Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Much has been said in the past week of the manner of the death of Ashling Murphy, a lovely young woman whose life was cut cruelly short in a gruesome manner. This death has shocked the country and rightly so. Her family, or any family, should never have to go through this horrendous pain. I heard many strong words from outside this House and within, much of which I fully support as they were meaningful and needed to be said. Sadly, some of the commentary in this House last week was distasteful, to say the least, pointing at churches and church-run schools, which we now know had absolutely nothing to do with this shocking happening. Their statements show that they will use any mechanism possible in the House to get their sad points of view out there and, by God, some of their points of view are beyond sad. I suppose an apology from these Deputies is beyond them.

We must look for major improvements in sentencing. Yesterday, we learned of the sentencing of a man with 4,000 child images on his computer. He received a suspended sentence. When so many people who hurt women or families in such a terrible way get small sentences, it does not show a deterrent to those monsters out there who need to be shown up for what they do. Another area where parents and schools have to take better control is the mobile phone. Tablets, laptops and computers in the hands of children are like a loaded gun that the child cannot handle and lead our younger people to building up some terrible thoughts. If we cannot start with how we work with our great young people, how do we expect them to grow up and respect women and each other?

The events of the past week will never leave the minds of so many. Words are one thing, but action is needed.

People need to see this fast. It would send a message that no one from this country, or from outside this country, should think for even one second that they can get away with perpetrating a crime like this, or even a lesser crime, against a woman or any other human being here in Ireland.

Another area improvement is needed in is that of CCTV. Quite a lot of improvements in this regard have been made down through the years. Communities have set up CCTV systems. I have seen it in places like Schull and Bantry in west Cork in my own constituency. It has acted as a brilliant deterrent. It is a great deterrent and should be installed in every community. Nobody should be able to refuse a community such a system.

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