It was Christmas morning 2008 when something out of a nightmare visited a young family.



Sharon Whelan was a young, loving mother to two beautiful children - seven-year-old Zara and two-year-old Nadia, who were in bed awaiting Santa's arrival.



In the early hours, postman Brian Hennessey showed up at Sharon's home in Windgap, Co. Kilkenny, raping her and strangling her to death before setting the house alight. Sharon and her children lay dead among the ruins.



Here, Sharon's brother John Whelan recounts the horror, and speaks about how the family and the Garda worked to get justice for Sharon. He also speaks about his advocacy for victims' families, and the ongoing battle against concurrent life sentences.



John's story is the third in this season of Shattered Lives.



You can listen and subscribe to all of the episodes here:



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S2 Ep4: John Whelan: fighting for his murdered sister and nieces

Tragedy, Murder, and Justice 

 

We speak to victims of crime, some solved, some unsolved and some unresolved, and how their lives are forever changed and their continued search for justice.

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True crime

In October 2007, Ireland was rocked by the brutal murder of Paul Quinn.



The young man was found beaten to death in a shed in Co. Monaghan, with Gardai suspecting an IRA-linked gang. No person has been convicted of his murder. 



Paul's parents speak to Paul Healy from their home in Co. Armagh about their quest for justice, the support they have received from all over the country and piecing their lives back together.



This is their story. 



Stephen and Breege's story is the last in this season of Shattered Lives.



You can listen and subscribe to all of the episodes here:



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Apple: https://apple.co/30Eh0Fg



Audioboom: https://bit.ly/30CCzpD


S2 Ep6: Stephen & Breege Quinn: The parents of the man murdered by IRA-linked gang

"It is so hard to live with the unknown. My father passed away but we know where he is. With Esra, because we don't know where she is, I think that is the hardest part."



Berna Fidan's sister - Esra Uyrun - went missing on 23 February 2011 and has not been seen since leaving her home in Clondalkin. Her car was found at Bray strand.



Berna tells of Esra's son growing up without his mother, and the abyss at the heart of their family after her disappearance.



Ten years on from the case being opened, Berna wants to try and jog any memories from those who might know something of Esra's whereabouts. If you know anything, please contact An Garda Síochána.



Please listen and subscribe to the rest of this season of Shattered Lives for the highest-profile stories of Irish crime cases.



Spotify: spoti.fi/3FjNnrF



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S2 Ep5: Berna Fidan: "We don't know if Esra is dead or alive.."

Sally Rodgers is this week's guests on Shattered Lives, with Paul Healy.



Sally's partner, Michael, was killed at their home in Tallaght in 2009, with Sally present. He was stabbed fifteen times by two masked men, in one of the most shocking and inexplicable acts of violence in recent Irish history.



On Shattered Lives, she talks about the aftermath of the murder, and her experience of the Garda and justice system, as well as wanting to 'cut her own head off' to stop the thoughts that plagued her.



She calls once again for information on the case, and 



You can listen and subscribe to all of Shattered Lives here:



Spotify: spoti.fi/3FjNnrF



Apple: https://apple.co/30Eh0Fg



Audioboom: https://bit.ly/30CCzpD


S2 Ep3: Sally Rodgers: The open wound of an unsolved murder

Kathleen Chada lost her two boys Eoghan (10) and Ruairi (5) when they were strangled to death by their father Sanjeev on July 29, 2013.



The unimaginable tragedy shocked the country, and Sanjeev, who admitted the horrific murders, was eventually jailed for life.



In this feature-length episode of Shattered Lives, Kathleen opens up about what happened to her two boys, her fight against an imperfect justice system, and her fears that Sanjeev could one day be released. 



Subscribe to Shattered Lives wherever you get your podcasts, season 2 will be coming to you weekly on Thursdays with the stories of the highest-profile cases in Irish judicial history.

S2 Ep4: John Whelan: fighting for his murdered sister and nieces

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