Sentencing Policy
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-14
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Matt Carthy (SF), Cavan-Monaghan

Clearly when I talk about homicide I am not talking about murder but I have spoken to some victims who were in court for the sentencing of perpetrators who were convicted of actions resulting in the killing of their loved one and the introduction to the sentencing stage of unverified testimony not given under oath or by way of an affidavit really traumatised the family even further. This is often the case where somebody has pleaded guilty to an action that has resulted in the death of somebody else, so there is no trial as such. In many ways, the victims' families feel that perhaps the full truth has not come out about the actions of the person who is responsible and then ultimately, prior to sentencing, a number of testimonies are provided about how great a person this was. In that type of scenario I think the Minister is saying he recognises that type of testimony should be given on affidavit or in the witness box. Will he legislate to ensure that is the case?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:56+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-14