O’Reilly trial highlighted victims’ plight

THE multiple victims of every crime were highlighted perfectly by the highly publicised O’Reilly murder trial, victim support campaigners suggested yesterday.

Co-ordinator of the Crime Victims Helpline, Maeve Ryan, suggested the nature of the trial brought home the emotional turmoil experienced by everybody involved.

Ms Ryan said: “Last week’s trial of a horrific crime was an extreme but real example of the number of totally innocent people who are so tragically affected by one crime,” she said. The blanket coverage of last week’s trial offered a snapshot of the experiences of many people who find themselves at the wrong end of criminal activity, she said.

Ms Ryan said the helpline receives calls everyday from people who are traumatised by the activities of others.

“The helpline is a nationwide service which brings us into the lives and communities of some of the most isolated victims in society today.

“Clearly people are affected in different ways by crime but if they know there is a common starting point for victims through our helpline service then they can start to find practical and emotional supports to help them to recover from the shattering effects of crime on people’s lives.”

Earlier this year the Helpline published its annual statistics which showed an increase of 60% in calls in the first quarter of 2007.

Ms Ryan said it was committed to increasing its profile so that all victims of crime knew there was a service available to talk about their experiences.

The confidential helpline is available from 10am-5pm on weekdays and 2pm-4pm on Saturdays. Tel: [phone].