JUSTICE AT LAST
Killer Darren Osment snared by undercover cop after he murdered ex is jailed 11 years after she vanished from pub
Monster grew so close to secret cop he wanted him to be his best man
A KILLER snared by an undercover cop after he murdered his ex-girlfriend has been jailed - 11 years after she vanished from a pub.
Darren Osment, 41, slaughtered Claire Holland in Bristol in 2012 after a drunken row.
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He got away with his gruesome crimes for 11 years until he finally confessed in a mammoth undercover operation.
Osment has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years after being convicted of murder.
In a moving tribute, Claire's sister Sarah Holland said: "The pain of not having her in our lives is indescribable. We will forever miss her happy, warm, and fun personality. She loved her children wholeheartedly, and they will always love her.
"During the trial we have been sickened to hear how Claire's life was cruelly taken from us. Her death was totally senseless and completely unjustified. We have listened to weeks of painful evidence.
"Despite all this, we still do not know the full details of what happened to Claire. Her body has never been found.
"The person who took her life has continued to cause us agony. We continue to suffer because of this failure to tell us about Claire's final moments, and where she went.
"We have been denied this basic justice. Her death is indefensible. We have been haunted by our not being able to see her one final time. She deserves to be given a place to rest, where we can honour and respect her memory."
Bristol Crown Court heard how Osment and Claire had first got together in 2008 and had their first child two years later.
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But the killer accused the mum of continuing to drink through her pregnancy and the relationship soured.
They later split when the child was taken into care amid fears Osment would harm Claire in a drunken attack.
On June 6, 2012, Claire had been enjoying a night out with pals when she left to go and meet Osment after he finished work as a chef.
Tragically no trace of the mum has been found ever since.
Despite police trawling through more than 1,700 hours of CCTV from around Bristol, the case went cold.
Then, seven years later, police finally got a breakthrough when Osment phoned 999 saying he wanted the "monkey off my back" and that he'd "sort of" murdered his ex.
The monster added: "I know what happened.
"I just want this off my back. I feel very so f***ing bad. I have had it for years on my head and now."
He continued: "I've took the law in my own hands and you know she took my son away from me so I took that from her."
Cruelly though, Osment retracted his confession - meaning police found themselves back at square one.
It was decided an undercover police officer named Paddy O'Hara would be used in a plot so secretive, even the main investigations team were kept in the dark.
O'Hara moved into the same neighbourhood as Osment and conducted a dangerous 20 month operation to befriend then ultimately catch the killer.
During this time, more than 1,200 hours of audio and video footage were collected where Osment was recorded making 16 confessions.
Living just 300m away, O'Hara posed as a petty criminal to trick Osment into carrying out odd jobs for him.
The pair soon became pals - drinking together in pubs, playing pool and walking Osment's dog along the river.
Fake criminal schemes were also created so the undercover cop could recruit Osment in a bid to gain his trust.
The killer grew so close to the officer during the sting that he said if he were ever to get married, O'Hara would be his best man.
Initial attempts to get a confession were slow, with Osment refusing to say Claire's name and instead ranting about the "stupid b***h".
The huge operation eventually paid off though and he began to reveal details of his grisly crimes to O'Hara.
Osment told the cop he dreamed of Claire's face with her eyes pitch black with no pupils.
The brute also claimed others were responsible for the killing, saying: "Yeah because of what she did, f***ing c*** mate, f*** her.
"End of, f*** em, she ain't going to be seeing the light of day again, don't worry about that."
On one occasion, the pair were walking near Severn Beach when Osment tapped O'Hara on the shoulder and said about Claire having a "nice f***ing swimming lesson".
In June last year, Osment finally admitted he had "lured" the mum to the pub where he worked as a chef as it had no CCTV.
He told the officer he had "knife skills" due to chef training before making a swishing motion across his torso.
Osment added: "It’s all done and dusted, all the work, clothes burnt outside… As far as I am aware the bits and pieces are scattered.”
O’Hara responded: “You’re sharing the burden mate … it’s you and me against everything.”
This confession led to Osment's arrest and subsequent charge on August 2 last year.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a - available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
During the trial, Osment claimed he was just drunk and “trying to big myself up" when he admitted to murdering Claire.
But jurors saw through his web of lies and he was last week convicted of murder.
Darren Hannant, senior investigating officer, described Osment as a "violent misogynistic murderer".
He added: "Osment's continual refusal to be honest about what he did means we're still unable to provide clarity to Claire's family about what happened to her body after he killed her.
"I sincerely hope in time Osment does explain fully what he did because Claire's family and friends need to know. Sadly, knowing what we do about Osment, I find it hard to believe he is capable of doing the decent thing.
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"We can only hope the principles of Helen's Law will prevail, which ensures killers who do not disclose the location of the remains of any victim can have this used against them when it comes to applying for parole."
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