Sharon killer loses parole battle
Evil Hennessy denied parole over killing of Sharon & girls
A MONSTER caged for life after murdering a mum and her two young kids on Christmas morning has been denied parole.
Brian Hennessy raped and strangled Sharon Whelan in 2008 before torching the house which led to the deaths of Zsara, seven, and twoyear-old Nadia from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The former postman had applied for release from jail just seven years after his conviction.
But on Friday the parole board turned down his request – meaning he will stay behind bars at Dublin’s Arbour Hill Prison for at least another three years. Sharon’s brother John, who is campaigning for changes to jail term laws as a member of Sentencing and Victim Equality, said the family now had “a small bit of respite”. He told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “I’m especially relieved for my parents because at least they won’t have this on their backs, at least for a little while.
“But there’s still that cloud because this situation will come around again in three years’ time.”
Under the current system for hearings, victims’ families can write a letter to the parole board outlining their case against granting early release. John said: “It is very stressful and it highlights the need for the system to be revamped. They did say the letter that was written by the family had a large bearing on the outcome, so that is something.”
In 2009 Hennessy was handed down three life sentences – one for murdering Sharon, 30, and one for each of her children to run concurrently after the first term.
But a year later he succeeded in his uncontested application to the Court of Criminal Appeal to have all three life sentences run concurrently.
They said the family’s letter had a big bearing on the outcome
JOHN WHELAN ON PLEA TO KEEP KILLER IN PRISON