'A monster took her away from me' says mum of murder victim Melissa Belshaw

The mum of murdered Melissa Belshaw told today of a feisty young woman who had had many trials in her life but was embarking on a new path when tragedy struck.
Melissa Belshaw pictured with mum Jean Mulvaney.Melissa Belshaw pictured with mum Jean Mulvaney.
Melissa Belshaw pictured with mum Jean Mulvaney.

Jean Mulvaney, a 57-year-old former depot worker who lives in Pemberton, Wigan said her daughter had had her problems in life but had been looking forward to a new chapter running a beauty salon which had been due to open just days after her savage death in May.

Melissa was born at Billinge Hospital - just yards from the home where she died - on February 7, 1988.

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Jean said: “She was a beautiful child with a beautiful soul. She was bright at school and was good at English, geography and history, but she had trouble concentrating and kept getting into trouble, the schools telling us she was naughty. It was only when she was 15 that she was diagnosed with ADHD.”

She attended St Andrew’s CE Primary in Springfield, Shevington High School and then went to St John Rigby College to gain qualifications aimed at getting her a career as a teaching assistant. But having got the grades and starting work, she didn’t take to to it and so embarked on a two-year hairdressing course at Skelmersdale College.

She gained those qualifications and then decided on another, slighter career change by wanting to specialise in beauty and hair extensions and so did another course in Russian eyelashes and hair extensions.

She never worked in a salon but people would come to her home to have their hair done and have beauty treatments. It was only shortly before she died that she was poised to open two shops in Wigan and Liverpool.

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Jean said: “She was going to open shops when that monster took her away from me.”

As far as the 32-year-old's personality was concerned, Jean said: “It was second to none, brilliant. She was a beautiful soul inside and out. She would do anything for anybody. She would give you her last penny.

"She couldn’t concentrate on anything for very long due to her ADHD but she was the life and soul of the party.

“But there were people who were jealous of her; jealous of her looks and her clothes and they made her life hell. Some were friends who turned against her.”

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She met Lee Drake when she was in her mid-teens and several years later they went on to have a daughter together.

The youngster was born with her bowels outside and it meant that she spent her first three years in hospital (firstly St Mary’s in Manchester then Booth Hall in Liverpool) with Melissa and Jean sharing living-in duties.

It was tough and Melissa had to learn how to feed and administer drugs to her daughter before she was finally allowed home after a 12-hour operation (involving 4,200 internal stitches) at the age of three.

Jean said: “Melissa doted on her daughter. She is not here now and I miss her so very much.”