Plea by 'crossbow cannibal' victim's father

The father of Shelley Armitage, who was murdered by "crossbow cannibal" Stephen Griffiths, has said he cannot rest until he finds out what happened to her body.

Daryl Armitage has been told by his solicitor that Griffiths is continuing to refuse food in Wakefield Prison.

He fears the murderer will die before revealing where his daughter's remains are hidden and Mr Armitage wants the chance to visit Griffiths in prison to ask him himself.

     "crossbow Canibal"

Griffiths, 41, was jailed for life in December after he admitted murdering Ms Armitage, Susan Rushworth and Suzanne Blamires.

Mr Armitage said he was tormented by the thought that only two parts of his daughter's body had been recovered from the River Aire in West Yorkshire.

He told the BBC he still thinks his daughter's body parts are in the river.

"crossbow canibal victim" 

He said: "I do feel there's not long left for him to live and I do not believe this human rights carry-on, where he's saying he's got the right to die. We have human rights, what do we have to say about it? Why can't he be kept alive just to give us our answers."                                                                  

Mr Armitage, who regularly visits the spot on the banks of the river where his daughter's remains were found, continued: "I can't rest until I know exactly what he's done. I need to know more about what happened to Shelley.

"If I don't find out it'll be preying on me for the rest of my life. I can't buy a grave because I've only got two pieces of Shelley. What happens if something else turns up? I can't move on from here."

He said until he was given the chance to visit Griffiths he was stuck with "nowhere to turn".

Griffiths was jailed for life and given a whole life tariff by a judge at Leeds Crown Court who heard shocking details of how he killed, dismembered and even ate parts of his victims at his flat near the centre of Bradford.

After arriving on remand at Wakefield Prison - home to some of Britain's most notorious killers - he was treated for a number of "self harm" incidents.

The dismembered body of Miss Blamires was found in the River Aire at Shipley, West Yorkshire, along with a small part of Miss Armitage. Miss Rushworth's body has not been found.

Source: Joe Sinclair, PA