Monica's search for justice continues online

Cork mother Monica Butler, whose son John was shot dead in front of his fiancée in 2002, has started an online campaign for justice. 

John Butler, who was aged 20 at the time of his death, was shot dead on 7 October 2002 and almost ten years later no one has been convicted of his death. Mrs Butler has started on online petition and is hoping to get 1,000 signatures that she can present to the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter. 

"I went to the Minister for Justice to ask for his help and he told me that it was in the hands of the DPP. I wrote to them six months ago and I still have heard nothing back, I'm at a loss as to what to do so an online campaign seemed the best way. I have gotten over 350 signatures since I started the campaign in July but I am hoping to get a lot more.

"There has been signatures from people in France, England and Australia and a lot of people have offered me their sympathy, which is nice, but I just don't know what to do any more or where to go. It has been hell on earth."

Last year, as reported in the Cork Independent, Thomas Morey (31) was given a three year sentence for perjury at the Court of Criminal Appeal, with the last two years suspended. Previous to this Cecil Lynch and Jerry Ross were arrested in February 2005 and both were charged with murder the following April. However the murder case collapsed on 9 February 2006 when Morey, the key witness, claimed to have had memory loss over an 18-month period. Mrs Butler says it is "beyond belief" that her son's killers are walking free and no one is doing anything about it.

"He [Morey] got to read out a impact statement when he was sentenced saying that his children couldn't understand why he was going to jail. What am I supposed to tell my grandson whose father was killed? That man's children will get their father back but Jamie will never get his Dad back. I never got to read a victim impact statement. There are no words to describe it, people are refusing to acknowledge that John's killers are walking free."

In June 2008, Monica's husband Johnny died by suicide.

"It's been left to me to get justice for our son," says Monica. "I don't do it for myself, my life is over now, it ended when my son was killed but I'm doing it for Jamie, that's what John would have wanted.

"It is our right to get justice for this. The petition will hopefully go someway to getting these people to notice us. I will not give up on this."

You can sign Monica's online petition by going to causes.com and searching 'John Butler'.