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Original poster

kathleen mulhall, jailed for 5 years.

24 replies

mayorquimby · 13/05/2009 11:11

www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0508/breaking3.htm

what do any mumsnetters,irish or otherwise, think of the decision to jail the mother of the scissor sisters, Kathleen mulhall, for 5 years.
for those of you who don't know her story.she was in an abusive relationship with a man, her daughters one night under the influence of drugs murdered this man and dumped his headless torso in the canal.
the mother was not present at the time opf the murder but on returning to the house and seeing the murder scene helped her sisters to clean up the place. she herself then went on into hiding for a time to avoid prosecution.
so was 5 years too much for someone who played no role in the murder but later attempted to obstruct justice by cleaning up a murder scene in order to protect her children who had killed a man who was violently abusing her?

OP posts:
spicemonster · 13/05/2009 11:13

What do you think?

Frivol · 13/05/2009 11:13

God she looks terifying.

Frivol · 13/05/2009 11:14

I would havegiven her more
for the two aggravating features mentioned.
But hey i wasnt there.

MrsJamesMartin · 13/05/2009 11:16

No IMO,
Not only did they murder him but also decapitated and , I assume as it was a torso that was found, severed his lower body from his upper body.
Accidently killing someone in an act of self defence is one thing but doing all those things, then taking such pains to get rid of the evidence and clean up is another all together.

TheCrackFox · 13/05/2009 11:33

I think she got off lightly. She will probably serve less than 2 years.

Original poster
mayorquimby · 13/05/2009 11:33

personally i think 5 years was about right, seeing as actual murderers routinely only get about 10 years in ireland so 5 years seemed abo9ut right to me,possibly would have gone for 6/7 years though.
i do think the mitigating factors she provided are slightly outweighed by the viciousness of the crime which involved (do not read the next sentence if you are particularly squeamish) hours of hacking off the limbs and head of the body in the bathroom with a bread knife and a hammer.

OP posts:
Frivol · 13/05/2009 12:04

wouldnt get that in Springfield..

mamadiva · 13/05/2009 12:08

Hardly the innocent victim though was he?

By the sounds of it they started out trying to help their mum but it turned into a bloody vicious blood bath! IMO 5 years is long enough even though she will probably ldo half of that because she did'nt actually kill anyone, yes she tidied up but would'nt we all do the same for our kids under these types of circumstances?

I know I would if my son was trying to protect me.

Greensneeze · 13/05/2009 12:10

wow, she looks like my mother

TheCrackFox · 13/05/2009 12:12

No, I would not do that for my DCs. Far too squeamish.

mamadiva · 13/05/2009 12:15

LOL crackfox.

WinkyWinkola · 13/05/2009 12:17

No, the victim sounds like he was an absolute beast.

But there's no way people should be able to murder and be accessories to murder and get away with it either.

cestlavie · 13/05/2009 12:22

Sounds reasonable given comparative Irish law sentences.

The victim may have been a deeply sbhorrent individual but fortunately our society doesn't allow us to take it upon ourselves to brutally murder and mutilate such people, or cover up for those who do.

mamadiva · 13/05/2009 12:34

I don't think she should have been set free that's not what i mean i just think that 5 years is long enough for cleaning up.

And sometimes I am sadly not sure whether it is forunate or unfortunate that such people can't just be disposed of.

chipmonkey · 13/05/2009 13:57

He sounds like a monster but in our society we have to stay within the law. Which means getting barring orders and reporting breaches of them to the gardai, not murdering the abuser. I do think the sentence is about right.

Original poster
mayorquimby · 13/05/2009 14:36

what i don't understand is the fact that she got a barring order but spent the day before the murder drinking with him in town.

OP posts:
chipmonkey · 13/05/2009 14:47

What????!!How could anyone go out drinking with someone who had raped them on a daily basis and had burned their child with cigarettes?

spicemonster · 13/05/2009 15:47

chipmonkey - have you read any of the threads by abused women on these boards? They have been a massive eye opener for me

nametaken · 13/05/2009 19:23

She got what she deserved.

If a man is abusing you, then finish with him. Don't take out a restraining order and then meet him for a drink.

wotulookinat · 13/05/2009 19:37

Oh, nothing to do with the group 'Scissor Sisters' then.

chipmonkey · 13/05/2009 21:29

spice, I have read a lot of threads by abused women and it has opened my eyes too as to how horrible and manipulative these men are and how they can totally wreck a woman's self-esteem.
But I do wonder how she could have endured all that, gotten away from him, gotten a barring order and then go out drinking with him like you would with an old mate? It does seem a bit odd for her to do that after she had had time to reflect on her situation

wotulookinat, dh at the time this all came out thought it was the female singer in the Scissor Sisters who perpetrated the murder!

spicemonster · 13/05/2009 21:36

It doesn't make any sense to me either chipmonkey but then I read threads on here and they don't make much sense so I'm beyond surprising now.

Mamazon · 13/05/2009 21:50

I spent years being abused physically mentally and sexually.
I can fullty understand why someone in such a relationship could snap and stab their abuser, how they could maybe poisen them...how they could want them dead and make efforts to do so.

BUT this is wrong. this wasn't in teh heat of the moment. it wasn't a reaction to abuse. it was just murder with a motive.

she deserves her 5 years

mamadiva · 14/05/2009 07:10

Chipmonkey if you re referring to the lady in the link I posted that was his ex partner not the lady who helped her daughters.

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