The grieving daughter of a man stabbed 69 times by a callous killer has called on authorities to keep criminals locked up.
Nicola Gogarty’s father was murdered by a criminal who had been released early from prison.
John Gogarty was living in Barnsley, England when he was killed in his home in Marsh Street in 2015.
Ian Birley and girlfriend Helen Nichol robbed and killed the 65-year-old to pay a drug debt.
Now Nicola, from Skerries in North Co Dublin, said not enough is being done for other victims of crime in Ireland.
She added: “I find it quite infuriating when I hear of people in similar situations to me who suffered the same. It just angers me.
“If he wasn’t released we would still have our dad and my kids would have their grandad.
“The authorities who release them back into society need to know for sure that they [killers] have a stronger mind – that they have changed.
“There are constant stories in Ireland of people being released and then going on to do it again. What we are doing is not working.
“There is no support for victims. This is the worst situation that you could ever go through, you are left to your own devices and your world crashes around you. I had nowhere to go for help.
“There needs to be a lot more funding for victims of homicide, there is nothing for families left behind who are paying the price.”
A documentary on British TV network Channel 5 called Released To Kill Again last month told the story of the tragic murder of John.
And Nicola has advice for those who are left behind to grieve for murder victims.
She said: “I have off days, I was very close to my father and it is very difficult for that reason.
“My dad was over here a lot and he was great with my kids. It makes me very sad that they have not got a chance to grow up with him.
“ I think you learn to live with it – I will never get over it. It haunts me because of what he did to him. I suffered with that for a long time.”
Now brave Nicola is going to get a qualification so she can help other grieving families get on with their lives in the wake of heartbreaking loss.
She said: “I am also going to do a degree myself in counselling for four years for psychotherapy so that I can hopefully help people who are in a similar situation.
“It is very hard, all crimes are very different and the way they affect people are very different.
“There is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which every victim suffers.
“I think if you can get the help you need, I have done a lot of work on myself and I didn’t want it to define my life and also my brother and sister.
“Talking to counsellors does help, don’t let it define the rest of your life. Do not let that perpetrator win.”
