Members of a unique club – one which no one wants to be a part of – will gather in Dublin on Saturday.
Joan Deane, whose son Russell (28) was killed in 2003, is among those who have found solace in this community. In 2005, she cofounded AdVic, a charity that supports people who have lost a loved one to homicide.
AdVic helps people navigate the justice system and provides therapy sessions for bereaved adults and children. All of the therapists have undertaken trauma-specific training and attended workshops on how the criminal justice system works.
“They have a very good grasp of the journey a family has to go through,” Ms Deane said.
RM Block
On Saturday, some of AdVic’s 300-plus members will gather at a memorial service to remember their loved ones and mark the organisation’s 20th anniversary.
Ms Deane said everyone attending “would wish they weren’t there”, but have found support in the network.
“It’s something you’d never want anyone to go through, but being there is important because it’s sharing an awful experience in a safe space. Nobody has to explain to anybody the complexity of the grief or the trauma, because we all understand.
“That particular community is important because the trauma is so complex that you can’t expect anyone who hasn’t lived through it to understand.”
Ms Deane’s son Russell was killed after three men broke into his home in Co Louth in 2003.
She had to sit through three trials and an inquest. The first trial collapsed for various reasons and the results of the second trial were inconclusive. The third trial resulted in two manslaughter convictions and one acquittal.
Ms Deane said this was an incredibly traumatic experience, adding that her grief was compounded by a lack of information and support available to her.
In the two decades since AdVic was founded, she said things have improved, most notably following the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017.
This legislation introduced a number of statutory rights for families who have been impacted by crimes such as homicide, including the right to be kept informed on the progress of the investigation and any court proceedings, and the right to appeal a decision not to prosecute in a case.
At the ceremony on Saturday, almost 700 names of people who have been killed in Ireland will be read out.
“That’s a very important part of the day for families,” Ms Deane said.
“We take the opportunity to remember how people lived and not just define them by the way they died.”
AdVic is funded by the Department of Justice, Tusla and via donations from the public. The memorial service will take place at 1.30pm in St Ann’s Church, Dawson Street, Dublin 2.
