Group to meet Frances Fitzgerald over sentencing reform

The brother of Sharon Whelan, a young mother brutally murdered along with her children on Christmas morning 2008, will meet Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald next Thursday.

Sharon and her daughters Zarah, 7, and Nadia, 2, were murdered by postman Brian Hennessy. Sharon’s family have called for tougher sentencing in relation to homicide and looked for better support for victims’ families.

John Whelan is chairman of the support group for families of victims of homicide, AdVic, which is calling for sentencing reforms.

“We are delighted that we have secured a meeting with the minster on February 19,” he said.

“This is a very important opportunity to highlight the imbalance in the criminal justice system from the victims’ families’ point of view. We feel that to be able to do this in person is very important and we hope will have the desired impact.

“We are calling for changes to sentencing, parole and the bail policies which do not serve either families or society as a whole. We will also be calling for the Irish Government to be the first to adopt the new EU directive on victims’ rights which will be European law as of November of this year.”

AdVic seeks a mandatory minimum 15-year term for murder.