Fergus Finlay: Abuse will happen when abusers believe they can act with impunity

The truth is abuse happens when power is abused. It happens when free and open consent is denied, writes Fergus Finlay

The death of Michaela McAreavey was made fun of for one reason and one reason only. She was Catholic. It was viciously sectarian.

SO tell me, when did domestic violence become prime time entertainment? When did the murder of a young woman become fodder for bigotry and sectarianism? Why was it so important — and unusual — for so many of us to applaud the sentences handed down by a judge in a rape case?

In the murk and grime of some of the events of the last week, one woman’s bravery stood out. And she was a victim — the victim of a vicious assault by a group of five young men, inflicted on her as if she was an object and not a real person.