'Partners should be involved in mental health treatment' say parents whose spouses killed their children

Andrew McGinley with his children Darragh, Conor, and Carla, all three of whom were killed by Deirdre Morley in 2020.

Two people whose partners killed their children have demanded it should be mandatory for people to be involved in the mental health treatment of their partners in relationships where there are children.

Una Butler and Andrew McGinley say this single measure would save lives and question why successive governments have so far refused to act.

“I don’t think this issue is being taken seriously at all,” said Ms Butler, whose husband murdered their two children in 2010.

“It is a major and common factor whether they [the Government] want to close their eyes to it or not.” 

Ms Butler has been campaigning for the mandatory involvement since her husband John killed himself after he murdered their children Zoe, 6, and Ella, 2, on November 16, 2010, in Ballycotton, Co Cork.

53 children murdered by their parents

She has since produced research which has shown there have been at least 53 children murdered by one of their parents in more than 37 incidents in Ireland since 2000.

Mr McGinley has supported her campaign since his ex-wife Deirdre Morley killed their three children Conor, 9, Darragh, 7, and Carla, 3, at their Dublin home while suffering a psychotic episode.

Both Mr Butler and Ms Morley were in the care of mental health services, but neither Ms Butler or Mr McGinley were informed of vital information that could have raised alarm bells around the safety of their respective children.

Una Butler with one of her daughters, Ella, in May 2010. Later that year her husband murdered Zoe, 6, and Ella, 2 in Ballycotton, Co Cork.

Mr McGinley said: “Nothing is being done about this, and I have to wonder if anything will be.

“There'll be another murder, and the first people that [journalists will be calling] will be myself and Una Butler.” 

He added: “You could say, oh, would it take another death but there have been deaths, and they're still doing nothing.

“Una Butler called for this several years before Conor, Darren, and Carla were killed, so nothing was done.” 

He believes the fact that so few people in government have had to go through what people like himself and Ms Butler have had to go through plays a factor in the lack of action.

He said: “The problem is, it's not their children. We can see the gaps. We can see what went wrong.

He said he fully supports patient confidentiality.

"But this is not about patient confidentiality. That confidentiality is to do with the patient, not their children.

“My children were at risk from a woman I was not told at the time was not only suicidal but had told doctors she did not want to be at home with our children.

"The Children First legislation states that a parent is responsible for the safety and welfare of their children. 

"So how could the clinicians treating Deirdre Morley believe that she could uphold that responsibility when she had told them that she did not want to be at home with her children and had deliberately stayed away from her children. 

"Instead, clinicians made decisions about Conor, Darragh and Carla without Andrew Mc Ginley's knowledge. These decisions had catastrophic consequences."

The Department of Health was asked why it is still not mandatory for partners to be involved in the mental health treatment of their partner in a relationship with children.

This and other questions were put to the department and minister of state at the Department of Health with special responsibility for mental health, Mary Butler.

The department said she "supports family involvement in an individual’s mental health treatment with the individual’s consent.

“It is at the discretion of the individual as to what and how much information they allow a doctor or service to disclose to family members.

“There are circumstances where it may be necessary to disclose information about a person where they are at serious risk of harm to themselves or others and this includes where a child is at risk of violence or abuse.

“Medical Council guidelines specifically allow this to happen and that course of action has always been available to doctors.”