The family of murdered Dublin woman Esther McCann told a court yesterday of their fears if double killer Frank McCann is ever released from prison.
McCann was given two life sentences in August 1996 after he was found guilty by a jury of the murders of his wife Esther (36) and 18-month-old baby Jessica who perished in a fire at their home in Rathfarnham, Dublin, on September 4th, 1992.
Yesterday Ms McCann's niece, Esther Leonard, told Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court: "I am just terrified at the prospect of Frank McCann being let out.
"I don't want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder knowing that he could be two steps away.
"I am just really scared for my family," she said.
Mr Justice Carney, who was the original trial judge, told the family members that there had been "a culture change" in the courts in relation to how victims were dealt with since the trial.
He agreed to a request by McCann's lawyers to backdate the two life sentences to the date of McCann's arrest on November 4th, 1992, and added that this was in accordance with the normal practice now adopted by the courts.
The judge also ordered that a transcript of yesterday's hearing should be kept on the court file and should be available for consideration by the parole board.
Ms McCann's brother, Pat O'Brien, told the judge: "My family have lived in fear of Frank McCann being made free. My wife, my daughter and my sister - the thing is not knowing when he is going to come out.
"He has wrecked our lives. He has shown no remorse, he has shown no pity," Mr O'Brien said.
The late Ms McCann's sister, Marian Leonard, said: "We were always on the sidelines. My sister and my niece were left out of the court as much as possible, and I want to bring their names back into this court.
"Esther and Jessica were innocent. Frank McCann tried time and time again to kill them both and eventually succeeded in September 1992.
"He manipulated my family, he manipulated the courts. He has never expressed remorse to me, to Jessica's family.
"To this day he remains arrogant, manipulating and evil, that is my belief."
McCann (45), a former international swimmer for Ireland and former president of the Leinster branch of the Irish Amateur Swimming Association, was convicted of the murders of his wife and the baby at their home at Butterfield Avenue, Rathfarnham, after his second trial.
The original trial in 1994 was aborted after 12 days.