Summary
IF ANYBODY doubted the importance of the right to make a victim- impact statement, that doubt will have been quashed by murder victim Siobhan Kearney's sister, Bridget McLaughlin, yesterday and by her extraordinarily moving account of her own family's pain at not being allowed make such a statement in court.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern's decision to grant the families of all murder and manslaughter victims that right, as a statutory entitlement, is, therefore, to be heartily welcomed. Leaving the decision to the discretion of the trial judge, as happens at present, is simply not good enough.See the full content of this document
Extract
All Families Have the Right to Speak Out
Families who, like the McLaughlins, have bitten their lips and said nothing for up to two years while the accused enjoys the presumption of innocence th...
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