Daughter of Balbriggan Man Killed by Partner Welcomes Planned Changes to Court Character References - 30/06/2026

The daughter of a Balbriggan man who was killed by his partner has welcomed planned changes to the law that would reform how character references are presented in court for people convicted of serious offences.Karen Ryan has been campaigning for change since her father, James Ryan, was killed in 2024 by his partner, Olesja Hertova . Karen has now spoken about the distress caused when a character reference was submitted on behalf of the woman convicted of his killing during sentencing.The Government has now agreed to support an amendment to legislation that would require character references in cases involving serious offences, including unlawful killing, domestic violence and coercive control, to be made under oath in open court or by sworn affidavit.Karen says the changes are an important step and could help spare other grieving families from further trauma during court proceedings, and she joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.