The children of Maire Rankin who was murdered by Karen Walsh on Christmas morning 2008 told reporters outside Belfast Crown Court yesterday that their “mammy was a kind, caring person who spent her life helping people”.
Daughter Emily Rankin, one of the victim’s six daughters and two sons, on behalf of the extended family, said that 81-year-old Mrs Rankin had the right to feel secure in her own home “but because of her trusting nature and kindness she was subjected to a frenzied assault and a horrific murder.
“She was savagely and persistently beaten with a crucifix, clumps of hair were violently pulled out by the roots, she was left with head injuries and broken ribs before being subjected to the ultimate defilement of her body,” added Emily Rankin.
Ms Rankin thanked the PSNI for its “dedicated work” in bringing the case to completion, expressed gratitude to Mr Justice Hart for “his clarity and sensitivity” during the trial, and the jury “for they way they listened intently to all the evidence, which at times must have been very distressing for them”.
“Hopefully we can now begin to overcome the horror of the past three years, focus on the 81 years of life which mammy enjoyed and remember her as a warm and generous mother,” she added.
PSNI Det Insp John Caldwell, in welcoming the verdict, said the Rankin family still did not know why Walsh murdered Mrs Rankin. “They have lost Maire’s love and company because of the drunken and depraved actions of someone she trusted as a neighbour,” he said.