Mother Who Allegedly Murdered Her Own Children Can Be Named As Court Order Lifted

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Deirdre Morley
, Mother Who Allegedly Murdered Her Own Children Can Be Named As Court Order Lifted
The tragic McGinley Family. L. to R. Conor (9), Carla (3) and Darragh (7). Their father Andrew McGinley survives them and is second from the right.

A court order prohibiting the identification of a woman awaiting trial for allegedly murdering her three children has been lifted.

Deirdre Morley is accused of killing her two sons, aged nine and seven, and 3-year-old daughter, at their home at Parson’s Court, Newcastle, Co Dublin.

A Court of Appeal ruling last October put to bed any doubt over the identification of child victims in homicide cases that end up before the courts.

Its interpretation of Section 252 of the Children’s Act was that there was no distinction between a living child victim and a deceased one.

It ruled that the law protected the identities of both.

Changes to the law took effect last Friday, but Deirdre Morley still couldn’t be identified until a court order prohibiting the media from naming her was lifted today.

The 44-year-old is accused of murdering her three young children: Conor, Darragh and Carla, at the family home on January 24th last year.

Her trial is due to begin next week.