I CAN still remember the shock and absolute disgust of our readers when the details of Larry Murphy’s attack on a Carlow woman began to emerge during his arrest and subsequent trial more than ten years ago.
One woman came into the newsroom and, for half an hour, vented her anger at those of us in the room over the coverage and disclosure of the details. She accused the media of literally raping the victim all over again.
She had a very valid point; unfortunately, there was little or nothing that could be done about it. The details were made known not to sensationalise matters but to let the public know just how dangerous this man was.
On and off over the past ten years, his name has come up for mention, and each time I have no doubt the victim, as well as Murphy’s wife, shudder at the mere mention of his name. The horror of what he did is inexcusable and there can be no making up for that.
However, what took place on his release from prison on Thursday last was nothing short of farce. On the one hand there was flashback footage of him being led into court ten years ago with a coat thrown over his head – but for some strange reason the town and its mother were present when he was released.
Whatever happened to a pre-dawn release, as is so often the case for prisoners?
That chase around the city by both gardaí and press photographers was nothing short of a comic opera. If you saw it on TV, you would say it could never happen. The subject matter is very serious, so why was this episode allowed to degenerate into a joke?
Here is a man who has not sought counselling for the dreadful things he has done, yet he qualifies for early release because he kept his nose clean during his incarceration. Surely to God, there had to be a better reason than that. Has anyone bothered to carry out an assessment to see if he will reoffend? If so, that and an awful lot of other information is being kept back from the general public.
By allowing the antics of last Thursday to take place, all we are really doing is stoking up public opinion to such an extent that some foolhardy person might be tempted to take the law into their own hands. While we might all harbour such notions, the reality is that this man has paid for his crime and is at liberty once more. As one commentator remarked on Friday last, the state has had ten years to prepare for such a day, but has done absolutely nothing about changing legislation.
At the time of his arrest, the only explanation Larry Murphy gave for his actions was that he had “lost it”. Hopefully, over the past ten years he has had ample time to reflect on his actions and recognise that what he did was unacceptable. In the eyes of the law, he may have paid his dues, but in the eyes of society, he will continue to serve a sentence – and he must be prepared to accept that.
However, some control must be exercised among the general public – and soon – because if the mood of those interviewed during a public meeting in Grangecon is anything to go by, it may be only a matter of time before another crime is committed – and that would be dreadful.