How monster got away with murder for 11 years until he was snared by undercover cop neighbour he wanted as his best man

A MONSTER got away with murder for 11 years - until he was snared by an undercover cop neighbour who he wanted as his best man.

Darren Osment, 44, murdered Claire Holland, who vanished without a trace in Bristol in 2012, after a drunken row.

But the killer got away with his gruesome crimes for 11 years - despite telling police in 2019 he wanted to "hand himself in" for murder.

It was only when an undercover officer named Paddy O’Hara moved down the road from Osment that he finally faced justice.

The killer became so enamoured with his new pal, he eventually began to drop little crumbs of information that showed he was responsible for murdering Claire.

Ahead of his sentencing on Wednesday, Avon and Somerset Police revealed how the sting operation helped to finally convict Osment.

The horror unfolded back in 2008 when Claire and Osment got together after working in a cafe.

Their first child was born two years later but any short-lived happiness unravelled after Osment accused the mum of continuing to drink through her pregnancy.

After fearing the killer would harm her in a drunken attack, the baby was placed into care and the couple separated.

On the night of her murder, Claire was enjoying a night out with her friends when she left to go and meet Osment after he finished work as a chef.

No trace of the mum has been found since.

The case remained at a standstill despite police collecting more 1,700 hours of CCTV from around Bristol.

Then, seven years later, police finally got a breakthrough when Osment phoned 999 saying he wanted the "monkey off my back" and that he'd "sort of" murdered his ex.

The monster added: "I know what happened.

"I just want this off my back. I feel very so f***ing bad. I have had it for years on my head and now."

He continued: "I've took the law in my own hands and you know she took my son away from me so I took that from her."

But in a cruel twist, Osment retracted his confession - meaning police found themselves back at square one as they desperately tried to get justice for Claire.

It was decided an undercover police officer would be used in a plot so secretive, even the main investigations team were kept in the dark.

O'Hara moved into the same neighbourhood as Osment and conducted a dangerous 20 month operation to befriend then ultimately catch the killer.

During this time, more than 1,200 hours of audio and video footage were collected where Osment was recorded making 16 confessions.

Living just 300m away, O'Hara posed as a petty criminal to trick Osment into carrying out odd jobs for him.

The pair soon became pals - drinking together in pubs, playing pool and walking Osment's dog along the river.

Fake criminal schemes were also created so the undercover cop could recruit Osment in a bid to gain his trust.

This included one where they "carjacked" a lorry together at Leigh Delamere services.

The killer grew so close to the officer during the sting that he said if he were ever to get married, O'Hara would be his best man.

But the officer was forced to stay quiet as he witnessed Osment's bursts of anger.

The thug kicked his dog, assaulted bar staff, threatened to knock people out and showed off his arsenal of weapons.

Initial attempts to get a confession were slow, with the monster refusing to even say Claire's name and instead ranting about the "stupid b***h".

The mammoth operation eventually paid off though and Osment began to reveal details of his grisly crimes to O'Hara.

He told the cop he dreamed of Claire's face with her eyes pitch black with no pupils.

The brute also claimed others were responsible for the killing, saying: "Yeah because of what she did, f***ing c*** mate, f*** her.

"End of, f*** em, she ain't going to be seeing the light of day again, don't worry about that."

On one occasion, the pair were walking near Severn Beach when Osment tapped O'Hara on the shoulder and said about Claire having a "nice f***ing swimming lesson".

Chillingly, the monster always made these admissions while trying not to vomit in what prosecutors believe was caused by the "trauma" at the memory of murdering Claire.

In June last year, Osment finally admitted he had "lured" the mum to the pub where he worked as a chef as it had no CCTV.

He told the officer he had "knife skills" due to chef training before making a swishing motion across his torso.

He added: "It’s all done and dusted, all the work, clothes burnt outside… As far as I am aware the bits and pieces are scattered.”

O’Hara responded: “You’re sharing the burden mate … it’s you and me against everything.”

This confession led to Osment's arrest and subsequent charge on August 2 last year.

It was at this point that O'Hara was finally withdrawn from the operation and Claire's family were informed.

But they were still tortured by Osment when he pleaded not guilty, meaning they were forced to endure a lengthy and harrowing trial.

He claimed he was just drunk and “trying to big myself up" when he admitted to murdering Claire.

But jurors saw through his web of lies and he was last week convicted of murder.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Darren Hannant said: "The evidence we’ve gathered painstakingly over the last four years has proven that Osment is a selfish and violent misogynist who has abused almost everyone he has been close to.

"Our investigation found he’d made repeated confessions to others about his involvement in Claire’s murder, but because of a lack of supporting evidence, a decision was made to obtain authorisation for the deployment of an undercover officer, with the express aim of uncovering the truth about Claire’s disappearance, and in the hope of finding her body.

"The evidence and recorded footage gathered by the officer exposed Osment’s disturbing and hateful character and most importantly, details about the murder that otherwise would have remained unknown.

"The undercover officer put his safety at risk to expose Osment’s offending. He spent hours in his company and in doing so, was able to gather vital evidence to achieve justice for Claire and her family."