski, I am charging you with the murder of Shirley Finlay

0:24:48 > 0:24:52on the 18th of September 2006.

0:24:52 > 0:24:54Do you have anything to respond?

0:25:00 > 0:25:03Gorski went on trial in April 2009,

0:25:03 > 0:25:07and the Crown case ran for a number of weeks before he sacked his legal team.

0:25:07 > 0:25:10This resulted in the collapse of the trial.

0:25:10 > 0:25:15A second trial was held in September of 2009.

0:25:15 > 0:25:18Gorski gave evidence in that trial on this occasion

0:25:18 > 0:25:24and he completely denied everything, was very aggressive in relation to

0:25:24 > 0:25:32his giving of evidence, which is, to me, reflective of the nature of the man.

0:25:33 > 0:25:36'A 52-year-old man has been jailed for life

0:25:36 > 0:25:38'for the murder of a woman in Ballymena.'

0:25:38 > 0:25:41'This is Shirley Finlay, 24 years old, strangled,

0:25:41 > 0:25:43'and her body dumped.'

0:25:43 > 0:25:45'Her body was wrapped in a duvet cover and bin bags

0:25:45 > 0:25:47'and dumped in a church car park.'

0:25:47 > 0:25:50'This was the second trial for Henryk Gorski, a Polish national.

0:25:50 > 0:25:53'The first was abandoned when he sacked his legal team.'

0:25:53 > 0:25:57'Today the killer, Henryk Gorski, was told he must serve 20 years in jail.'

0:25:57 > 0:26:01'A priest told mourners the young woman had been brutally murdered and then dumped...'

0:26:01 > 0:26:05'Her death was brutal, her short life, scarred by mental health problems, was lonely.

0:26:05 > 0:26:08'Tomorrow would have been her 25th birthday.'

0:26:08 > 0:26:11'The jury took two days to return their guilty verdict

0:26:11 > 0:26:13'at Antrim Crown Court this afternoon.

0:26:13 > 0:26:15'They had heard four weeks of evidence in this,

0:26:15 > 0:26:20'the second trial of former meat plant operator, Henryk Gorski.

0:26:20 > 0:26:22'The defendant, formerly of Hill Street in Ballymena,

0:26:22 > 0:26:26'had maintained an ex-girlfriend had framed him

0:26:26 > 0:26:28'for the murder of 24-year-old Shirley Finlay.

0:26:28 > 0:26:32'Her foster mother of 11 years wept as the verdict was given.

0:26:32 > 0:26:36'Outside, she said she'd attended court for Shirley.'

0:26:36 > 0:26:39We do feel a bit guilty that we weren't there for

0:26:39 > 0:26:42the last year of her life.

0:26:42 > 0:26:46But we've always loved her, and we let her down, I think.

0:26:46 > 0:26:48And we have to take responsibility for that,

0:26:48 > 0:26:53and that's why we stood by her the last three years to make sure

0:26:53 > 0:26:58that that man, Mr Gorski,

0:26:58 > 0:27:00justice was done.

0:27:03 > 0:27:07When the guilty verdict was read out,

0:27:07 > 0:27:11there was a lot of emotion from our side of the courtroom.

0:27:11 > 0:27:17There was absolute relief that it was over, as we thought,

0:27:17 > 0:27:20and we were absolutely and totally convinced

0:27:20 > 0:27:22that Mr Gorski had murdered Shirley.

0:27:27 > 0:27:31The nature of the crime that he committed, aggravated by

0:27:31 > 0:27:38the fact that Shirley Finlay was a quiet, gentle, vulnerable young woman,

0:27:38 > 0:27:43and the fact that he showed no remorse, to me indicates that

0:27:43 > 0:27:49a long custodial sentence of 20 years is quite just in the circumstances,

0:27:49 > 0:27:53and will make the streets of not only Northern Ireland but indeed Poland,

0:27:53 > 0:27:57should he ever return there, a lot safer from this man.

0:27:57 > 0:27:58When they give him the 20 years,

0:27:58 > 0:28:03I thought, "You know, well, yes, that's as good as we're going to get."

0:28:03 > 0:28:08But in reality, he took at least 50 years of our Shirley's life, if not 60, you know?

0:28:08 > 0:28:12Who are we to say what Shirley could have made with her life?

0:28:12 > 0:28:16But that's the system, and that's where you don't have any control or any say,

0:28:16 > 0:28:18and you just have to go with it

0:28:18 > 0:28:23and be glad that that man is now in a place where he can't hurt anybody else.

0:28:23 > 0:28:26And that's very, very important to us.

0:28:49 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd