Shaun Thrower

Case summary

Shaun Thrower was convicted of the murder of 17-year-old Amanda Wagg and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released on licence in March 2006, but he later returned to prison after a knifepoint stand-off.

Thrower lived in Fairstead Estate, King’s Lynn, at the time of the murder. At the time of the licence breach in 2010, he lived in Ipswich. He was 23 years old and obsessed with weapons. He idolised Arnold Schwarzenegger and had been given the nickname “Arnie”.

Background

In February 1994, Thrower split up with his girlfriend Amanda Wagg. Their relationship had been punctuated by violence. A month before she died, Amanda had ended their relationship. After the split, Thrower turned up at her house in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, and police had to be called. Thrower threatened Amanda in phone calls, and Amanda was so upset that she went to stay with relatives in Warminster, Wiltshire.

While Amanda 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 continued to pester Amanda and was seen near her house several times. The relationship had been described as a tempestuous three-year relationship, with break-ups and violence.

The offence

On March 23, Thrower went to the Woolworth’s store in King’s Lynn twice. After talking to Amanda for 15 minutes, he went to a shop and bought a knife described as a camouflage Special Forces knife, which the court was told he had just bought from another shop. He returned and spent 45 minutes talking to Amanda.

A colleague heard Amanda say: “I am not going to change my mind.”

Witnesses heard a bang and dialled 999 as Amanda was dragged away. 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. 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 later told police that Amanda had been “blowing hot and cold” over the relationship and that he could not handle it. It was also said that Thrower had been jealous and took the attitude that “if he couldn't have her, nobody else would.”

Before the murder, Thrower was described as having told someone: “if he could not have Miss Wagg then no one would.”

Investigation

After staff found Amanda lying in a pool of blood outside the rest room, police were called following witnesses dialling 999 after the bang.

Trial

Thrower was tried for the murder at Norfolk Crown Court.

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

A court found Thrower guilty of murder.

Sentencing

Shaun Thrower was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was convicted on March 22, 1995, at Norwich Crown Court and was duly sentenced to life imprisonment.

Appeals

No appeal information was included in the provided material.

Outcome

Thrower was released on licence from Hollesley Bay open prison after serving 11 years of his life sentence. His licence was later revoked after a knifepoint stand-off.

Aftermath

2010 licence breach and stand-off

On February 25, between 10.45pm and 12.40am the following period, Thrower was involved in an incident in Ipswich. Police were called to Cemetery Road in Ipswich after Thrower 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 was understood that 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 stand-off. When he eventually did so, he was arrested and taken to Ipswich police station.

Thrower appeared before Ipswich magistrates charged with three counts of having a bladed article and was given a six-month prison term. 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 was returned to prison, serving his life sentence for Amanda Wagg’s murder.

People

• Shaun Thrower — convicted of murder; defendant; later returned to prison after a licence breach.
• Amanda Wagg — victim; 17-year-old murdered at the Woolworth’s store where she worked in King’s Lynn.
• Jeremy Gompertz — prosecutor.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger — idolised by Thrower; associated nickname “Arnie”.
• Thrower’s girlfriend Amanda Wagg’s father — received a phone call in which Thrower “uttered the threat that he was going to get her”.
• Thrower’s aunt and uncle — relatives in Warminster whom Amanda intended to live with after giving notice at the Woolworths.

Other details

• Amanda Wagg intended to get away from Thrower and live with her aunt in Wiltshire (Warminster).
• After the relationship, the Woolworths murder occurred in King’s Lynn at the store where Amanda worked.
• The stand-off leading to the licence revocation involved Cemetery Road in Ipswich.