The brother of murdered Jennifer Poole has told of the family’s pain at not having her there with a present or card for her daughter’s birthday last week.
Jason Poole said “nothing is the same” since his sister’s death, and told how her grieving relatives are left explaining to her two children why she is no longer with them.
Jennifer, 24, was stabbed to death by her ex, Gavin Murphy, at her home in Melville Drive, Finglas, West Dublin, in April last year.
Read more: Brother of murder victim Jennifer Poole calls for new laws on revealing history of domestic violence
Last Tuesday marked another milestone without Jennifer, as it was one of her children’s’ birthdays. Jason told the Irish Mirror: “There was no present or card from her mammy.
“And that’s it. There are constant reminders particularly when the milestones come up like anniversaries, birthdays or communions and that stuff that she’s not there for.
“Jennifer left two children behind that you have a lot of explaining to do every day.
“We’re not the same family. We’re not the same people that we were before Jennifer’s death.”
Jennifer’s killer Gavin Murphy, from Ballymun in North Dublin, is serving a life sentence for murder. She was stabbed seven times in her apartment in the fatal attack but had been subjected to months of abuse from the thug.
Jason told us: “We’ll never get over how she was treated.
“We’ll never get over the bruises or the wounds or the injuries that were left on her, even prior to her death.
“That’s something we have to live with everyday while he swans around Mountjoy Prison.”
But teacher Jason is determined Jennifer is not left behind as a statistic as he fights for a domestic abuse register to be introduced by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee.
Jennifer was unaware that Murphy had previously served three years in jail for beating up an ex-girlfriend.
Jason said: “Until we get a domestic violence register in this country, I will not let it go because Jennifer would have been safe if there had been one.”
Last week, figures released by the gardai showed officers have been responding to a 13% rise in domestic abuse reports in the first six months of this year compared to last.
READ Next:
- Tributes flow as Dublin man killed in Canada hit-and-run named
- Leo Varadkar can't 'definitively rule out' emergency budget to tackle fuel crisis
Gardai on alert over fears Mr Flashy could wage all-out war on enemies
Mr Flashy ran for life after being targeted in Finglas gun attack
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox
