Latest news with #2019ParoleAct
RTÉ News
03-07-2025
- RTÉ News
Irish women 'still not safe', say Plunkett sisters
The sisters of Dublin woman Elizabeth Plunkett believe that Irish women are "still not safe" almost 50 years after the murder that shocked Ireland. Kathleen Nolan and Bernie Plunkett claim nothing has been learned since their sister's murder in 1976 by Ireland's first serial killers - John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans. The Plunkett family are currently collaborating with RTÉ's seven-part podcast series Stolen Sister to raise awareness around Elizabeth Plunkett's case. Calling for stricter rules on bail conditions, Ms Plunkett said: "We're going on to 50 years, next year, 76 to 2026. How many women have been murdered in the meantime?" She added: "This is still happening all these years later. So, if anything, we want to draw attention to the fact women are not safe." Shaw and Evans were on £40 bail at the time of Elizabeth Plunkett's and later Mayo woman Mary Duffy's murder. Ms Plunkett said: "If they had held on to them at that time, our Elizabeth would be still alive and so would Mary Duffy. "But no, they obviously didn't take that seriously enough that two lives had to be lost." Both men were from the north of England and were arrested in Ireland before the murders for burglary and had a year-long stay in Irish prisons in Limerick and Mountjoy. When they murdered Elizabeth Plunkett and Mary Duffy, they were awaiting an extradition hearing back to the UK to face rape and sexual assault charges. Ms Nolan said too much time elapses between missing persons and murder investigations. She believes an elite team should be sent in promptly after a person goes missing "because they're losing too much information". The women mention the cases of Annie McCarrick and Tina Satchwell as examples of cases where there have been serious questions surrounding investigations. 'Like getting slapped in the face' Originally Shaw and Evans were charged with the murder, rape and false imprisonment of Elizabeth Plunkett and Mary Duffy. However, when Shaw applied for parole in 2023, it was revealed he had never been convicted for Elizabeth Plunkett's murder despite previous reports. The family also discovered that the State did not hold an inquest into the death of Elizabeth Plunkett, nor ever issued a death certificate in her name. As Shaw was never convicted of any charges relating to Elizabeth Plunkett, her family said they are no longer considered victims of a crime under the 2019 Parole Act and are not entitled to take part in the parole process. Evans died in 2012. According to Ms Plunkett, the shock she felt following the revelation from the Parole Board was "like getting slapped in the face". The collaboration between the family and the Stolen Sister podcast led to an inquest being held into Elizabeth Plunkett's death earlier this year. Ms Plunkett said the family hope new information gathered during the podcast, which to date includes 11 new witness statements, will also lead to a retrial. These statements include accounts from women who said they were approached by men they identified as Shaw and Evans. In late May, the family's solicitor James MacGuill SC wrote to the DPP, the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice requesting a cold case review into her death and a renewed public appeal for evidence. Aside from an acknowledgement of receipt from the Minister, no further contact has been made. RTÉ's Documentary On One wrote to the Minister for Justice on 7 March looking for any records relating to Elizabeth Plunkett. They responded 16 weeks later and are still looking for the records. In a statement, the minister extended his "deepest condolences" to the family of Elizabeth Plunkett for her tragic death. The statement read: "While the minister is very much conscious of the case of Ms Plunkett, he is mindful that a number of matters referred to are under the remit of bodies who are independent in the performance of their functions." "The Department has undertaken a preliminary search of records to identify what is held on file related to this matter. "Work is ongoing to retrieve and review records on file. When this is complete, the Department will be able to consider the request related to the release of these records." Ms Plunkett said nearly 50 years ago, the authorities did not have the same access to information gathering, but that excuse is no longer valid in today's world. "Their investigations were kind of notebook and pen, you know, whereas it's not like that today. And still, the cases are happening." Her sisters described Elizabeth Plunkett as a social, fun-loving and independent young woman with big ambitions for her future. "We used to say she's full of notions. Because she wasn't going to just be in Ringsend, and a housewife. She wanted to be big time and style and fashion and go somewhere..." said Ms Plunkett. While taking part in the Stolen Sister podcast has been difficult for the sisters, Ms Plunkett said they are "prepared to take the punches to get the justice we want". If anyone has any information on John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans, the Plunkett family have asked that you contact the podcast makers through documentaries@
RTÉ News
07-06-2025
- RTÉ News
Family of Elizabeth Plunkett call for cold case review
The family of Elizabeth Plunkett has written to the DPP, the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice requesting a cold case review into her death and a renewed public appeal for evidence. John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans confessed to abducting, raping and murdering both Ms Plunkett in Brittas Bay Co Wicklow, and Mary Duffy in Conamara, Co Galway, in 1976. Originally both men were charged with murder, rape and false imprisonment of Ms Plunkett and Ms Duffy. However, when Shaw began a parole application nearly two years ago, it was revealed he had never been convicted for Ms Plunkett's murder despite previous reports. It was also revealed to the Plunkett family that the State never held an inquest into the death of Ms Plunkett nor ever issued a death certificate in her name. The Plunkett family are collaborating with the team at RTÉ Documentary On One on Stolen Sister, a six-part podcast series currently publishing to raise awareness around Ms Plunkett's case. This collaboration led to an inquest being held into Ms Plunkett's death earlier this year. In January, a verdict of unlawful killing was returned at the inquest at Gorey courthouse. Coroner Dr Seán Nixon sitting gave the cause of death as asphyxia due to strangulation. While Shaw was never convicted of crimes against Ms Plunkett, Evans was convicted of her rape and false imprisonment, but not murder. As Shaw was never convicted of any charges relating to Ms Plunkett, her family said they are no longer considered victims of a crime under the 2019 Parole Act and are not entitled to take part in the parole process. Evans died in 2012. In the Plunketts' letter, written on their behalf by solicitor James MacGuill SC, the family seeks to justify a cold case review. They outline a series of developments since the decision of the statutory Parole Board to no longer view them as victims of a crime. These include the findings of the recent inquest, as well as the post-mortem report issued following Ms Plunkett's death that contained samples of potentially significant evidentiary value that the family believe should be submitted for modern forensic examination. The letter also states that publicity was given to the case by RTÉ because it identified a significant public interest in establishing why Shaw was not prosecuted for such a serious crime. In addition, the correspondence outlines that renewed interest in the case has already led to a new witness coming forward with information about the night Ms Plunkett was abducted. A further incident that was reported to the authorities at the time is also mentioned in the letter. A young woman in Fethard, Co Tipperary, was allegedly chased by two men, who she later identified as Shaw and Evans, after watching a television report of their arrest. The Plunkett family claim these matters warrant immediate investigation as they provide strong corroborative evidence of similar facts to Ms Plunkett's murder and Shaw's statement of confession. The decision to only prosecute Shaw for the murder of Ms Duffy has not yet been made clear to the Plunkett family. P arole application Shaw is serving a life sentence in Arbour Hill Prison for the murder of Ms Duffy in September 1976. According to information given to the Plunkett family by the Victim Liaison Office of the Irish Prison Service, Shaw's most recent parole application has been refused. He will be eligible to apply for parole again in February of next year. The Minister for Justice's office told RTÉ: "The Parole Board, as provided for under the Parole Act 2019, was established on 31 July 2021. The 2019 Act placed the parole process on a statutory footing and established an independent, statutory Parole Board to decide on parole applications. "The Parole Board makes its decisions to grant or refuse parole independently from the Minister for Justice." RTÉ contacted the Parole Board and the Irish Prison Service for comment; both said they do not comment on individual cases. In 2016, the Parole Board recommended that Shaw be given two days of temporary release a year under a prison escort. While the Minister for Justice at the time rejected this suggestion, that decision was later reversed in 2020. Shaw's most recent escorted visit out of prison was granted just two weeks ago, in late May, when he was brought to Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, in the company of prison staff and later returned to custody. Kathleen Nolan and Bernie Plunkett, sisters of Elizabeth Plunkett told RTÉ News: "We're relieved that this individual, who confessed to abducting, raping and murdering our beloved Elizabeth has once again been refused parole. "However, he has still not faced justice for what he did to our sister. This is why we're telling Elizabeth's story in the podcast series Stolen Sister, to bring wider public attention to our plight - and to seek for any new witnesses that might be able to help our case. "We're calling on the DPP to tell us why this man never faced the courts for what he did to our Elizabeth. And we're asking gardaí to now re-examine his case so Elizabeth can finally get some justice." If anyone has any information on John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans, the Plunkett family have asked that you contact the podcast makers through documentaries@
