Brother of murdered Cork woman asks public to request their local TDs support Valerie's Law

The law is named in honour of Valerie French, who was murdered by her husband, James Kilroy.

The brother of a murdered Cork woman is appealing for TDs to support a bill which could cut the guardianship rights of a parent who murders their children’s other parent.

Valerie’s Law, named after murdered mother-of-three Valerie French, has now been published.

The Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill is currently at first stage before the Dáil.

It aims to amend the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964 to allow for the restriction or removal of guardianship of a child in certain circumstances by order of a court with the best interests of the child as the paramount consideration.

Valerie’s brother, David French, has campaigned for changes in Ireland’s guardianship laws so a parent who murders their child’s other parent may lose guardian rights over those children.

Mr French and his family encountered what they felt was a nonsensical anomaly in Irish law that a parent retains sole guardianship rights over their children, even when they murder their children’s other parent.

This leaves the child under their control, even from prison. And it often traps the victim’s family in continued contact with the murderer, if they are caring for the surviving children.

Currently, the killer can still control their child’s life from prison — where they can go and who they can see, Mr French said.

They also know where the child is living and have contact with their carers — which can be very difficult when those carers are the murdered parent’s family.

If your sister is killed and you have the children, then you have to deal with the killer in prison all the time. He will know where you live. He knows how the kids are getting on.

“That's traumatic for you as a person, let alone for the kids, having this character in your life and you have to engage with them.

“It also makes placement more difficult because if the system is trying to keep the link to him all the time and include him by right, then you are required almost as a condition of having the children to involve him in your life. And that's a burden as well.

“A better outcome always happens if the bad person is taken out of the room.” 

The murderer is also entitled to data and updates on their child.

From prison, Kilroy can still restrict the children’s travel and try to influence where they live.

And if someone else tries to become a guardian, the killer has to be consulted.

“They typically object to anyone else coming in, they block it,” Mr French said.

The killer will know what’s going on by right. But the victim’s family often will not.

“When the children are discussed in family law courts, the guardians are in there by right, and the victim's families do not have status to be in there.

“The kids can be discussed in a family law court and you don't even know that the court is happening.

“But he can demand to know information about them and his view is heard.” 

Ms French, a mother-of-three and an occupational therapist, was originally from West Cork. The 41-year-old was found dead at her home in Kilbree Lower, Co Mayo on June, 14, 2019.

Her husband, James Kilroy, was convicted of Ms French’s murder in July 2024.

The Irish Constitution protects the family unit.

But Valerie’s Law would allow the automatic guardianship rights of a parent over their child to be removed by a court if they are found guilty of murdering the child’s other parent.

Justice minister Jim O'Callaghan brought proposals on the law to Cabinet.

If the law is passed, and if it can be applied retrospectively, it may help the French family.

But this would be “a bonus,” Mr French said.

“My main priority is that it works going forward to protect children in the future,” he said.

“Even before conviction, if people know someone is going to lose their guardianship, most likely then they'll put a lot less weight on what the suspect wants. I think that's important.” 

Seven children a year on average have a parent who murders their other parent in Ireland, Mr French said.

Across Europe, there are between 700 to 1,000 children in this horrifying predicament annually.

And in the UK, some 50 children a year suffer this loss, he said.

“For a lot of men, it’s like ‘I kill her, I keep the kids.’ But now it will be, ‘you kill her you’re going to lose that too’. 

Because right now, you commit murder and you still get to keep the kids. Okay, you might be locked up in prison, but you still have all the same rights as someone who steals a car and gets put in prison.

Mr French is calling on people to contact their local TDs and request that they support the bill.

He hopes that it can be passed into law by the end of 2026.

Kilroy has never contacted Mr French or shown any remorse over killing his sister, he said.

“There’s been no expression of remorse from James Kilroy," Mr French said.

“People are surprised that a killer would act like that. But if you're convicted of murder, you're not the kind of person who is polite and says sorry.

“He doesn't stop being a bad person just because he's in prison.”