‘So I strangled her and dumped her in the Humber’
A double murderer who evaded justice for nearly 25 years is now facing two life sentences after being caught confessing in a police undercover operation.
Gary Allen, 47, was today convicted of the murders of Hull woman Samantha Class, and Alena Grlakova in Rotherham, after a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.
Allen had previously stood trial for the murder of Ms Class in 2000 but was acquitted. He went on to murder Ms Grlakova in Rotherham in 2018.
His conviction for Ms Class’s murder at the second time of asking is the first “double jeopardy” murder conviction in the history of Humberside Police, following a change in the law which allows defendants to be tried twice for the same crime.
VICTIM: Samantha Class
Following the trial, police released a recording of Allen confessing to Ms Class’s killing, which was obtained in an undercover operation.
It formed a crucial and damning new piece of evidence against Allen, and led to his previous acquittal being overturned at the Court of Appeal.
In the recording, Allen is heard casually and callously boasting about the attack. He begins by saying: “Well, I’ll tell you the truth, but you’re probably not gonna wanna know me afterwards.”
Then after describing the circumstances leading up to the killing, he says: “So I killed her and I dumped her in the Humber.”
You can hear the recording here:
Ms Class’s body was found on the banks of the Humber in October 1997. Allen was charged with her murder the following year.
He had been identified as a suspect after being pulled over for an unrelated driving offence. Once his fingerprints and DNA were taken, the system soon alerted police that Allen was connected to a much more serious offence.
His arrest came after a year of painstaking investigative work to try to identify the killer.
As part of this original investigation, police spoke to 6,806 people, took 3,500 statements, and followed 7,214 lines of inquiry. There were in total also 1,009 officer reports and 18,000 documents produced.
There was also a mass DNA screening, where about 2,000 men over the age of 16 had their DNA taken and checked against the profile found on the body.
The force describes it as “a truly meticulous investigation that left no stone unturned”.
EVIDENCE: A boot found by police during the original Samantha Class murder investigation
Several cold case reviews followed, with the breakthrough coming with Allen’s confession as part of a two-year undercover operation, police said.
He was subsequently charged with both murders and put on trial.
In a statement after the trial, Detective Chief Inspector Christine Calvert, senior investigating officer, said: “We are very pleased that the court has found Allen guilty today of the heinous crime of the murder of Samantha Class.
“I first want to pay my respects to the family and friends of Samantha. Samantha left behind young children when she had her life snatched from her and we should remember that they have grown up without their mother and have waited a long time to see justice done.
“I hope that this result can now begin the healing process properly and brings them some comfort.
‘I HOPE THIS GIVES THE FAMILY SOME COMFORT’: DCI Christine Calvert
“I also want to pay tribute to the dedication and fortitude of the teams here at Humberside, past and present; our partners in the Crown Prosecution Service who prosecuted this case; our colleagues in South Yorkshire Police, who we’ve worked very closely with for the past two years; the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Serious Crime Analysis Section; NCA Major Crime Investigative Support team; national SIO advisor, and many others involved who have contributed at every level to bringing Allen to justice.
“This case has been unlike any other in Humberside, in that it is our first ever double jeopardy case, but in that it is also one of the UK’s first where an undercover operation has provided the pivotal evidence to the case being reopened and retried.
“We are incredibly proud of all of the work that has gone into making this possible so that Samantha’s family could finally see justice.
DANGEROUS: Gary Allen, then and now
“It is clear how dangerous Gary Allen is, particularly to women, which is why he is now exactly where he belongs, in prison.”
She added: “Perpetrators have nowhere to hide, even after all this time. We will relentlessly pursue offenders using every proper means at our disposal, but most importantly using determination, professionalism and our duty to ensure victims and their families remain the highest priority for us.”
Allen will be sentenced on June 23.