Parents of murdered Ormskirk woman Claire O’Connor remember the last time they saw their daughter

Jan 19 2012 by Tom Duffy, Ormskirk Advertiser

THE heartbroken parents of Ormskirk murder victim Claire O'Connor have paid tribute to their daughter.

Police discovered Claire's body in a parked Ford Focus on January 2, in Nuneaton, and have charged her partner, Aaron Daniel Mann, with the murder.

Warwickshire Police confirmed the 38-year-old mum, who once attended Ormskirk Grammar , had suffered a “trauma” to her neck.

Pat and Graham Griffiths, who retired to the Costa Blanca in 2001, spent Boxing Day with their daughter and her 20-year-old son, Daniel, at Claire's Nuneaton home.

The couple, who returned to Spain afterwards, received a telephone call fromDaniel on January 2, when he said his mum was missing and that the police were involved.

When the police later confirmed to Graham that Claire's body had been found, the couple travelled back to Britain.

The grieving couple spoke to the Advertiser earlier this week, paying tribute to their daughter and remembering her happy childhood on Brook Lane in the 1970s. Fighting back the tears, Pat said: “No one should have to die like this.

“It makes no sense at all. It is just very, very hard to deal with.

“We loved Claire very much.

“We spent Boxing Day with her and our grandson Daniel. We just had a cup of tea and a snack with Claire, who had been feeling a little down in the months leading up to Christmas.”

The Griffiths family, who once lived opposite Ormskirk cricket club, moved to Nuneaton in 1989 due to Graham's job. Claire, who was the youngest of three children, remained in the area after her parents retired to Spain. Claire's marriage ended in divorce, and the single mum, who worked as a logistics supervisor for CEVA, began a relationship with Mann a couple of years ago.

Graham said: “Claire was always a very independent person, and very sociable. She was an adult with her own life.

“We were planning on visiting Claire later this year. I was going to do some work to her home, and we both wanted to give her a little more support.”

A spokesman for Warwickshire Police said: “Thirty-one year old Aaron Daniel Mann, of Church Road, Nuneaton, has been further remanded in custody after appearing at Coventry Crown Court on Monday, January 9, charged with the murder of 38-year old Claire O’Connor, of the same address.

“Mann is next scheduled to appear at Crown Court on April 12.”

Claire’s funeral will take place on January 27, at Nuneaton Crematorium, at 1.30pm. Funeral directors MG Evans and Son can be contacted on 01827 713 240.