Violent deaths of women double in lockdown
Stormont strategy urged amid claims NI is ‘so far behind’ in addressing rising tide of violence
TWICE as many women have suffered violent deaths in lockdown compared to the previous year.
Eight women have been violently killed since March last year.
There have been calls for an urgent strategy to deal with the increase in violence against women and girls after the murders of Karen Mcclean (50) and Stacey Knell (30), stabbed to death in the Rathcoole estate over the weekend.
THE number of women murdered in Northern Ireland since the beginning of lockdown is double what it was in the previous 12 months.
Eight women have been violently killed since the first lockdown in March last year.
There have been calls for an urgent gender-based Stormont strategy to deal with the increase in violence against women and girls after the murders of Karen Mcclean (50) and Stacey Knell (30), stabbed to death in the Rathcoole estate over the weekend.
The only suspect in the case, Ms Mcclean’s son, violent offender Ken Flanagan (26), was known to police and had been subject to preventative orders in the past over concerns that he may be a threat to close female relatives. Following the violent attack, Flanagan took his own life.
Social services had been involved with the family until 2019. The ex-partner of Miss Knell had also raised concerns about his nine-year-old daughter being in the company of Flanagan.
The double murder-suicide has shocked the closely knit Rathcoole community.
Domestic killings of female victims are double what they were in the previous 12-months, when three women and a teenage girl were murdered.
Police are continuing to investigate the murder of Natasha Melendez (32). The mother-of-two died in hospital just over a week after being violently assaulted in her home in the Pond Park area of Lisburn.
A 23-year-old woman and 30-year-old man initially arrested in connection with the murder were freed on police bail pending further inquires.
Grandmother Elizabeth Dobbin (82) was found dead at her home in Larne, Co Antrim on March30,2020.
Her grandson Alan Gingles (32) who shared the home with her, has been charged with her murder. During an early court hearing a defence lawyer indicated that Gingles claims he acted with diminished responsibility due to a psychotic episode, claiming he was “seeing zombies” at the time of the pensioner’s death.
Emma Jane Mcparland was stabbed to death following an attack at her flat in the Haywood Avenue area of south Belfast on April 22 last year.
Ms Mcparland’s 22-year-old son Jordan Kennedy faces a single count of murdering his 39-year-old mother.
The body of Patrycja Wyrebek was found in the bath of her house in drum a lane park in newry on August 2. While her family were from Poland she had spent most of her life in Northern Ireland, a pupil of Holy Cross Girls School and Mercy College in north Belfast.
Her partner Dawid Lukasz Mietus (23), who is originally from Poland, has been charged with her murder. He is claiming a “rough sex” defence, alleging she died during a consensual sex act.
In November last year Justice Minister Naomi Long launched a public consultation on banning the use of “consent to serious harm for sexual gratification” as a defence.
Ms Long said following an amendment to the Westminster Domestic Abuse Bill: “I have broadened the review to include consent to serious harm for sexual gratification not being a defence, sometimes known as the ‘rough sex’ defence”.
The murder of 21-year-old Katie Simpson was originally treated as a suspected suicide after the emergency services were called to her home on August 3 last year. Ms Simpson, from Middletown, Co Armagh, passed away in Altnagelvin hospital on August 9, 2020. However, earlier this month Jonathan James Cresswell (33) who was in a relationship with the victim’s older sister, was arrested and charged in connection with Ms Simpson’s death.
During a magistrate’s court appearance, a detective said Miss Simpson suffered bruising to her legs, both hands – one of which was swollen – bruising to her right inner thigh, a cut lip and bruising to her forehead, adding Miss Simpson did not present as a hanging victim and features expected of such “were not present” on the victim.
The court was told that messages found on her phone “indicated Katie was in immense fear of this man”. Cresswell was remanded into custody to appear again, via videolink on April 1.
Susan Baird (60) died in what police described as a “vicious attack” on August 16 last year.
The 60-year-old mother-offour, who was an office administrator for Orangefield Presbyterian Church on Castlereagh Road, was killed at her marital home at Windermere Road in the Four Winds area.
Her husband Gary Alexander Baird (61) was originally detained under a Mental Health Order. In January he was charged with murder and granted bail but ordered to reside at the secure mental health unit.
Speaking about the dramatic increase in femicide in Northern Ireland, Sonya Mcmullan of Women’s Aid said lockdown has “excluded pathways to support” for many women.
“There are families we are desperately trying to reach out to with public awareness, the ‘Unlock your Lockdown’ campaign, highlighting the importance of safety planning, safe words, having people to speak to and public consciousness that this is everyone’s problem, urging people to check in with friends, family and colleagues if there are any concerns,” she said.
“As usual in Northern Ireland we are so far behind and playing catch up. We have been campaigning for a strategy to look at violence against women and girls, and that’s only started to gain support now with the highlight on recent tragedies.”
‘We have been campaigning for a strategy to look at violence against women and girls, and that’s only started to gain support’