A picture of violence: The 24 women killed in four years

Since 2020, 24 women have been violently killed in Northern Ireland.

Each one of them was a daughter, the majority of them mothers.

They were sisters, aunts, friends and some of them were grandmothers.

All but one of these women were killed by a man or it is a man who has been charged in connection with their deaths.

In each case, for the women’s families and friends, the trauma of their deaths will be felt forever and be passed down to the next generation.

In at least 20 of the 24 deaths, the killers – or the suspects in their killings – were well-known to the women.

That figure could be higher as the relationship to some of those accused of the killings is not yet known.

The cases are still going through the legal process.

Those that have been accused or convicted of the killings include husbands, partners, ex-partners, brothers, sons, a friend and a grandson.

At least 18 of the 24 women were attacked or killed in their own homes.

Another, Katie Brankin, was killed while on a glamping holiday.

The exact details of the properties where some of the women died have not yet been confirmed.

The women who have been killed ranged in age from their 20s to their 80s.

The youngest was Patrycja Wryebek, who was 20.

Elizabeth Dobbin was 82 when she was killed in her Larne home.

At least 18 of the women were mothers. Another, Natalie McNally, was pregnant when she was killed.

In four cases, the women’s children were present at the properties where they were attacked.

Each of these women have left behind heartbroken families.

Families who want their loved one remembered for the lives they had and not their violent deaths.

Betty Dobbin was known to her great granddaughter as “Great Dobbin”, a term of affection which her family said showed her importance within the entire family circle.

One week after the first coronavirus lockdown came into force, the 82-year-old’s body was discovered at her home in Larne.

She had been strangled before being subjected to a “serious blunt force assault”.

Mrs Dobbin was killed by her 32-year-old grandson who shared a house with her.

In a police confession Alan Gingles described “seeing zombies” with his grandmother.

He pleaded not guilty to murder.

After medical evidence was put before the court, he was re-arraigned and pleaded guilty to manslaughter by means of diminished responsibility.

He was handed down an indeterminate prison sentence with a minimum tariff of five years.

Natasha Melendez’s mother said of her daughter: “You wanted to love and be loved deeply and you loved your children with all of your heart.”

Ms Melendez was a mother-of-four living in Lisburn. She was originally from Venezuela.

She was attacked in her home by her partner on 22 March 2020 and died 10 days later in hospital.

Thirty-five-year-old John David Scott pleaded guilty to her murder and to three prior physical attacks. He was handed a life sentence.

Emma Jane McParland was at home on the Ormeau Road in Belfast with two friends when her son attacked her.

Jordan Kennedy stabbed her five times with a kitchen knife. Her friends tried to help her but she was pronounced dead a short time later.

Described in court as “an important and much loved figure” she had tried to get help for her son who had “complex needs”.

Kennedy, who was 21 at the time, admitted murdering his mother. He told police he believed she was in a relationship with one or more of his friends.

Kennedy was sentenced to a minimum of 14 years in prison.

Patrycja Wyrebek was strangled and beaten to death by her partner in her Newry home.

The 20-year-old was the eldest of five. Her family had moved from Poland to Northern Ireland when she was a young child.

They said they were overwhelmed by grief: “Our children are the only thing that gives us something to live for. Our hearts are broken and we will never be the same again”.

Ms Wyrebek had moved in with David Lukasz Mietus eight months before her murder.

Mietus was arrested near their home holding a knife to his throat.

He pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison.

Ms Wyrebek had previously reported Mietus to the police for domestic violence.

Katie Simpson was a talented showjumper, being with horses was her “happy place”.

One of six children, she was a much loved daughter, sister, granddaughter and a devoted aunt.

Her sister Rebecca said her defining memory of Ms Simpson was the joy that shone from her as she rode her ponies.

“She was a joy, a light, absolutely fearless – she could walk into any room and she’d have the best time,” Rebecca said.

In August 2020, Ms Simpson was beaten and strangled to death.

Jonathan Creswell, who was in a relationship with one of Katie’s sisters, initially told police she had tried to take her own life. She died in hospital six days later.

Creswell was later charged with her murder. He was found dead at his home on the second day of his trial in April 2024.

Susan Baird was described as a “much-loved sister and mother”.

One of her children wrote: “On 16 August 2020 my dad killed my mum. This will never get any easier to say for me.

“I struggle to write it, never mind say it aloud and I still find it extremely hard to believe this is our reality.”

Mrs Baird’s body was found slumped on a sofa in their home.

She had been beaten to death with a hammer.

Her husband of nearly 40 years called the police and told them he had killed his wife.

Gary Baird pleaded guilty to manslaughter by means of diminished responsibility and was handed a seven year sentence.

