Justice Minister must engage with the family of the late Elizabeth Plunkett
Justice Minister must engage with the family of the late Elizabeth Plunkett - The Labour Party
- New RTÉ podcast series highlights new information relating to the murder of Elizabeth Plunkett
- Bacik calls on Taoiseach and Justice Minister to support the family’s call for a Cold Case review into the case
- Calls for legislation to protect the victimhood status of families
Questioning the Taoiseach in the Dáil today, Labour leader Ivana Bacik called on Government to support the family of Elizabeth Plunkett in their calls for Gardai to open a Cold Case Review into the murder of Elizabeth Plunkett, following the disclosure of new information highlighted by RTÉ’s Doc on One Stolen Sister podcast series.
Deputy Bacik said:
“Elizabeth Plunkett was the first victim of Ireland’s first serial killers, John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans, who acted together in a series of heinous crimes against women. RTÉ’s Stolen Sister podcast series has shone a light on her case and on the failures of the State to investigate her murder in full.
“Elizabeth’s sisters Kathleen and Bernadette have been chasing the issue for years, but a recent letter they sent to the Minister for Justice has to date gone unanswered.
“That’s why I asked the Taoiseach in the Dáil today: does he support their call for a Cold Case review? I hope that, due to the new information that has been disclosed over recent months about the case, the Justice Minister will engage with the family on this matter.
“There is also a need to address an anomaly in our justice system, whereby some families are deprived of their victimhood status, as is the case for Elizabeth’s family.
“Evans died in prison; but Shaw remains in prison, having been convicted of mudereing another victim, Mary Duffy. However, he was never convicted of Elizabeth’s murder.
“Due to this anomaly, Elizabeth Plunkett’s family are not legally regarded as victims within the Parole Board process – this glaring issue must be addressed.
“The RTÉ podcast has made it abundantly clear that a thorough review of all available evidential material should be carried out now. It’s also clear that, even after the passage of time, people may still have relevant evidence to offer.
“I urge the Government to engage with Elizabeth Plunkett’s family, so that they may get the justice that their family deserves.”