THE horror that unfolded at the quiet village of Maguiresbridge in Co Fermanagh on Monday is the latest shocking case of murder-suicide that has taken place in recent years.
Concepta Leonard (51) was murdered and her 30-year-old son Conor, who has Down’s syndrome, was stabbed and seriously injured by Peadar Phair, who subsequently took his own life.
Phair (55) had previously been in a relationship with Ms Leonard and it is understood that she had secured a non-molestation order against him in recent weeks.
Such orders are used to protect victims of domestic abuse from threats or harassment by an estranged partner and clearly this suggests that Ms Leonard felt at risk from Phair, who is believed to have a criminal record for violence.
Police are still trying to piece together exactly what happened on Monday but questions also need to be asked about Phair’s behaviour, in particular if he had breached the non-molestation order in the weeks before he launched his murderous attack.
It is important that all information about this terrible case is put into the public domain as soon as possible to determine if anything could have been done to prevent Ms Leonard’s death and the attempted murder of her son.
Sadly, cases of murder-suicide are far from rare in Ireland. It is only days since the body of Alan Hawe was exhumed from the grave he shared with his victims – his wife Clodagh and their three sons, Liam, Niall and Ryan. He killed his entire family at their home in Co Cavan in August last year before taking his own life.
Clodagh Hawe’s relatives recently spoke out to highlight domestic abuse and the danger that can lurk in a family home.
There is no doubt that domestic violence is a major issue in today’s society.
The victims of controlling, abusive and violent people need to be reassured that their fears are being taken seriously and all necessary steps taken to protect them.
