'Release garda findings to aid domestic violence services', Clodagh Hawe's sister tells commissioner

Speaking on 'The Mick Clifford Podcast', Jacqueline Connolly said she met with justice minister Jim O’Callaghan in March to ask for his assistance in having the review published — but nothing has been done. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

Jacqueline Connolly, whose sister and three nephews were murdered by Alan Hawe, has written to the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, asking for a review into the garda investigation to be published.

Hawe murdered his wife Clodagh and sons Liam, 13; Niall, 11; and six-year-old Ryan at their home in Co Cavan in 2016, before taking his own life. 

The investigation into the murders was found to be incomplete and flawed in a number of respects and a review was ordered after Jacqueline and her mother went public on the matter.

In her memoir Deadly Silence, Ms Connolly revealed the family was given sight of the completed review — which ran to 800 pages — but the family was not furnished with a copy. 

Ms Connolly believes it should be published in order to help prevent any similar tragedy from occurring in the future.

“I am appealing to you to release the findings in an appropriate way so that the timelines, behaviours, and patterns of family annihilators are given to the public, for those in abusive and controlling relationships, and to aid domestic violence services in expanding and advancing their policies,” she wrote to commissioner Drew Harris.

"This, in turn, will align with the prevention and protection pillars of the Government’s third national strategy on domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence"

Speaking on The Mick Clifford Podcast, Ms Connolly said she met with justice minister Jim O’Callaghan in March to ask for his assistance in having the review published — but nothing has been done.

Warning signs 

She said that the learnings to be taken from the review are vital in trying to ensure that a similar tragedy does not occur again.

“I’ve received hundreds of messages since the release of Deadly Silence, and some have been from women who read my book and said: ‘You’ve shown me warning signs, it’s really raised red flags with me, I’m in the process of quietly leaving my partner.'

If 'Deadly Silence' can do that, imagine the power impact that the truth in the findings [of the review] would reveal and the lives that could be saved

Her call for publication of the review is supported by Women’s Aid, the support organisation for the victims of domestic violence. 

Sarah Benson, the chief executive of Women’s Aid, told the Irish Examiner that since the publication of Ms Connolly’s book, she had been contacted by women for whom elements of the story had resonated. 

“Some who contacted me said they felt lucky that they may have had a near miss in terms of the risks they have been subjected to in a relationship,” Ms Benson said.

“It could be extremely beneficial and in the public interest to have reports like this shared in order to do what Jacqueline is saying, to help understand where there may have been missed opportunities, and to better bolster community response to domestic abuse and the risks associated with it.” 

Key flaws

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána told the Irish Examiner that in general “reviews conducted by the Garda Serious Crime Team are not published for operational reasons”.

The spokesperson also referred to a statement from Mr Harris on the case dating from 2019.

In her book, Ms Connolly wrote that the review uncovered three key flaws with the original investigation. 

These were the mishandling of CCTV evidence, the interviewing of witnesses without the proper expertise, and digital evidence that simply was not collected. 

She said that accommodation could be made for redactions where the gardaí thought necessary but that there are huge learnings to be taken from the detail of how Alan Hawe conducted himself and where red flags could be raised in the future.

“It’s frustrating and angering that I, as Clodagh’s sister and the boys’ aunt, am here again fighting for justice? Why should that have to happen? Why should the onus be on me to fight to do what’s right for women and children?” she said.

- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.

• Women’s Aid national helpline is 1800 341 900