Jennie’s Law – A Brother’s Fight for Justice

This episode coincides with 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence and International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Twenty-four-year-old Jennifer Poole from Finglas in North Dublin was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Gavin Murphy from Coultry Drive in Ballymun at her home in April 2021. The mother of two was stabbed multiple times by Murphy who unbeknownst to her had a history of violence against women and had served time for attacking a former partner and her mother with a knife. Jennifer had been involved with Murphy for a year prior to her death, she had ended the relationship but he returned to her apartment that afternoon and fatally attacked her. Her young son was outside the apartment and could hear her cries for help. Murphy was jailed for life for her murder in 2022. Murphy had concocted a story that he had been in Spain before he met Jennifer when in actual fact he was in prison. In this episode Jennifer’s brother Jason Poole describes listening to offence after offence that Gavin Murphy had committed, he said his sister didn’t know about his past. Afterwards he asked his local Deputy Paul McAuliffe to help him to campaign for ‘Jennie’s Law’ which would provide for the establishment of a nationwide Domestic Violence Register which would name those convicted of the crime. He has been working with Deputy McAuliffe, the now Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O’Loughlin on moving Jennie’s Law forward. Cabinet Approval for Jennie’s Law has been secured and this is the culmination of Jason’s determination and hard work for his sister. In this episode he sits down with Deputy McAuliffe and Senator O’Loughlin about the realisation that this Domestic Violence Register is finally coming to fruition.