The number of women and girls killed in Ireland has almost doubled in a year, an Irish Mirror investigation can reveal today.
We have established 13 females were victims of homicides in 2022 – that’s an increase of six from the
year before representing a massive hike of 85%.
And with half of 2023 still to come, already six women have suffered violent deaths this year. If that grim trend continues, there are likely to be more than 10 women killed in 2023.
An Irish Mirror analysis of all femicides shows there have been 38 since the start of 2019. In 2019, there were six victims. That was the same toll as 2020.
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Santina Cauley, who was just two when she was murdered by Karen Harrington in her Cork city apartment in July 2019, was the youngest victim.
While the oldest woman to die violently was 88, the average age of the victims was 40.
Four victims were aged under 10. They included Carla McGinley, three, who was killed with her brothers Conor, nine, and seven-year-old Darragh.
They were killed by their mum Deirdre Morley at the family home in Newcastle, South Dublin, in January 2020. She was later found not guilty of their murders by reason of insanity. Asfira Raza Banu was just 11 when she was murdered by her father Sameer Syed at the family home in Ballinteer, South Dublin, in 2020.
The brute also killed his wife Seema Banu, who was 37, and his six-year-old son Faizan. Syed was charged with their murders but cheated justice by taking own life.
Eight women victims were aged between 21 and 30 – the range with the highest number of deaths.
Those who died in this group included Sandra Boyd, who was 36 when she was shot dead at a house in Finglas, North Dublin, in March last year.
Her brother Derek Boyd, 28, admitted her manslaughter and was later jailed for two years. The gun fired accidentally when he was holding it.
Those aged between 31 and 40 accounted for five deaths, while there were six victims aged between 41 and 50.
Victims aged between 41 and 50 included Urantsetseg Tserendorj, who was 48 when she was stabbed to death as she walked home from work in central Dublin in January 2021. A 17-year-old was later convicted of
her murder and jailed for life with a review after 13 years.
Six woman were aged between 51 and 60 and seven were over the age of 61. They included Anne Butler, who was 71 when her body was found in her home
Kilkenny in March 2020. Trevor Rowe, 31, is serving life for her brutal murder. His trial heard Mrs Butler suffered a tortuous and painful death.
We have also established that in just four of the 38 cases the victims didn’t know their killer, or the person who has been charged over their deaths.
That means 89.5% of female homicide victims knew their killer, or alleged killer.
Among them was mum-of-two Jasmine McMonagle, who was 28 when she was strangled and beaten to death at her home in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, in January 2019.
Her on-off partner Richard Burke, 32, was jailed earlier this year for 14 years for her manslaughter.
And like Jasmine, 29 – or 76.2% – of the victims died in the family home.
Those included Jennie Poole, who was just 24 when she was stabbed to death in her apartment in Finglas, North Dublin in 2021. Her ex-boyfriend, Gavin Murphy, 30, was jailed for life for her murder in April.
Two women died in a car. One was 72-year-old Mary O’Keeffe who was found in a burning car at Doneraile, Co Cork in February 2021.
Michael Leonard, 64, of Hillcrest, Glenosheen, Kilmallock, Co Limerick, is serving life for her murder. Three women died in a public area and one in a hospital after an attack in her own home.
A further three died in another property that was not their home.
In 12 of the cases, gardai have already secured a conviction. In 19 instances, a suspect has been charged.
In three cases, the killer was identified but later took their own life and the investigation was closed.
And in two cases or 5.2%, the killer was found not guilty by reason of insanity. That is also the number of unsolved cases where nobody has been brought before the courts or took their own life after the killing.
However, in both instances gardai have identified and arrested a suspect, but they were later released without charge and the investigation is ongoing.
Some 16 victims were stabbed – which is 42% of all deaths. Another 12 (31.5%) died from assaults and four (11%) were strangled.
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