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Dáil
‹ Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation

Martin Lynn manslaughter sentence

Summary

Ivana Bacik raised the Lynn family's concerns after the DPP did not appeal the manslaughter sentence for Martin Lynn’s killer. The Taoiseach offered condolences and said he would ask the Minister to engage on her party’s legislation.

I want to pay tribute to the family of Martin Lynn, the young man killed in an unprovoked one-punch attack outside his Dublin home in 2023. His sister Sharon Lynn expressed her disappointment at the weekend after the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, chose not to appeal his killer's sentence for manslaughter. I have met with Sharon, along with my colleagues Deputies George Lawlor and Robert O'Donoghue. We met with Sharon and her partner Anthony, and we want to reissue our sincere condolences to them on their loss. Commendably, Sharon has said she wants to go on now to advocate for sentencing reform to help others. Victims and survivors of violent crime deserve transparency in sentencing. It is now 18 months since the Labour Party brought forward a Dáil motion raising the need for consistency in sentencing for violent offences, inspired by the bravery of Natasha O'Brien, now reinspired by Sharon and her family. I would ask the Taoiseach to look again at the calls in our motion to improve sentencing practice, in particular to ensure clearer sentencing guidelines for judges and a comprehensive database. We owe it to victims and survivors of crime.

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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is a very important one. I also wish to convey my condolences to the family of Martin and Sharon and those the Deputy has met . We have to prioritise victims and survivors of criminal violence and we are doing that. Deputy Bacik is a person with a significant legal background. Perhaps she and the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, could engage on the substance of her party's legislation. I will talk to the Minister in the context of her raising this and perhaps he can engage with her on it.

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