I was always fearful that he would be released. But he cannot hurt anyone anymore
AN ARMED robber who murdered a young hairdresser 17 years ago has died in prison, the M.E.N. can reveal.
Graham Spriggs, a drug addict with a string of convictions for violence, stabbed Rachel Yates eight times in a fit of jealous fury inside her flat in Altrincham in October 2000.
He was found hanged inside his prison cell at HMP Bristol.
Rachel’s mum Rosalind Wynne, 63, fought for more than a decade to keep Spriggs behind bars in the face of multiple parole board hear- ings which could have led to his release.
Speaking for the first time since her daughter’s death, she told the M.E.N.: “I was always fearful that one day he would be released and commit another horrendous crime, robbing another family of a beautiful young life. But he’s gone now – he cannot hurt anyone anymore. I could never forgive him for what he did. It devastated my life and changed the paths of my nearest and dearest.”
Details and confirmation for the first time of Spriggs’ death are contained in a new report published in the aftermath of an inquest held at Avon Coroners Court, in which a jury recorded a verdict of misadventure. He was found hanged in his cell and died days later in hospital, the report said.
Rachel’s body wasn’t found for three days.
The former Green Lane High School pupil, just 25, was starting to mould a bright, professional future, her mum said. Earning £400 a week, she was confident and attractive. Working as a top stylist at a plush salon in neighbouring Hale, Rachel had just bought her first flat and dreamed of running her own hairdressing business. Then she met Spriggs, from Sale, who had just finished serving a 10-year sentence for armed robbery at a jeweller’s shop. Speaking after he was jailed for life, Rachel’s mum told how she knew at once that he was ‘no good’ and refused ever to meet him. “Rachel could have had her pick of men, but what girl listens to her mum and dad about boyfriends,” she said in 2001, describing the situation as ‘every parent’s worst nightmare.’ Spriggs was said to have been driven by anger after Rachel told him their relationship was over. Spriggs, then aged 32, was arrested a day after Rachel’s body was found. He claimed he had no memory of the stabbing and denied a murder charge, but was convicted in 2001 by a jury after just three hours and jailed for life. Spriggs’ death in November 2016 was revealed in a report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman published last week after the conclusion of the inquest. He was 47 and described as a ‘challenging prisoner.’ Mrs Wynne said: “I am glad that I do not have to keep the fight up to keep him in prison and I do not really want to think about him anymore, because he is not worth it.” A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Every death in custody is a tragedy and our thoughts are with Graham Spriggs’ family and friends.”