Macarthur a free man
By Nevan Riley
Double-murderer Malcolm Macarthur was released from Shelton Abbey open prison at 9am on Monday.
Macarthur served over 30 years of a life sentence for the murder of nurse, Bridie Gargan, in 1982. Ms Gargan was brutally murdered by Macarthur while sunbathing in Phoenix Park. Charlie Haughey described the murder as 'grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented', leading Conor Cruise O' Brien to coin the term 'GUBU'.
He was also charged with killing Offaly farmer Donal Dunne but the case never went to trial.
Until this week, Macarthur was one of the longest serving prisoners in the State. His release is subject to conditions and he will have to sign on at the prison every week.
This is the second high-profile announcement this week as convicted murderer Catherine Nevin is also being considered for day release to undertake a course in addiction studies.
