Cork mother: ‘Terrible to think' daughter’s murderer could get parole

The mother of Cork woman Olivia Dunlea, who was murdered 12 years ago, has said that the chance for her daughter’s killer to get parole this year is “terrible”.

Anne Dunlea featured on The Opinion Line with PJ Coogan on Cork’s 96FM yesterday morning to speak with Mr Coogan ahead of this week’s episode of TG4’s true crime docuseries, Marú Inár Measc, which will feature her daughter’s case.

For the Dunlea family, this year not only represents another year without Olivia, but the year that her convicted murderer, Darren Murphy, will be eligible to apply for parole.

Speaking on this possibility, Anne Dunlea said: “It gets harder every year, there’s nothing easy about it.

“It’s like being at trial again. It’s terrible to think that he could get parole. I’m hoping he won’t, but we have to be practical and think ‘what if’.

“I’m not prepared for that — I’m hoping that our voices will be heard.

“It’s very hard to get justice in this country. To me, life [in prison] is life [in prison]. Why should he be left out? What about my poor child? We’re never going to see her again.”

She added: “I don’t want to meet that murderer coming down the road. It’s heartbreaking seeing her poor children now growing up without her. It doesn’t get any easier; and the longer it’s going on, the worse it gets.

“She’s never going to come back to us, and that’s the worst part of it.”

Episode three of Marú Inár Measc explores the murder of Olivia Dunlea, a 36-year-old playschool teacher and mother of three. Olivia was found dead in her home, having suffered six stab wounds, after reports of a fire at her residence in Passage West on February 17, 2013.

The episode will air on TG4 tomorrow at 9.30pm, and will feature interviews with Olivia’s family, including her daughter Megan, who will be speaking about the death for the first time.