Convicted Lynn murderer back behind bars after licence breach

By Kate Scotter

March 5, 2010

A Norfolk man who was convicted of murder is back in jail after a knifepoint stand-off.

Shaun Thrower had been released on licence from Hollesley Bay open prison after serving 11 years of a life sentence for stabbing 17-year-old Amanda Wagg through the heart on March 23, 1994.

He had lived in Fairstead Estate, King's Lynn, at the time of the incident.

Now, he has been put back in prison after a two-hour siege with police. Police were said to have been called to Cemetery Road in Ipswich by Thrower who was on a window ledge holding a knife with a seven-inch blade, a retractable knife and a wooden block holding other kitchen knives. It is understood he was threatening to harm himself.

Trained negotiators, with armed police for back-up, spent two hours trying to talk Thrower into giving himself up during the tense stand-off. When he eventually did so he was arrested and taken to Ipswich police station.

The incident occurred between 10.45pm on February 25 and 12.40am last Friday.

Thrower appeared before Ipswich magistrates charged with three counts of having a bladed article and was given a six-month prison term.

However, an application was also made to revoke the licence he was on following his release from jail in March 2006.

The application was approved and Thrower's licence was revoked. He is now back in prison serving his life sentence for Miss Wagg's murder.

The teenager was knifed to death at the Woolworth's store where she worked in King's Lynn after dumping Thrower. She was about to move in with her aunt in Wiltshire to get away from him following their tempestuous three-year relationship, which was punctuated by break-ups and violence.

Thrower had reportedly said if he could not have Miss Wagg then no one would.

He had visited her at work and on his final visit, Thrower, who now lives in Ipswich, grabbed Miss Wagg around the neck and stabbed her in the heart with a commando knife he had just bought from another shop.

He fled, but later gave himself up to police.

Thrower was convicted of murder on March 22, 1995, at Norwich Crown Court.

Shaun Thrower was a post man working in Kings Lynn in Norfolk. He was 23 years old and obsessed with weapons. He idolised Arnold Schwarzenegger and had even been given the nickname Arnie. In February 1994 he split up with his girlfriend Amanda Wagg. She had ended their relationship which had been punctuated by violence, just a month before she died.

Shaun Thrower had turned up at her house in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, and the police had to be called. He threatened her in phone calls and Amanda was so upset that she went to stay with relatives in Warminster, Wiltshire. While she was away Thrower phoned her father and 'uttered the threat that he was going to get her'.

When Amanda returned 11 days later she gave in her notice at the local Woolworths, intending to live with her aunt and uncle in Warminster. Thrower still pestered her and was seen near her house several times.

On March 23 last year he went to the store twice. After talking to her for 15 minutes he went to a shop and bought a knife described as a camouflage Special Forces knife, the court was told. He returned and spent 45 minutes talking to Amanda. A colleague heard her say: 'I am not going to change my mind.'

Witnesses heard a bang and dialled 999 as Amanda was dragged away to her death. Shaun Thrower dragged 17-year-old Amanda Wagg from where she had been serving customers and plunged a knife into her back so hard it came out at the front of her body. As he fled through the shop, staff followed a trail of blood up the back stairs and found Amanda lying in a pool of blood outside the rest room. Thrower told police Amanda had been 'blowing hot and cold' over the relationship and he could not handle it.

Prosecutor Jeremy Gompertz said: 'He was jealous and took the attitude that if he couldn't have her, nobody else would.'

He was tried for the murder at Norfolk Crown Court and found guilty. He was duly sentenced to life imprisonment. 

Real-Crime.co.uk