Murder victim's mother rejects Killeen apology

The mother of a murder victim said yesterday it was too late for Minister of State for Labour Affairs Tony Killeen to apologise to her for his office twice making representations seeking the early release of her son's murderer.

"I don't want his apologies, it is too late," said Nora Lynch, whose son, Robert (22) was murdered 16 years ago in an unprovoked attack in an Ennis bar by Christopher Cooney (42).

Cooney was the subject of two separate unsuccessful representations from the constituency office of Mr Killeen in 2003 and 2005 seeking his early release, while Fine Gael Clare TD Pat Breen tabled a Dáil question last year asking Minister for Justice Michael McDowell if Cooney would be eligible for early release.

Ms Lynch told Clare FM that educated people should have the "common decency" to think about the family of a murder victim, rather than "this great guy in jail".

"Sorry, no. I don't want his apology, he can stuff it up his jumper," she said.

Ms Lynch, from near Bantry, Co Cork, said: "If Mr Killeen could stand in my shoes where I am standing here today, that guy would think twice about what he did and Mr Pat Breen as well.

"If this man, Mr Killeen has the slightest, slightest bit of a heart, he would have gone to the victims' families first and asked them how they felt about it," Ms Lynch said

"Mr Killeen and Mr Breen - one is as bad as the other - it is about time that they copped themselves on and put some sort of a law in place that victims' families are consulted first, not last and not waiting to hear about it on television and the papers."

Mr Killeen apologised to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern this week after it emerged that representations were made from his office for the early release of Cooney. His office had made similar representations on behalf of a convicted paedophile.

Mr Killeen said he was looking into the matter further with a view to establishing the facts in each case in order to explain the situation to the families of the victims and apologise for any hurt he had caused them.

Ms Lynch said she had asked her local Fianna Fáil TD, Denis O'Donovan, to make representations in the Dáil to ensure "that this never happens to a victim again".