Families of homicide victims are suffering a “life sentence” of trauma, and a landmark study suggests the balance of rights has to swing back “to the middle”, from perpetrators to victims.

John Whelan believes the man who killed his sister and her two children should serve a “whole-life” sentence instead of being able to seek parole after just seven years.

BROKEN families united outside the Dáil yesterday to observe a minute’s silence in memory of women across Ireland who have been murdered.