A man convicted of killing a woman in Islington 49 years ago after a cold case review by Met detectives has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.
A jury found John Apelgren, 80 (08.04.43), of Bryden Close, SE26, guilty of killing 22-year-old Eileen Cotter, who was found strangled by a block of garages in Finsbury Park on the afternoon of 1 June 1974.
He was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 23 June.
A murder investigation was immediately launched in 1974, but despite lengthy and thorough enquiries, her murderer could not be identified.
As science develops, unsolved cases are subject to periodic review to see if new techniques can assist in identifying those responsible. This process developed DNA from the original exhibits and a DNA hit in 2019 was the breakthrough needed to bring Apelgren to justice.
Detective Chief Inspector Laurence Smith, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “This case demonstrates the Met’s deep commitment to solving any act of violence against women and girls, no matter the length of time that has passed.
“The expertise of our forensic department and the detailed work of my homicide detectives has resulted in a conviction almost half a century after Eileen was killed.
“John Apelgren has finally been brought to justice for his crimes.”
The key to solving the case was the arrest of Aplegren in February 2019 for a domestic assault. After admitting this offence, his DNA was found to match samples recovered from Eileen’s body decades before.
Eileen, who lived in North London had been a sex worker at the time of her death and various DNA samples had been recovered from her body. Detectives worked closely with forensic scientists to prove that the location of the DNA evidence on Eileen’s body pointed to a timeline of events which meant only Apelgren could have been the killer.
This was complex work and on 22 June 2022, Apelgren was arrested and charged with Eileen’s murder. He was also charged with the indecent assault of another woman in 1972.
He appeared at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on 23 June 2022 where he was remanded into custody.
The prosecution argued that Apelgren had sex with Eileen before he killed her and then left her partially undressed in a garage courtyard behind Hamilton Park, N5.
In police interview, Apelgren said at the time of the murder he was living in Leyton, He denied having been to the Hamilton Park garages, said he did not know or recognise Eileen and claimed he never went to the general Finsbury Park area. He later conceded he did have sex with Eileen but did not kill her.
On Friday, 16 June, Apelgren was found guilty of the manslaughter of Eilieen Cotter and the indecent assault of an 18-year-old woman at his own wedding in 1972. The woman told police about this when she was spoken to during the investigation into Eileen’s death – she had never disclosed it to anyone before then.
Apelgren was also sentenced to six months for indecent assault, to run consecutively.
Statement of Patrick Cotter
On 1st June 1974, my sister Eileen Cotter was murdered. I was 5 years old at the time.
The impact the death of my sister had on my life is almost indescribable, but I will try to put it into words.
Eileen and I shared the same father, but Eileen’s mother had passed away, therefore my mother cared for her.
No one in my family ever spoke to me about my sister’s murder.
I have no memory of her funeral and I have no idea whether she was buried or cremated and no idea where she was laid to rest. As a result, I have never been able to visit her grave.
Following Eileen’s death, the relationship between my mother and father broke down significantly. Due to the fighting between them, I was placed in a care home, where I suffered abuse, until the age of about 11.
It was never explained to me why I was placed in care, and I lived most of my childhood believing it because of something I had done wrong.
Three years after Eileen’s murder, my mother committed suicide. Again being a young child, I struggled to understand, with little explanation given to me.
My father drank heavily, but Eileen’s murder and the suicide of my mother, caused him to drink even more and he was eventually admitted to Springfield Psychiatric Hospital. Following this, my father went to live with his brother in Ireland, however his drinking became too much and he also died.
I spent a very unhappy childhood moving amongst various care homes and foster homes, however when I was 14 years old, I was placed with my foster parents, John and Yvonne. I was very fortunate to be placed in a loving, caring home. They explained various aspects of my life that I did not know or understand, ‘filling in the gaps,’ so to speak.
I also had a half brother from my mother, who was 17 years older than me. However, when I was taken into care, he was told to avoid any contact with me. I felt as though I lost him as well. He was someone I was very fond of and have happy memories of, but this was also taken from me.
