Call to name and shame convicted sex offenders as killer returns home to Cork
Mary Crilly was speaking after it emerged Conor Downey, who was convicted of killing and chopping up his former girlfriend at their London flat in 1988, is back living in Douglas, Cork.
Only Suzanne Reddan’s limbs were ever recovered and her torso has never been found. Downey was jailed in 1993 for his girlfriend’s manslaughter and served just three years in prison before returning to Ireland from Britain.
He was then imprisoned in 2004 for a 1988 attack on a Cork nurse. He broke into her house, attempted to rape her and beat her as she lay asleep.
At the subsequent trial, gardaí said the victim was so badly beaten they “thought she was wearing a Halloween mask”.
Downey has also been convicted for assaulting a doctor with a knife who was attempting to take bloods from him.
He was jailed for 12 years for the attack on the nurse but was released recently with remission.
Ms Crilly said: “With the release of this man, there is renewed calls for these people to be named and shamed to the community.
“There are sex offenders living in every community and we don’t know who they are, especially those convicted of child abuse. I believe they should be named and shamed. I’m more into child protection you see, rather than offender protection.”
However gardaí, while refusing to comment on this case, said they comprehensively manage risk in the community.
“We want to reassure the community that our clear focus at all times is the safety of all individuals in the community. An Garda Síochána has a comprehensive approach to the management of convicted sex offenders which involves both the national Sex Offenders Management and Intelligence Unit and the work of nominated Inspectors in every division in the country. This includes a plan to manage any risks posed by the offenders,” a spokesman said.
However, Ms Crilly said: “Women are rightly terrified about men that have a track record of violence towards women. Why is it that sex offenders have their identity protected?
“You can kick in somebody’s front door or murder someone and you don’t have that entitlement. It’s supposed to be about protecting people.
“Often these people are so cunning and charming that people should be aware of what they are really like,” she said.
