THE brother of murdered Leap mum-of-three Valerie French, who was killed by her husband in Mayo over five years ago, is hoping a new Bill will suspend the parental rights of parents convicted of killing their spouse.
David French has been very vocal about changing the law and his campaign is being supported by Cork South West TD Holly Cairns who is progressing legislation to ensure children are protected in such situations.
Speaking to The Southern Star, David said that while it might not take away the guardianship from Valerie’s husband of her three children, it might do so for other families who face this traumatic ordeal.
Valerie was murdered by her husband James Kilroy in June 2019 at their home in Kilbree in Co Mayo. Following a third trial at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin earlier this summer, he was found guilty on July 26th and was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment.
‘It might or might not take away his guardianship of my nephews, but the point is that no child should find themselves in this situation. There is a big gap in the understanding of the whole issue,’ said David. ‘In the UK, Jade’s Law is now in place and it would be ideal if Ireland could follow suit.’
He said it’s very distressing for him and his siblings to know that while Valerie’s murderer is in prison, he still gets a say in the lives of her three children. This can include receiving school and health reports, as well as having a say on them travelling aboard and other big decisions in their lives.
‘He is no different than any other father in prison, who robbed a car, for example. The law doesn’t recognise that killing their mum is child abuse. It has to be seen that the children are victims and who knows what they saw before their mum was killed.’
David said that they could be forced to keep him informed of all things related to his children.
‘We’ve had five years in advance of his conviction to learn what way things were going to pan out, and it was good to talk to other families who faced the same ordeal. People would think that this is automatic – it’s a no-brainer. For the five years we had three trials, which was tough for all of us.’
He feels Valerie would be proud of the idea of them speaking out to protect her children.
‘She was never the one to be quiet and if she had a problem, she’d talk about it, rather than suffer in silence. She was great fun, fiercely capable and always had all the time in the world for people. She was a great mum and because she was an occupational therapist, she was very caring and able to establish connections with people very fast.’
Cork South West TD and leader of the Social Democrats Holly Cairns said Valerie’s needless death should be a ‘turning point’ and the State must ensure that every lever is available to action this as soon as possible.
‘This Bill is designed to protect children in situations of domestic homicide. There is no doubt that murdering a child’s other parent is an act of abuse, and should result in an immediate suspension of parental rights. Unfortunately, the current state of affairs means that crucial decisions around a child’s healthcare, education or passport is in the hands of their parent’s killer.’
Deputy Cairns said the bill she is proposing will automatically suspend parental rights upon sentencing.
‘It will ensure children are not left without a legal guardian, and their voices are heard in the proceedings through a Guardian Ad Litem. Parental rights will not be suspended in situations where a victim of domestic abuse kills her abuser in an act of self-defence.’
