Michel Fourniret: Joanna Parrish family 'pleased he is dead'

Joanna Parrish's body was found in a river in Auxerre in May 1990

The family of a student murdered by one of France's most notorious serial killers have said they are not sorry he has died.

Joanna Parrish, 20, from Newnham-on-Severn, Gloucestershire, was found dead in a river in Auxerre in 1990, having been abducted, raped and strangled.

Michel Fourniret confessed to the killing and was due to stand trial for her murder, but died on Monday aged 79.

Roger Parrish said: "We can't say that we are not pleased he is dead, we are."

He added: "A monster like that was going to be in prison for the rest of his life anyway, so it is hard to sum up our feelings, but he is gone and we're satisfied that he is."

Fourniret, who was serving two life sentences for murdering at least eight young women, died in the secure unit of a hospital in Paris.

Convicted of seven killings in 2008, he told French authorities in 2018 that he had also killed Joanna and a disabled woman from Auxerre, Marie-Angèle Domèce.

Joanna's father, Roger, said he regrets not being able to confront Fourniret in court

Speaking about Fourniret's death, Mr Parrish said: "It wasn't unexpected, we knew of his bad health. Now of course it has happened, the biggest thing that I regret is that it wasn't possible to confront him in a court of law.

"But we do know, and we have known for many years, that he was responsible for Joanna's murder."

He added: "There should have been some responsibility on the French authorities to bring him to trial before that [his death]."

Joanna's mother, Pauline Murrell, said: "I am pleased he is dead. I would like to say I hope he suffered, I know that isn't a very nice thing to say, but that is how I feel.

"As regards confronting him in court, I don't think if that had happened it would have made any difference to him whatsoever.

"We saw him...when he was tried last time and he just seemed proud of himself. I don't think he had any feelings of regret at all, and that would have hurt me far more to know that he was standing there laughing at us, saying he didn't care."

Joanna's mother Pauline Murrell has said she was pleased Fourniret was dead

Fourniret's wife, Monique Olivier, is also serving a life sentence for complicity in the murders.

Mr Parrish said she could be their last chance for seeing justice, but added it was currently unclear what she may be charged with.

"I just hope we don't have to wait too long," he said.