Keep Gráinne's killer in Irish jail, demands family
Gráinne Dillon, 24, was shot dead at Jury's Inn Limerick on January 5, 2002, by her work colleague Paulo Alexander Nascimento.
Nascimento, a 27-year-old Portuguese national, was sentenced to life in prison in March after pleading guilty to the murder. He recently applied to serve the rest of his sentence in Portugal.
Gráinne's family, oppose his application and yesterday urged the minister not to allow him serve the sentence in his native country.
The family say they fear Nascimento will not serve his full sentence, nor be treated as a priority prisoner, if he is returned to Portugal.
The Department of Justice said yesterday it won't make a final decision on the application until it receives assurances that Nascimento won't be released early in Portugal.
It's feared that Nascimento could be released after serving just seven years in Portugal because there is no life sentences in that country.
The Dillon family vowed last night to go Portugal to tell the public there about the violent murder if Nascimento is freed early.
"The Department of Justice didn't even see fit to inform us of this (Nascimento's application) and we heard about it through the media," Gráinne's sister Aoife said.
The family yesterday received an assurance from Minister McDowell that they will be informed of all future developments in the case.
"This is a huge relief to us and we found the minister and the officials very helpful," Aoife said.
Under the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Act, non-nationals can apply to serve their sentences in their native country. The sentence is then converted into the country of origin's legislation.
To date Ireland hasn't transferred a prisoner to Portugal and it could take 18 months before Nascimento's application is processed.
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