What does a life sentence really mean?

TODAY’S alarming report that the perpetrator of one of the most gruesome murders of recent years has been out on day release goes to the heart of the debate about what a life sentence actually means.

Just 10 years after being convicted of killing Patricia O’Toole, her murderer Sean Courtney has attended a college course in Dublin.

What is particularly disturbing is the fact that during the time Courtney was out of prison he was unsupervised and unattended by the authorities.

In 1993 he was sentenced to life imprisonment on conviction of murdering 31-year-old insurance agent Mrs O’Toole, whose battered body was found on waste ground in south Dublin.

Patricia’s family feared he would be freed prematurely but hoped he would serve more than 16 years of his mandatory life sentence.

Regarded as a model inmate, fears are growing Courtney may now be released in a couple of years. This worrying case should spark public debate on what a life sentence means.