“WE’RE TRAPPED IN A CYCLE OF TRAUMA” — FAMILY OF MURDERED MOTHER FURIOUS AS KILLER’S PAROLE DECISION COULD BE DELAYED UNTIL NEXT YEAR

More than 17 years after a mother and her two young daughters were killed in a horrifying Christmas Day attack, her family is facing another painful wait.

Brian Hennessy, the man serving a life sentence for the killings of Sharon Whelan and her two daughters, has made a third application for release.

But instead of receiving a decision within weeks, Sharon’s brother says the family has now been told they could be waiting several more months — potentially until next year.

For John Whelan, the delay has reopened wounds that never truly healed.

“You are left in this cycle of trauma all the time.”

John told The Irish Sun that every parole process brings back the fear that Hennessy could eventually walk free.

A CHRISTMAS DAY TRAGEDY

Sharon Whelan was 30 when Hennessy broke into her home in Roscon, Co Kilkenny, in the early hours of Christmas Day in 2008.

According to the report, Hennessy raped and strangled Sharon before setting the property on fire.

Inside the home were Sharon’s two daughters — seven-year-old Zara and two-year-old Nadia.

Both children died in the blaze.

The killings left Sharon’s family facing what John describes as lifelong trauma.

NOW THE FAMILY IS WAITING AGAIN

Hennessy is serving a life sentence but became eligible to apply for parole after 12 years in custody.

His latest application was submitted at the beginning of 2026 and was his third attempt to secure release.

John met with the Parole Board in March to explain the devastating impact the three killings had had on his family.

He expected a decision within weeks.

Instead, after hearing nothing, John contacted the board himself last month.

He was reportedly told that the decision could take another three to six months because of delays within the system.

That uncertainty has been particularly painful for the family.

John said every parole hearing forces relatives to relive the killings while simultaneously confronting the possibility that Hennessy could eventually be released.

He also questioned whether families are being treated as an afterthought in the justice process.

“IT’S UNACCEPTABLE”

John has written to Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan and local politicians seeking answers about the delay.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik, Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness and Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion have responded and indicated they would raise the issue with the Department.

The Justice Minister’s office has acknowledged receipt of John’s correspondence.

The Parole Board said delays can occur when it is waiting for expert reports from organisations including An Garda Síochána, the Irish Prison Service, psychology services, probation services and the courts.

The board also acknowledged that its own secretariat is understaffed.

An independent report published in 2023 found that at least 46 staff would be needed to meet the board’s statutory workload — almost twice its current staffing level.

THE WAIT IS PART OF THE TRAUMA

The Parole Board said it was aware that delays could affect both prisoners seeking release and victims’ families.

For John Whelan, however, the consequences are deeply personal.

Every delay means more uncertainty.

Every parole process means revisiting the worst days of his family’s life.

And more than 17 years after Sharon, Zara and Nadia were taken from him, John says the family is still waiting for an answer that could determine what happens next.

Brian Hennessy has not been released. The decision on his latest parole application remains pending.