‘Six-year jail sentence for our father’s killer is crazy’

THE daughters of a slain taxi driver whose killer was jailed for six years are seeking a longer sentence.

Shauna and Sharon Mulligan have spoken out after Joseph Hillen was last week jailed at the Central Criminal Court. Last year a jury found Hillen, 24, guilty of manslaughter over the fatal stabbing of the women’s father, Martin Mulligan, 53, just outside Dundalk, Co. Louth, in September 2015.

Shauna, 26, and Sharon, 31, said that the family’s barrister was ‘definitely’ going to the Director of Public Prosecutions to seek a longer sentence.

‘We are very disappointed with the outcome of the court case and of the sentence,’ said Sharon.

‘Six years is crazy. My mam said things have actually got worse for her since sentencing because she feels now like her husband’s life meant nothing.’

Shauna said the evidence that related to her father’s injuries had been ‘extremely hard to listen to’. ‘My dad had over 30 injuries sustained to his body and head,’ she said.

She also spoke of feelings of ‘helplessness’ when the women’s mother took the stand. Shauna added: ‘We couldn’t stand up for our dad in any way. The accused doesn’t have to take the stand. The victims aren’t considered at all.’

She also described her late father as ‘kind, caring and loving’, adding that he was ‘someone who always put others first and always saw the good in people’.

The sisters believe the family will always feel like the victims. ‘The outcome of the case was like a kick in the face for us,’ said Sharon.

‘There’s a chance in a few years that [we] could bump into [Hillen] somewhere. It feels like we are the ones living a prison sentence.’

Hillen, 24, of Glendesha Road, Forkhill, Co. Armagh, was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter over the death of Mr Mulligan at Carnmore, Balriggan, Dundalk, on September 28, 2015.