“It is with absolute heartbreak that I learned the devastating news of the murder of Sarah Montgomery. My thoughts are with her two children who will now grow up without their mum, and with her family who must somehow endure this terrible act. I cannot imagine the pain they must be feeling, and I hope they are receiving all the support that can be offered at this awful time. I, and the whole community mourns with them.”
“We must see the person who committed this horror brought to justice. However, this awful act is not an isolated incident. It is part of a deeply disturbing pattern of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland.”
“Since 2020, 26 women have been killed by men, and with a man having been arrested, we can assume that this figure will again rise. Northern Ireland has the highest rate per capita of femicide related to domestic violence in Western Europe. There is an urgent need to confront and dismantle the systems, culture and attitudes that allow such violence to persist and to terrorise women.”
“We must not tolerate a society where women are subject to, and live in fear of, violence. No child should have to live without a mother. This must end. We must root out this awful scourge in our society.”
“In mourning the loss of Sarah Montgomery, we owe it to her, and to every woman who has suffered, to build a society where women’s safety is paramount.”
ENDS