Man guilty of rape and murder of missing woman Patricia Henry
- Published
Patricia Henry was last seen in November 2017 but her body has never been found
A man has been found guilty of the rape and murder of a missing woman whose body has never been found.
George Metcalff, 71, killed Patricia Henry, 46, at her flat in Girvan, South Ayrshire, in November 2017.
He was also found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice. He denied all the charges.
Metcalff was the last person to see Ms Henry alive - and also financed and arranged her move from Paisley just weeks before she disappeared.
Days later he used a hire van to collect a bed frame and mattress from her house in the early hours, a move which police believe was a ruse to dispose of her body.
Metcalff was also found guilty of raping and physically assaulting two other women between 1971 and 2004.
Judge Lord Armstrong said he was convicted of a "series of the utmost offences", before putting him on the sex offenders register.
'Tell us where she is'
In a victim impact statement read to the court following the verdict, Ms Henry's daughter Alannah said: "Give me and my family the closure we need. Tell us where she is.
"I need somewhere to visit my mum and my gran needs somewhere to visit her daughter.
"You took her away from us and I will never be able to forgive you."
During the trial, Ms Henry's family and friends highlighted a number of concerns about the pair's relationship.
Detectives also uncovered a pattern of behaviour dating back to 1971 which indicated that Metcalff was a serial sexual predator.
George Metcalff was urged to tell Ms Henry's family where he had hidden her body
The jury heard how Ms Henry, who was also known as Patti, was a vulnerable woman who had issues with alcohol and came to depend on Metcalff, a man who was more than 20 years her senior.
They met when he stayed in the flat below her in Paisley, Renfrewshire, and briefly lived together for a few months after her windows were damaged in a dispute with neighbours.
Metcalff told the trial he helped Ms Henry move to Girvan, more than 50 miles away, shortly before she disappeared because her cats and his dogs were not getting along.
He became her guarantor and paid £700 for the deposit and the first month's rent on her house in the belief he would be paid back from her benefits. Metcalff later told detectives she owed him up to £1,700.
Police said Metcalff had exerted "coercive control" over Ms Henry, who became dependent on him for money and lifts.
Her mother Anne Henry told the court that she last saw her daughter at Metcalff's home in August 2017.
'Worn' and 'broken'
"I couldn't really speak because Mr Metcalff stood at the door like a sentry saying nothing," she said.
"She was very distressed, she could barely lift her head and was crying continuously."
She said her daughter looked "worn" and "broken" and described Metcalff as "a force that took over - not a good force."
Patricia Henry's daughter, 21-year-old Alannah McGrory, last saw her mother at her new flat in Girvan in October 2017, the month before she vanished.
Around this time, she received a WhatsApp message from Ms Henry in which she said Metcalff had tried to kill her.
Ms McGrory also claimed the last time she heard from her mother she was "crying like she hadn't before" down the phone.
Patricia Henry's daughter Alannah took part in a police appeal six months after her mother was last seen alive
One of Ms Henry's friends said she told him she had been raped and sexually assaulted by Metcalff.
And her new neighbour in Girvan, Walter Douglas, said she turned up at his front door "hysterical" in November 2017 and used his phone to make an emergency call. That was the last time he ever saw her.
Patricia was not reported missing until 10 January 2018 - almost two months after she was last seen alive.
But the trial heard detectives did not launch an inquiry as the mother-of-one had previously extended a holiday in Gran Canaria.
In March 2018 she was reported missing by another relative and the case was passed to Police Scotland's Major Investigation Team.
Ms Henry's daughter Alannah went to the house in Girvan to get some of Ms Henry's belongings for a DNA sample.
But she said Metcalff told her that he had put everything, except some photos, in a skip.
Ms Henry moved to a new flat in Kirkwood Place, Girvan, in 2017
Police were able to establish that Ms Henry was last seen alive on 12 November 2017, and that the final message was sent from her phone at 03:00 the following day.
Metcalff ceased constant phone contact with her after 13 November, despite the pair making 143 calls and exchanging 54 texts that month.
Meanwhile, detectives trawled back through Metcalff's life and uncovered a pattern of physical and sexual violence towards women.
One witness told the jury she was raped and beaten "two or three times a week" by him during a period between 1971 and 1981.
Metcalff was arrested on 17 July, 2019.
During the trial, Ms Henry's stepmother, Catherine Henry, said her daughter called her in 2008 and claimed she had been raped by Metcalff.
Catherine Henry went to his flat and found her lying under covers on a couch in the living room.
She said Metcalff did not react to the allegation and had said it was consensual.
Ms Henry and Metcalff had known each other for about10 years and lived in the same block of flats in Paisley before she moved to Girvan
Ms Henry also made a separate allegation that Metcalff had touched her inappropriately while she was asleep.
Giving evidence during the trial, Metcalff denied having anything to do with her disappearance.
Asked why he kept doing things for her, despite the allegations, he replied: "I felt sorry for her".
Det Supt Suzanne Chow said Metcalff had preyed on Ms Henry's vulnerabilities and praised the role his "courageous" former partners played in the investigation.
She urged Metcalff to "do the decent thing" and tell Ms Henry's family where her body was hidden.
Metcalff was remanded in custody pending background reports for sentencing next month.