McCann family tells of fears of killer's release
The family of murdered Dublin woman Esther McCann told a court today of their fears if double killer Frank McCann is ever released from prison.
Frank McCann was given two life sentences in August, 1996 after he was found guilty by a jury of the murders of his wife Esther and 18-month-old baby Jessica who perished in a fire at their home in Rathfarnham, Dublin on September 4, 1992.
Today Esther’s niece, Esther Leonard, told Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court: "I am just terrified at the prospect of Frank McCann being let out. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder knowing that he could be two steps away. I am just really scared for my family."
Esther McCann’s brother Mr Pat O’Brien told the judge: "My family have lived in fear of Frank McCann being made free. My wife, my daughter and my sister – the thing is not knowing when he is going to come out. He has wrecked our lives. He has shown no remorse, he has shown no pity."
The late Mrs McCann’s sister Mrs Marian Leonard said: "We were always on the sidelines. My sister and my niece were left out of the court as much as possible and I want to bring their names back into this court.
"Esther and Jessica were innocent. Frank Mc Cann tried time and time again to kill them both and eventually succeeded in September 1992. He manipulated my family, he manipulated the courts. He has never expressed remorse to me, to Jessica’s family.
"To this day he remains arrogant, manipulating and evil, that is my belief."
Mr Justice Carney, who was the original trial judge told the family members that there had been "a culture change" in the courts in relation to how victims are dealt with since the trial.
He agreed to a request by Mc Cann’s lawyers to backdate the two life sentences to the date of McCann’s arrest in November, 1992 and added that this was in accordance with the normal practice now adopted by the courts.
The judge also ordered that a transcript of today’s hearing should be kept on the court file and should be available for consideration by the parole board.
McCann (aged 45), a former international swimmer for Ireland and former President of the Leinster branch of the Irish Amateur Swimming Association was convicted of the murders of his wife Esther (aged 36) and baby Jessica at their home at Butterfield Avenue, Rathfarnham after his second trial.
The trial was told that baby Jessica was the daughter of McCann’s sister Jeanette and had lived with the McCann’s since her birth. The woman and baby died after "a raging inferno" engulfed their home in the early hours of the morning.
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