Parents’ plea to help find killer

THE heartbroken parents of murdered teenager Raonaid Murray yesterday urged the public to bring her killer to justice and criticised what they said was “misleading” media coverage of the case.

Raonaid, from Glenageary, Co Dublin, was 17 years old when fatally stabbed yards from her home shortly after midnight on September 4, 1999.

She was making her way home from nearby Scott’s pub in Dún Laoghaire to change before going to a nightclub. Instead she was stabbed and her body was discovered later by sister, Sarah.

Raonaid had managed to crawl 30 yards from where she was first attacked.

Yesterday her father, Jim, made an appeal for fresh information.

In a pre-recorded message broadcast on the Today with Pat Kenny radio show, he told listeners they were still seeking information regarding the killing of their beautiful daughter.

“We are making this appeal in the wake of misleading and incorrect information in recent media coverage,” he said.

He was referring to some recent reports in which it was suggested that new information, passed on to gardaí following an appeal ahead of the ninth anniversary of her death, had led to a possible breakthrough.

That prompted fears from the family that other people, with potentially vital information, would not contact gardaí, thinking they were close to making an arrest.

“There has been no breakthrough in the investigation of Raonaid’s murder,” Mr Murray said.

“We know there were sightings on the night of Raonaid’s murder of people who haven’t yet come forward.

” The Serious Crime Review Team is currently reviewing Raonaid’s murder. Now is the time to come forward.

“At the time of Raonaid’s murder one of the investigating officers, describing her struggle to get home after the attack, said she held her power until the end.

“Her courage and bravery reflect her struggle to save her life — don’t protect her murderer.”

The emotional message came just days after the family marked the ninth anniversary of her murder.

Despite thousands of interviews being conducted and a number of arrests, gardaí have so far been unable to pinpoint a motive or reason for the attack.

One possible suspect, Somali Farah Swaleh Noor, has since been murdered. Sisters Charlotte and Linda Mulhall are both in jail in connection with that crime.