Gary Allen found guilty of murdering two women more than 20 years apart after being cleared of first killing in 2000

A man has been found guilty of murdering two women in Yorkshire 21 years apart.

Gary Allen, 47, has been found guilty at Sheffield Crown Court of the murders of two women, Samantha Class and Alena Gralakova.

Police forces around the UK will now be asked to check on unsolved cases to make sure Allen – who has professed a deep-seated hatred for women, and sex workers in particular – has not committed any further offences.

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Allen confessed to undercover cop

Allen was told by the judge, Mr Justice Goose, to prepare for a life sentence, when he is sentenced on Wednesday next week (23 June).

Allen murdered Samantha Class, who was aged 29 at the time, in Hull in 1997.

She was a sex worker at the time, and a jury heard how Allen strangled her, stamped on her and ran her over with his car, before dumping her body in the River Humber.

Her body was discovered the next day by a group of children.

Allen murdered 38-year-old Alena Grakova after she had visited him at his home on Boxing Day 2018. Her body was found naked in a stream in Rotherham in April 2019.

A jury found Allen guilty following two days of deliberation and after an eight-week trial, in which they heard that Allen had described his dislike for sex workers and women generally to a parole worker, and confessed to one of the killings to an undercover police officer.

Allen had previously been acquitted of Ms Class’ murder following a trial in 2000, but this decision was overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2019 following the presentation of new evidence.

He was jailed in 2000 after attacking two sex workers in Plymouth in separate incidents.

‘Operation Misty’

Allen’s conviction was the product of more than 20 years of police investigative work, including a two-year undercover operation.

Under the name Operation Misty, Humberside Police used a total of seven undercover officers to create a world around Gary Allen, after he was released from prison in 2010.

Officers were tasked with befriending Gary Allen, who is described as a loner by investigating officers.

Detective Chief Inspector Christine Calvert, who led the recent investigation for Humberside Police, said the force was determined to catch Allen because of the “risk he posed to the public”.

She said: “It was just getting justice, really, for the family. Samantha’s daughter was only 10 when it happened.

“All three of Samantha’s children have grown up without a mother and it was getting that justice for them, really.”

The detective added: “It’s a fantastic result.

“We’ve worked really hard over the last two years to try and bring Gary Allen to justice. He deserves to be brought to justice and he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.

“I think he’s a very dangerous man, especially to women. He’s got a deep-seated hatred of particularly sex workers.”

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