SWNS
Parents of British woman murdered in France 30 years ago say “Bring back the guillotine”
The parents of a British woman murdered in France more than 30 years ago have said they wish the guillotine would be brought back for the ‘evil’ couple responsible. 20-year-old Joanna Parrish was working as a teacher’s assistant at a school in France when she placed an ad in a local newspaper offering English lessons. Michel Fourniret, dubbed the ‘Beast of the Ardennes’ and considered one of France’s worst serial killers, responded to the ad in May 1990 and the pair met. Joanna, of Newnham-on-Severn, Glos, was never seen alive again and her body was found the next day in the River Yonne near Auxerre, France. Fourniret admitted to killing 11 women, including Joanna, but died before he could stand trial in 2021. He was serving a life sentence at the time for murdering seven girls and young women, and died in 2021. But his ex-wife Monique Olivier, now 75, was given a second life sentence this week for her role in the murders. Joanna’s parents said they felt some ‘relief’ after the verdict but felt nothing but hatred towards her killers. Her mother, Pauline Murrell, said: “It really wasn’t necessary for the other girls to die. I wish they were still hanged, actually… I thought the guillotine would be ideal. “I kept looking at him like that (Olivier) and thinking. I would kill you with the guillotine and I would sit there with my knitting and watch.” Olivier was charged with complicity in the murder of Joanna and complicity in the murder of 18-year-old Marie-Angèle Domèce in 1988. The couple, accused of the kidnapping of nine-year-old Estelle Mouzin, whose body was never found, Fourniret’ “Although he wasn’t alive to be held responsible for their daughter’s murder, they were relieved he couldn’t hurt anyone anymore. Pauline added: “I guess what I mainly feel is, thank God, he’s not around to kill anyone else. “She won’t be around, but I can’t help thinking: If the police, the gens d’armes, had done their job properly to begin with, then many other girls would still be alive.” – Because he would be caught. “But I don’t know why they didn’t catch it, they were completely underwhelmed. That’s my real feeling; it wasn’t necessary.” Dad Roger Parrish added: “I think I would have liked to face him in court but I honestly don’t think it would have made any difference to him either, knowing the kind of person he was he was a psychopath… a completely narcissistic psychopath who only thought about himself. “I would have liked to have been there when he was alive. But she is dead now and the world is a better place for it.” Before the jury left to consider their verdict, Olivier said: “I regret everything I have done and I ask for forgiveness from the families of the victims, knowing that it is inexcusable.” She is already serving a life sentence for her involvement in her husband’s other murders The defendant, who was serving a prison sentence, was found guilty and sentenced to a second life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years. The couple said they had been fighting for justice for decades and would continue no matter how long it took. Mr Parrish added: “It was clear from the beginning how long this would take.” We were determined that it would continue. Of course, we never thought it would actually take 33 years, and there were periods before Fourniret, maybe in the 1990s.” “I think our strongest feeling right now is the relief of the verdict and the fact that the jurors and the court have recognized Monique Olivier’s major role in our daughter’s murder.” The couple said it was the biggest crime they had faced in years. He said the obstacle was the lack of help and information from French officials. Mr Parrish added: “The hardest part was convincing the French authorities that we would never leave, we would never leave. “It didn’t make any difference. We’d still keep fighting, you know, we’d still keep fighting. “We tried to move on with our lives and I think we both did that. We both have certain interests and tastes, and of course now that we have grandchildren, they are a very, very big part of our lives. “If we had to dedicate some of our time to continuing this fight, we would do it.” In his official statement released after the verdict, Mr. Parrish said they were “pleased that the court recognized Monique Olivier’s role in the case.” the murder of our daughter and sister.” He added: “We had no doubt that Jo’s presence played an important role in gaining Jo’s trust and his active involvement in the murder was proven beyond any reasonable doubt. “We hope that after this last hurdle we can now remember our daughter and sister, the way all her friends remember her, with a smile on our face. “This is how we will go on holiday after Christmas. This is an extremely personal moment for our family and we ask for our privacy to be respected at this time.” And they said they wanted to remember their daughter for her kind and bright personality. Mr Parrish said: “I want her to be remembered as the person she was. From our friends, from her primary school, her primary school, her university “We have received numerous letters, emails and comments from people who were his neighbours. Those who just knew him all say very, very similar things. He was kind, helpful, hard-working and very conscientious. “We never had to force him to go to work, he would just do it and we And that’s how we’ll continue to remember him.” Pauline added: “And his smile. I look at the sun and the sun actually reminds me of Jo. I think about him all the time. Other people in the village said the same thing: smile and look at the sun and there is Jo”