Murder attempt survivor, Sinead O'Leary, campaigns for justice

Cork woman, Sinéad O'Leary, recounts the events of April 2002 in a new documentary.

Sinéad O'Leary is still fighting for justice for herself and for Nichola — and both their wider families. 

The fun and excitement of two friends getting ready for a night out quickly turned into a nightmare when an attacker burst into the house and killed one of the girls and stabbed the other 20 times.

Cork woman, Sinéad O'Leary, recounts the events of that night in April 2002, in TG4 documentary, Finné (Witness).

Sinéad's friend, Nichola Sweeney, was murdered that night — and Sinéad herself was left with serious injuries from this random act of violence.

Now, Sinéad, 38, is still fighting for justice for herself and for Nichola — and both their wider families. 

She says: "The system is so unbalanced. It seems there is more concern in the justice system with reintroduction [of the prisoner] than with rehabilitation."

The two girls were just getting ready at Nichola's house in Rochestown in Cork for a night out when Peter Whelan, who lived locally but was not known to them, attacked them and changed everything forever. 

Sinéad suffered severe injuries and still has nerve damage from the attack. 

Whelan was sentenced to 15 years for Ms O’Leary’s attempted murder, and to life in prison for Ms Sweeney’s murder. 

The sentences were to run consecutively. He was aged 20 at the time of sentencing. The 15-year sentence was shortened to 11 in 2013.

The Central Criminal Court heard at the time that Whelan never spoke during the attack and never offered a motive. 

In fact, after the attack he told gardaí he was sorry he hadn't hurt Sinéad more.

Despite assurances from the minister for justice in 2018 that Whelan would not be free ‘for a very long time’, the Sweeney and O’Leary families were horrified to hear Whelan had been temporarily released from prison under escort four times in the past three years. 

Nichola Sweeney

She did leave Cork for many years as the official aspect of the crime continued to play such a huge part in her life and stove a 'normal life'; she developed a career in conservation and as part of her work lived in Costa Rica protecting turtles from poachers. 

"I kept challenging myself to not let this... I always confronted everything that happened to me. Even in Costa Rica on the beaches at night I was very afraid doing it but I did it."

She is acutely aware of all that Nichola and her family have lost out on due to that savage attack: "She has missed so much. And her family too. It's had such an impact on all of them."

She has worked hard to build a 'normal' life for herself where she is able to discuss the events of that awful night but also where she is able to see the wider impact of this country's parole and prison system. 

"I have always been a 'together' person — very rational. I am logical and see things how they are."

She says that is why she is so keen now to effect real change in the judicial system here. 

• Finné: Sinéad O'Leary is on TG4 on Wednesday, February 3 at 9.30pm