Evil wife killer who faked his own death denied early release from Wheatfield Prison

An evil wife killer who thought he could get away with murder is to remain locked up behind bars for a few more years, the Irish Mirror can reveal.

Colin Whelan, 52, has not been put on an early release programme or moved to an open prison even though he has served 20 years of a life sentence. It is understood it follows objections from his victim’s heart-broken family .

A prison source said: “Whelan is a model prisoner and has not caused any trouble behind bars. He has served 20 years for this callous crime but he won’t be getting out any time soon.

“He is not on any early release programme and is facing a few more years in custody. The Independent Parole Board will decide when he gets out but there is no sign of it happening any time soon. He could end up doing another four or five years.

“We understand the victim’s family are vehemently against it, especially since he is still relatively young. Normally, a fella like him would be in an open prison by now and allowed day releases but it has not happened.”

Whelan is currently being detained at Wheatfield Prison, where he has worked in the past as a chef.

The scheming computer analyst believed he had executed the “perfect” murder when he strangled his wife of only six months, Mary Gough, 27, from Stamullen, Co Meath, in 2001.

Colin Whelan

When Gardaí called to the couple’s home in Balbriggan, Co Dublin after he dialled 999, they found her body at the bottom of the stairs. He told detectives she fell and it was an accident.

But he then faked his own death, pretending it was suicide, and fled the country when he realised Gardaí were on his tail. His car and clothes were found near the cliffs at Howth Head.

The results of the post-mortem showed Mary, who worked in a solicitor’s office, had been strangled.

Whelan got a fake passport and did a runner to Majorca, where he worked in a bar under a false name, Cian Sweeney. But his luck ran out 14 months later when an Irish tourist recognised him in a bar while on holidays and reported the sighting to Gardaí.

The Spanish police were informed and within weeks, Whelan was arrested and extradited back to Ireland in July, 2004 and has remained behind bars ever since. He subsequently pleaded guilty at the trial the following year and admitted he was a “coward”, before apologising to Mary’s family.

It also emerged he was having an affair with another woman from Wales who he planned to move in with and had taken out a life insurance policy worth 400,000 euros on his wife’s life.

He had also done extensive online research about how to commit the perfect murder. Whelan and the Goughs were neighbours and he had known Mary for years before marrying her.

Mary was the only girl in her family and had five brothers. One of them, David, told the trial that Mary was beautiful, funny, intelligent, easy going and straight-talking.

He said the family would “never, ever, ever” forgive Whelan because he took a piece of each of them when he strangled Mary.

The Irish Prison Service said it does not comment on individual prisoners.

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