Murder victims’ families meet with First Minister to campaign for new law

By Rebecca Black, PA

First Minister Arlene Foster has backed a call for a new law that would prevent convicted murderers being eligible for parole until they reveal the location of their victim’s body.

The family of murdered Co Tyrone woman Charlotte Murray have been campaigning for the law to be named in her memory.

Ms Murray, 34, was killed sometime between October 31 and November 1 2012, but her body has never been found despite searches.

Last October, Johnny Miller, a 49-year-old chef from Redford Park, Dungannon, was found guilty of her murder.

Ms Murray’s family, along with the family of Co Down woman Lisa Dorrian who was murdered in 2005, met with Ms Foster on Wednesday.

(Lisa Dorrian)

The remains of Ms Dorrian have also never been found despite significant searches. They are backing the Murray family’s campaign, although Ms Dorrian’s killers have yet to be brought to justice.

Charlotte’s sister Sinead Corrigan said they do not want to see Miller released from jail until her remains are found.

“We are in the situation where we have justice for Charlotte, her killer received a 16-year sentence in January 2020 but he has yet to tell us where he has hidden Charlotte’s body,” she said.

“Our campaign focuses on ensuring he will not be released from prison until he tells us where Charlotte is.”

Ms Foster said she supports their call.

“It was a privilege to meet with the family of Lisa Dorrian and Charlotte Murray,” she said.

“Both of these families have suffered a huge loss in that their daughters, sisters have been murdered and their bodies have not been found.

“They came along today to speak to me to ask me to be a proponent for what they want to see happening, and that is that if a perpetrator is jailed for murder and they don’t allow the families to know where their loved one is buried, that they are not considered for parole.

“I think that is just given that these families are going through a horrendous time by not having the opportunity to say goodbye and grieve properly.

“I look forward to speaking to the justice minister about these issues, and I look forward to working with the families as we work through this terrible time for them, and I hope that we can find them some closure.

“I also hope that we can bring the person who is responsible for Lisa Dorrian’s death to justice.”

(Charlotte's grieving mum Mary and sister Denise)

Another one of Charlotte’s sisters, Denise Murray added: “We are very grateful for the public support for Charlotte’s Law and we hope to have all party support when this comes to vote in the Assembly.”

Both the Murray and the Dorrian families added that they felt they were in “eternal limbo while their loved ones remain missing”.

Earlier, Ms Foster spoke out calling for tougher sentences for people found guilty of murdering public servants, including police, prison officers, soldiers and health workers.

Northern Ireland’s sentencing tariffs are among the most lenient across the UK and Ireland for this crime.

Last month, Co Armagh man Aaron Brady was handed a 40-year sentence at a court in Dublin for the murder of Garda Adrian Donohoe.

In Northern Ireland, the starting tariff is 15 to 16 years.

Mrs Foster said this was “morally indefensible” in the Belfast Telegraph.

She told the BBC that she said she did not think it was “fair or just” and that Stormont needed “to have a very serious look” at it.

The petition to support Charlotte’s Law has been signed by almost 10,000 people.

It can be found at www.change.org/p/naomi-long-charlotte-s-law-deny-parole-to-murderers-who-conceal-victim-s-body.