Watchdog demands review of Butler case
John Butler’s widow, Una Butler, has been campaigning for family members to be kept fully informed and included in the treatment of parents with mental illness because of the potential risk to children.
A HSE internal review concluded there were no shortcomings in the services it provided, but the Mental Health Commission has now formally requested the case be looked at again by the national director of quality and patient safety.
The commission wrote to the HSE in the last few days seeking that Dr Philip Crowley, who is overseeing the inquiry into the death of Savita Halappanavar, carry out “a comprehensive review” of the case.
It said the review should be done “with the involvement of Mrs Butler” and that a copy of the review report should be provided to the commission when completed. The HSE was unable to comment last night.
John Butler, 43, from Ballycotton, Co Cork, was being treated for depression when he killed his little girls, Zoe, 6, and Ella, 2, before taking his own life by crashing his car at high speed while his wife was at work in Nov 2010.
The case bore tragic similarities to the murder-suicide by Martin McCarthy, who drowned his 3-year-old daughter Clarissa and himself near their Ballydehob, Co Cork, home last week.
Mrs Butler said yesterday that 36 children had been murdered by one of their parents since 2000, and she felt the State was turning a blind eye to the problem. “Society in this country seems to think it is acceptable in some way because somebody is suffering with depression, that they kill their children and it’s like it’s brushed under the carpet,” she said.
“More independent investigations need to be carried out to prevent more tragedies from occurring. They have to learn. I felt like going into a shop and stealing something because there would be more investigation into that than there was into my family’s tragedy.”
Mrs Butler is campaigning for legislation to make it mandatory for social services to carry out an assessment of the risk to children when a parent is suffering from a mental illness.
However, she also wants spouses and partners closely involved in the treatment process. “John suffered from depression and I felt isolated not being involved in his treatment.
“I believe the medical professionals would have had a greater insight into his behaviours had I been involved and that would be without breaking patient confidentiality. There should be support there for families when they are living with someone as well, because there wasn’t any support there for me.”
A spokesperson for the Mental Health Commission yesterday said: “The MHC recognises and wholly supports the important role of family members in contributing to the recovery of persons experiencing mental health difficulties. This is demonstrated in our many publications… and various codes of practice for the guidance of mental health professionals.”
Mrs Butler spoke of how her loss had left her frozen with grief and she said her heart went out to Rebecca McCarthy, the mother of Clarissa. “It’s devastating every day waking up to a living nightmare.”
She said she would never forgive her husband for killing their daughters. “I just can’t forgive him. The guy I married wouldn’t expect me to.”
She also spoke about feeling comforted that her children’s childminder left flowers at her door on Mother’s Day.
“Mother’s Day was yesterday and I know it was very commercialised, but I’m still a mother. I got home late and it was lovely, there was a bunch of flowers hanging off the letterbox. It was nice, at least I am still recognised as a mother.”
