Ronan Quinn on the hunt for justice in wake of mother’s murder
WHAT Ronan Quinn has embarked upon will not directly benefit him. But, like many people of character before him, he is doing it for others.
And, out of it, he will draw something good from the horror that ripped his life apart at the tender age of 14.
On December 5, 2002, his mother, Christine, was subjected to a prolonged and savage knife attack in her own home at the hands of a 16-year-old boy, who was once a friend of his.
The 36-year-old woman suffered 35 actual stab wounds and a total of 69 knife injuries. Part of the blade was left lodged in her scalp.
The perpetrator, Mark Costigan, set three separate fires to the house, in Greenfields, Kilkenny, in an attempt to cover his tracks.
Ronan’s brother Jason found their mother’s body that afternoon.
Costigan, from nearby Aylesbury, was charged with the murder, but pleaded not guilty, forcing witnesses through the traumatic process of giving evidence.
This included Ronan, then 14, who gave evidence via video-link. He told the court that Costigan was in their home most days of the week, but said they fell out the September before the murder.
Costigan was convicted of the murder in December 2004, by which stage he had turned 18.
“I was only 14 when Mark Costigan murdered my mother,” says Ronan.
He said the “first eight to nine years were not good”. He went to bereavement counselling, which he said “helped a lot”.
But it wasn’t until the birth of his daughter, Amy, four years ago, with his partner Grace, that things changed for the better.
“That made a push on life: Something to look forward to,” says Ronan. And two years later, he and Grace had a son, Jack.
All this, together with help from support group Advocates for Victims of Homicide (AdVic), brought Ronan to a position in recent months where he launched a campaign, together with a petition, calling for changes in relation to those charged and convicted of murder.
Top of the list are sentences that reflect the enormity of deliberately taking someone’s life.
“After just seven years into a life sentence, a murderer can be considered for parole,” says Ronan.
“We are petitioning that the mandatory life sentence for murder be reviewed with a view to introducing a minimum term of imprisonment of between 15 to 30 years for murder and, depending on the severity of the case, whole-life tariffs.”
He says the system was similar to that in Britain. In February 2013, Clive Sharp received a minimum term of 37 years for the murder or Irishwoman Catherine Gowing in Wales.
Costigan has spent 10 years behind bars.
“His parole came up in February of last year,” says Ronan. It was turned down, but he knows that Costigan could get out in subsequent reviews.
Prison Service figures show that the average sentence for lifers who have been released has increased to 18 years over the period 2005 to 2013. That compares to an average of 14 between 1995 and 2004 and 12 between 1985 and 1994.
Ronan’s point, though, and indeed that of AdVic, is that there should be clear minimum terms for those sentenced of murder. These tariffs should be based on a range of circumstances, including the severity of the crime.
“The punishment should fit the crime,” says Ronan. “If someone stabs a person once and holds his hands up and shows remorse, he might be treated a bit more leniently. But someone stabbing a person a hundred times and who shows no remorse and is laughing about it, the book needs to be thrown at them.
“Currently, the system is one-size-fits-all.”
Part of his reforms include the parole system. Ronan says parole should only be offered after 15 years, as a minimum.
“It all comes down to money for the Government,” Ronan says.
“Our prisons are full and the Government wants to get people out, but my argument is ‘don’t imprison people for non-payment of fines’. Keep prison for those that need it.”
He says families must be kept informed by parole: “I found out on the internet about my rights. I was never informed until I rang the prison.
“We weren’t given anything by the Government. Nothing about what to do, what our entitlements were. The system is weighted against us; the perpetrator is protected. AdVic provided counselling, specific counselling for homicide.”
He stresses that he “couldn’t fault” the gardaí who investigated the murder and said they kept the family informed of events.
Ronan says the automatic remission of 25% for violent offenders, such as cases of manslaughter, rapes, and other non-fatal assaults, should be abolished “It’s a complete joke for serious offences, like rape,” says Ronan. “They should have to earn remission for good behaviour.”
Not only that, when they are released, they should be tagged, he says.
“When they are released on licence who monitors them?” he said “A simple thing would be electronic tagging and if not that, at least a register of violent offenders, like they have for sex offenders.”
Bail is another issue close to his heart. “I have personal experience. Mark Costigan was on bail for nearly two years before the trial and there were times he broke his conditions,” says Ronan. “If someone is charged with murder they should be kept in custody, to make sure there is no intimidation. And definitely after conviction and before they are sentenced, they should be in custody.”
His petition has so far attracted 930 signatories, and he has a target to get another 570.
“We are looking to get as many signatures as possible as AdVic should be going before the justice committee in the Dáil in the autumn,” he says. “The more signatures will put more pressure to change the sentencing system — if we have thousands signatures and maybe march on the Dáil if the justice committee meeting is not successful.”
Ronan realises his campaign won’t help him, but would assist others. “I know that this won’t affect me, because it can’t be retrospective for anyone in the system. But this is to try and protect other people, to put a deterrent there and reduce the number of murders and manslaughters.”
http://exa.mn/7ao
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1. Minimum sentences for murder: A range of tariffs (reflecting the circumstances of the crime) starting at 15 years and going to 30 years and, in some cases, whole life sentences;
2. Non-statutory guidelines for judges to ensure consistent criteria applied across sentences;
3. An end to concurrent (running parallel) sentences in multiple murder cases and the introduction of consecutive (running on top of each other) sentences;
4. Standard remission of 25% off sentences should be abolished for all serious offences, including manslaughter.
5. People charged with murder should be remanded in custody, not granted bail;
6. Those on bail who are convicted, should be remanded in custody pending sentencing.
7. Current system of parole — where sentences can be reviewed after seven years — should be increased to a minimum of 15 years;
8. Appropriate representation on Parole Board for families of homicide victims;
9. Parole Board should seek written submission from the family of a victim when the killer’s case being reviewed;
10. Families should have opportunity at sentencing to register their wish to be informed when killer is being released;
11. When a murderer is released they should be electronically tagged and/or put on register.
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