Colgan NO EXCUSES FOR ABUSING WOMEN
‘Crime of passion’ is insult
NADINE Lott sadly became the latest in a long list of women who lost their lives at the hands of a man.
The 30-year- old beauty therapist was murdered by her former partner Daniel Murtagh in December 2019 and he was sentenced to life in prison this week.
Murtagh (34), of Melrose Grove, Bawnogue, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, insisted it was a crime of passion.
He claimed he loved Nadine, referred to her as his wife and insisted that he had no motive to take her life.
However, Nadine’s family are adamant that her death wasn’t the result of ‘domestic violence’.
Nadine was working hard, had her own apartment and was raising her young daughter prior to her death.
She hadn’t been in a relationship with Murtagh for some years.
Brutal
Speaking after Murtagh was handed down a life sentence, she said: “We still have a long way to go in changing that mindset where putting the word domestic in front of violence, or in front of abuse, or in front of incident, still in the public mind does seem to minimise it.
“We seek to excuse it or explain it whereas actually abuse is abuse is abuse and, in these cases, it should be treated as an aggravated situation.”
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris recently said domestic homicides have outnumbered gangland murders by almost two to one in the last three years.
And figures show that some 240 women have died in violent circumstances in the past 25 years in Ireland. Nadine, like too many women, was killed by a man she knew in a place where she should have been safe. Violence against women is wrong in every form — but there’ll never be a stop put to it as long as excuses, explanations and justifications are made.
MURDERED: Nadine Lott
Nadine suffered a terrible and brutal death after being attacked in her own home, where she should have been safe, and in the presence of her young child.
The finer details of her relationship status and whether or not she was a victim of domestic abuse prior to her death shouldn’t have been relevant to the case.
Whether or not she was single didn’t have an impact on the horrific injuries she suffered.
Whether or not Nadine had suffered previous violent attacks isn’t an explanation for the brutal assault that caused her death.
And whether or not her killer claimed to love her doesn’t lessen the loss to her family and loved ones.
Women’s Aid CEO Sarah Benson said placing the word “domestic” in front of terms like abuse or violence sometimes negates the severity of the crimes.
Mindset