Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The Minister touched on the issue. An article by Justine McCarthy hinted at it on Sunday. There is collusion by society and the Dáil in the epidemic of violence against women. More women have been murdered in the past number of months than were murdered in the whole of last year. I particularly want to raise an issue about the Sonia Blount case in which the jury found the defendant guilty yesterday. What was most distressing is she was a young woman, a mother of a toddler, who had already escaped a serious, abusive relationship. She made the unfortunate mistake of having a few dates with somebody at work and ended up being stalked and harassed, incredibly, by this person and ultimately murdered. Will the Minister take action about a HSE-employed psychiatrist, Dr. Seán Ó Domhnaill, who testified in the case and went on a tirade of victim-blaming on behalf of the defendant? He actually wondered in court whether a residual part of Ms Blount actually liked Mr. Locke and knew she was going to meet him in that hotel room. It was an absolutely disgusting display of somebody who is getting paid by the State colluding in an epidemic of male violence against women and blaming the victim.

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