Danny Hathaway

Man jailed over Hathaway murder

A man's starting a life sentence for the murder of a Corby traveller.

Tony Holland from Desborough has been told he'll spend at least 35 years behind bars for the double murders of Danny Hathaway and William O'Connor from Bury St Edmunds.

Danny dissapeared from his home at the Gretton Brook Road travellers site back in February last year - his body's never been found.

During the trial at ipswich Crown Court the jury heard 20 days of evidence.

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STATEMENT FROM DETECTIVE CHIEF INSPECTOR KATIE ELLIOTT

Detective Chief Inspector Katie Elliott, who led the investigation into the disappearance of Danny Hathaway, commented at the end of the trial, which found Tony Holland guilty of murder:

"We are pleased to see Tony Holland found guilty for the murder of Danny Hathaway today.  It’s a good result at the end of an investigation that was made all the more complex because Danny’s body has never been found.

"When Danny was first reported missing it seemed almost certain that he had come to harm - his family meant everything to him and we believed he would never willingly leave them in the way he did.

"In a very short while, we were treating the enquiry as a murder investigation with Tony Holland as the main suspect.

"Tony Holland came into the investigation at a very early stage and within a week, we had arrested him on suspicion of murder.  There was not enough evidence to charge him at this stage but we seized a large amount of material that continued to subject to forensic examination and that eventually incriminated Holland.

"Holland remained our main suspect and we worked hard to gather significant evidence of his involvement in Danny’s murder.

"In April 2007 he was arrested again. At this stage the Crown Prosecution Service were not satisfied that there was sufficient evidence to charge him with murder.

"It was only after Tony Holland was arrested for the murder of William O’Connor by Suffolk Police that similarities between that case and the murder of Danny Hathaway, became clear. The successful prosecution of Holland for both murders is a tribute to the good work and co-operation of the Police Forces and Crown Prosecution Services in Northamptonshire and Suffolk.

"Without Danny’s body, we had to prove that he was no longer alive, and continue our search for him, rather than simply being able to focus on proving that Tony Holland had killed him.

"Today’s verdict is testament to over 12 months of dedicated and meticulous investigation by my team and I would like to thank them for that. It also demonstrates the successful joint working between Northamptonshire and Suffolk Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

"But for all the officers involved in this investigation, and particularly for Danny’s family, this investigation will never be over until we know where Danny’s body is and I will continue to appeal for anyone who knows where he is to help us find him so that his family can bury him and achieve some sort of peace."

Facts and Figures

During the investigation into the murder of Danny Hathaway, Northamptonshire Police:
· Gathered 888 exhibits
· Undertook 1598 investigative tasks
· Took 746 statements
· Logged details of 526 vehicles
· Recorded 526 reports from officers

STATEMENT FROM DANIEL'S FATHER KENNETH HATHAWAY

“As the family of Daniel Hathaway, we came to this court to try and find the truth of what happened on that cold February day more than a year ago, and to see justice done.

“Although it is true that with Tony Holland being found guilty of murder and sentenced after examination of the evidence that there is some measure of justice as far as English law is concerned, we are no nearer to finding out what actually happened and, even more particularly, neither do we know what he has done with Daniel.

“Therefore, for us, there cannot be closure and the agony continues; for this man has not only destroyed a wonderful person and taken the life of a loving son, brother, partner and father of two small children, he has sentenced us to a lifetime of uncertainty and questions.

“Questions that we ask now and questions his children will continue to ask for many years as they grow older.

“He, the perpetrator, will serve his time in the comfort of prison and be released but for us there is no release and no end, only the agony of loss for a lifetime made unspeakably worse by the fact that we have been unable to say goodbye to our loved one, nor to give him the dignity of burial and the respect of a funeral.

“We extend our sympathy to the family of William O’Connor and our grateful thanks to the police for their painstaking work in this difficult case, but we also take this opportunity to make a heartfelt appeal to those persons who know to tell us where Daniel is, so that we may come and take him away to grieve over and to bury.

“Please, for our sakes and the sake of his two children, tell us where Danny is.”