During the trial it was heard that Baird called his GP more than 500 times for help, none of his calls were answered.

Karen McClean was killed in her home in March 2021 as part of a double killing.

The body of her son’s girlfriend was later found in a house nearby .

At the time, the police commented that the deaths of the two women in County Antrim had “left children facing a lifetime without their mums”.

Ms McClean was found dead in her Newtownabbey home. She had been stabbed.

Police believe she was murdered by her son, Ken Flanagan.

She left behind a daughter.

Flanagan went on to kill Stacy Knell and then take his own life.

Her family described “a huge void” being left in their lives following her death.

They said the loss of Ms Knell had caused “unimaginable pain” but their priority was to care for her daughter.

Ms Knell’s friends raised thousands of pounds to help pay for the funeral costs.

“A quiet lady who kept to herself,” Ludmila Poletelova worked in a local wine bar in Limavady and had a small group of friends.

She came to Northern Ireland in 2009 and after getting settled she helped fellow Latvians and eastern Europeans who were struggling.

Ms Poletelova was killed in her Limavady home by her friend Svetlana Svedova.

She hit her more than 50 times with a claw hammer.

Svedova was jailed for at least 16 years after pleading guilty to murder.

Ms Poletelova had two sons whom she was close to and spoke to regularly.

One of her sons said his mother’s murder had had a “devastating impact” on the family.

The local community raised thousands of pounds towards the cost of repatriating Ms Poletelova’s remains back to Latvia.

It was the July bank holiday and Katie Brankin had gone on away for a break to a glamping site in County Londonderry with her partner and baby.

An inquest into the Newtownabbey woman’s death heard that she was stabbed multiple times. She died outside their campervan.

Her partner, Thomas Davidson, admitted the killing during police interviews.

He died in Maghaberry prison six weeks later while on remand, charged with the murder of the mother-of-one.

“I’m just so sorry my children have seen this but I love them so much.”

Katrina Rainey uttered the phrase to emergency services at the scene where she was fatally injured.

The mother-of-six was being helped by her children, who were placing wet towels on her burnt body when fire crews arrived.

She was described by her mother as a “gentle, sincere, beautiful girl that made time for everyone”.

Ms Rainey was preparing to go to work when her husband, Thomas Rainey, opened her car door, threw petrol over her and set her alight.

Rainey pleaded guilty to her murder and will spend at least 18 years of his life sentence in prison.

A much loved daughter, sister, sister-in-law and aunt, Caoimhe Morgan was remembered as always smiling, happy and outgoing.

The mum-of-four was murdered just days before Christmas.

Two of her four young children were in the house at the time, one was said to have been found “trying to comfort his mother’s lifeless body”.

Ms Morgan’s mother discovered her body. She had been beaten to death with a blunt instrument.

Taylor George McIlvenna had been in a relationship with Caoimhe Morgan for six years.

He pleaded guilty to her murder and must spend at least 17 years in prison.

He had an extensive criminal recording including prior offences of domestic violence.

Alyson Nelson had taken care of people her entire life.

The 64-year-old retired nurse had cared for her mother and her husband – the father of the youngest of her four children – as he died of cancer.

Following her death, 300 people attended a vigil along the seafront in the County Antrim town of Whitehead.

Her family said they had taken “great comfort” from knowing “how loved mum was and still is by her friends, her family and all those who stand with us”.

Ms Nelson was stabbed seven times in her home by her ex-partner William Finlay, who she had met online.

Finlay pleaded guilty to murder was told he must serve at least 20 years in prison.

He was the first person in Northern Ireland to be convicted of murder aggravated by domestic abuse. He had previous convictions for domestic violence.

For Una Noone “family was everything”.

She was the grandmother who spoiled her grandson and the woman that family went to for advice.

She was found dead in bed in her Cookstown home on 19 June with her rosary beads in her hands.

A preliminary post-mortem found the 77-year-old died after being strangled.

Her son Barry Noone, who shared an address with her, was arrested at the scene.

Noone admitted he was responsible for her death but denied murder.

He later admitted the charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility which was accepted by the Crown due to his mental state at the time.

He is currently in custody.

A dedicated and popular class-room assistant and devoted mother to her three-year-old daughter, Hollie Thomson’s “big laugh meant that you would hear her before you saw her”.

At her funeral mass, the priest said: “Hollie was a young woman who touched the lives of very, very many people as evidenced by the huge crowd of people here today.

“She had a beautiful and unforgettable smile that radiated so much kindness and warmth”.

Ms Thomson was found dead at her home off Shaws Road in Belfast.

Preliminary examinations identified suffocation and a fractured neck as the possible cause of death.

Her partner Christopher Morelli was charged with her murder.

While on bail, his body was found at a property in Hillsborough. The death was not treated as suspicious.

Natalie McNally was known as “Nats” at home.

Her brother Niall said she was the best sister and that he and his two brothers had treated her like a princess.

A lover of animals, Ms McNally’s mother described her as strong, fiercely independent and hardworking and the best daughter that you could wish for.

She was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed.

Ms McNally’s body was discovered in her Lurgan home shortly before Christmas 2022 – she had sustained stab wounds and compression to the neck, as well as blunt force wounds to the head.

Her partner Stephen McCullagh has been charged with her murder and remains in custody with a trial date set for May.

Alesia Nazarova, a mother-of-one, was found dead following a house fire in Portadown.

Her daughter was taken from the scene for treatment and is now being cared for by relatives.

The local community raised thousands of pounds to help the young girl.

Ms Nazarova’s brother, who she had shared the house with, pleaded not guilty to murdering his sister, attempting to murder his niece and arson.

He remains in custody with a trial date set for March.

In the words of her older sister Nadine, Chloe Mitchell was “a real wee party popper”.

Standing amongst a sea of flowers alongside her brother, she said “my sister will always be living while I am, because she had half of my heart and I currently have half of hers”.

Ms Mitchell was last seen on CCTV in the early hours 3 June in Ballymena town centre.

Her remains were found eight days later in a flat in the town.

Brandon Rainey, of James Street in Ballymena, pleaded not guilty to her murder and to attempting to prevent the burial of her body. He remains in custody.

In a family tribute Kat Parton was described as “a precious daughter and devoted mother who loved her son with every bone in her body”.

Police believe Ms Parton was attacked on 9 May, but only discovered six days later when her father went to check on her.

He found his daughter’s body in the bedroom of her home in Madrid Street in Belfast. She had severe head injuries.

During a vigil, one friend remembered: “We danced together and she lit up every room and was full of life.”

Her partner Jamie Love, 23, is charged with her murder, the offence aggravated by domestic abuse. He remains in custody.

A retired school teacher and grandmother, Patsy Aust’s focus was always her family.

The congregation at her funeral service heard Ms Aust would be missed for her “kindness and love” and her “desire to keep going with deep resilience and fortitude”.

Her standing in her community shone through in her death notice.

“Only the best memories of you Patsy and the happiness you have brought to us all,” it read.

“You will never be forgotten, and we shall try to support ourselves with our memories of having you to cherish and love.”

Ms Aust’s body was found at a house in Bangor, County Down.

Her brother Jim Moore, 85, was charged with her murder and remains in custody.

Sophie Watson, who was 57, was found dead at a property in Ashgrove Park in Magherafelt, County Londonderry.

She had a number of stab wounds.

Women’s Aid Northern Ireland expressed their deepest condolences to Ms Watson’s loved ones following her death.

Andrzej Pajaczkowski of Ashgrove Park has been charged with her murder.

He replied “not guilty” when the charge was put to him. He remains in custody.

Firefighters found the remains of Monserrat Elias.

She was 66 and was originally from Spain but had been living in Londonderry.

It took police some time to identify Ms Elias.

They said she had suffered multiple injuries from an unspecified weapon during a “horrific attack” before a ground floor flat was set on fire.

Dozens of people attended a vigil in her memory at Derry’s Guildhall Square.

One of the organisers spoke of the sadness felt by many in the city.

Ciaran Murray, 28, from Gortfoyle Place, has been charged with murder and arson with intent to endanger life. He remains in custody.

During a service of thanksgiving, Rachel Simpson’s sister Cher described her as “full of beans, funny faces, and warm embraces”.

She added: “Rachel was a cherished mother of three much-loved children. This love remains eternal.”

Ms Simpson had started two successful businesses.

Her body was discovered in a garage on the Castlereagh Road in Belfast.

Her 21-year-old son Nathan Simpson has been charged with her murder. He remains in custody.

During a court hearing, it was heard that he had been released from prison seven days before her death.

In her death notice Mary Ward, who was a mother-of-one was described as a “beloved daughter”, “much loved mummy” and “loving sister” to five brothers and sisters.

Her body was discovered by police officers at her home in Melrose Street in south Belfast on 1 October.

In a press conference the police said: “We observed a female crouched over against the upstairs front window of that house and located Mary deceased unfortunately within the property.”

Police believe Ms Ward was last seen alive on 25 September.

A murder investigation was begun six days after her remains were found.

Ahmed Abdirahman, with an address at Kinlay House in Dame Street, Dublin, has been charged in court in Dublin with her murder.

Ms Ward had made a complaint to the Police Service of Northern Ireland on 4 September about being the victim of violence.