Siobhán has got justice and her murderer has got justice

THE statement read by Aisling McLaughlin:

“The faith and the trust that we have had in our criminal justice system has not been misplaced and we have not been let down. Today, Siobhán has got justice; we have got justice and Siobhán’s murderer has got justice, and for that, we are most thankful.

“Since that day — Tuesday, February 28, 2006, — our lives have been utterly destroyed by this brutal and pointless act of savagery, from which they cannot, nor ever will, be the same. As a very close family, we have been haunted by the fact that we were not able to help Siobhán that morning — that she was alone in the last and the worst minutes of her life — unaware that the place she felt safest in, was, in fact, the most treacherous. We agree with Pawel Kalite’s [one of the two Polish workers murdered in Drimnagh last week] sister that people who do these things, cease to be human.

“We are so blessed to have known and to have had someone as special as Seánie in our lives. But we miss every hour of every day and the unbearable longing to see her, to hold her and to protect her never leaves you, even though you know it’s too late.

“But Siobhán has been with us every day since that day. She has never moved and she continues to live in each one of us. She is strong and she has given us extraordinary strength to keep going. Siobhán needs peace now, to sleep peacefully, knowing that everything that can be done has been done.

“We would like to thank all the gardaí, particularly from Dundrum, who worked on this case and especially Detective Inspector Martin Cummins and Detective Sergeant Michael Gibbons for their dedication to Siobhán and their unwavering commitment to bringing the person responsible for her murder to face justice.

“It means so much to us as a family that Michael Gibbons, Detective Sergeant, when he arrived at the scene said a prayer over Siobhán. We thank the office of the DPP, Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley, Mr Dominic McGinn, Sandra Manthe and Aisling Kelly, we thank the ambulance and fire crews who arrived that morning to try and help Siobhán and we thank Fr Ivan Tonge.

“I must not forget to mention a great friend, Breda Hammond from the Courts Service and AdVic who have been of amazing support to us, particularly during the trial.

“Finally, we can now only say thank you to all our friends and to the many, many people we have met during this time for their great kindness, support and love.”