Conviction Of Tony Holland - Murder Of Daniel Hathaway - 04-05-2008

STATEMENT FROM DETECTIVE CHIEF INSPECTOR KATIE ELLIOTT Detective Chief Inspector Katie Elliott, who led the investigation into the disappearance of Danny Hathaway, commented at the end of the trial, which found Tony Holland guilty of murder: "We are pleased to see Tony Holland found guilty for the murder of Danny Hathaway today. It's a good result at the end of an investigation that was made all the more complex because Danny's body has never been found. "When Danny was first reported missing it seemed almost certain that he had come to harm - his family meant everything to him and we believed he would never willingly leave them in the way he did. "In a very short while, we were treating the enquiry as a murder investigation with Tony Holland as the main suspect. "Tony Holland came into the investigation at a very early stage and within a week, we had arrested him on suspicion of murder. There was not enough evidence to charge him at this stage but we seized a large amount of material that continued to subject to forensic examination and that eventually incriminated Holland. "Holland remained our main suspect and we worked hard to gather significant evidence of his involvement in Danny's murder. "In April 2007 he was arrested again. At this stage the Crown Prosecution Service were not satisfied that there was sufficient evidence to charge him with murder. "It was only after Tony Holland was arrested for the murder of William O'Connor by Suffolk Police that similarities between that case and the murder of Danny Hathaway, became clear. The successful prosecution of Holland for both murders is a tribute to the good work and co-operation of the Police Forces and Crown Prosecution Services in Northamptonshire and Suffolk. "Without Danny's body, we had to prove that he was no longer alive, and continue our search for him, rather than simply being able to focus on proving that Tony Holland had killed him. "Today's verdict is testament to over 12 months of dedicated and meticulous investigation by my team and I would like to thank them for that. It also demonstrates the successful joint working between Northamptonshire and Suffolk Police and the Crown Prosecution Service. "But for all the officers involved in this investigation, and particularly for Danny's family, this investigation will never be over until we know where Danny's body is and I will continue to appeal for anyone who knows where he is to help us find him so that his family can bury him and achieve some sort of peace." Facts and Figures During the investigation into the murder of Danny Hathaway, Northamptonshire Police: · Gathered 888 exhibits · Undertook 1598 investigative tasks · Took 746 statements · Logged details of 526 vehicles · Recorded 526 reports from officers STATEMENT FROM DANIEL'S FATHER KENNETH HATHAWAY "As the family of Daniel Hathaway, we came to this court to try and find the truth of what happened on that cold February day more than a year ago, and to see justice done. "Although it is true that with Tony Holland being found guilty of murder and sentenced after examination of the evidence that there is some measure of justice as far as English law is concerned, we are no nearer to finding out what actually happened and, even more particularly, neither do we know what he has done with Daniel. "Therefore, for us, there cannot be closure and the agony continues; for this man has not only destroyed a wonderful person and taken the life of a loving son, brother, partner and father of two small children, he has sentenced us to a lifetime of uncertainty and questions. "Questions that we ask now and questions his children will continue to ask for many years as they grow older. "He, the perpetrator, will serve his time in the comfort of prison and be released but for us there is no release and no end, only the agony of loss for a lifetime made unspeakably worse by the fact that we have been unable to say goodbye to our loved one, nor to give him the dignity of burial and the respect of a funeral. "We extend our sympathy to the family of William O'Connor and our grateful thanks to the police for their painstaking work in this difficult case, but we also take this opportunity to make a heartfelt appeal to those persons who know to tell us where Daniel is, so that we may come and take him away to grieve over and to bury. "Please, for our sakes and the sake of his two children, tell us where Danny is."

Double murderer jailed for life

A man who murdered a traveller and then killed another man while out on police bail has been jailed for life.

Tony Holland, 23, murdered Danny Hathaway, 44, of Corby, Northamptonshire, in February 2007. Mr Hathaway's body has not been found.

Holland, of Desborough, Northants, was also convicted of fatally stabbing Bill O'Connor, 20, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in April 2007.

He must serve a minimum of 35 years Ipswich Crown Court ruled.

Children's questions

Mr O'Connor was killed after Holland was bailed following his arrest on suspicion of Mr Hathaway's murder, the court heard.

The jury unanimously convicted Holland of Mr O'Connor's murder and found him guilty of Mr Hathaway's murder by a majority verdict.

In a statement Mr Hathaway's father appealed to those who know where his son's body is to come forward, so he can be found and have the "dignity of burial and the respect of a funeral".

"Please, for our sakes and the sake of his two children, tell us where Danny is," Kenneth Hathaway said.

He went on to accuse Holland of "sentencing us to a lifetime of uncertainty and questions".

"Questions that we ask now and questions his children will continue to ask for many years as they grow older", he said.

Det Ch Insp Katie Elliott, of Northamptonshire Police, said there had not been enough evidence to charge Holland when he was first arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Hathaway.

She said the investigation would continue until Mr Hathaway's body is found.

In a statement Mr O'Connor's family described Holland as "callous".

It read: "The actions of one callous man has changed so many lives. He has killed a part of all of us."

Outside court, Det Ch Insp David Skevington, of Suffolk Police, said the latest forensic techniques, mobile phone technology and automatic number plate recognition systems helped to identify and track Holland, and provide evidence to bring him to justice.