Brother of Limerick man stabbed 34 times in Manchester says family will fight for inquest
Argument Thomas Stabbed Co An Was A Death Broken Ballyagran, Of Murphy Plate To Following Over Limerick
The brother of a man stabbed 34 times in Manchester two years ago says his family will not give up until they can secure an inquest into his death.
Thomas Murphy from Ballyagran, Co Limerick, was stabbed at a house on Beverly Road, Fallowfield, Manchester, on September 24, 2022.
Minister of State Niall Collins has written to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, after Thomas's brother Darragh contacted him to seek his help after the family was told that there would not be an inquest into Thomas's death.
The 42-year-old’s second anniversary is on Tuesday.
Last October, his housemate, 23-year-old Stephen Owusu, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order at Manchester Crown Court. Two months earlier, he pleaded guilty, on the grounds of diminished responsibility, to the manslaughter of Mr Murphy, who was a father of two young daughters.
Owusu can only be released from a secure unit following assessments from Britain's secretary of state for justice or a tribunal.
Manchester Crown Court heard how Mr Murphy was stabbed 34 times because of a row over a broken plate. Owusu thought Mr Murphy had deliberately broken the plate. After stabbing Mr Murphy, Owusu went to bed.
Members of Thomas Murphy’s family, including his daughters, were in court for the sentencing hearing last October.
His brother Darragh says his family was told that any questions they had about Thomas’s death could be answered when the case went to inquest in Manchester.
However, the family was told earlier this year that there would not be an inquest and a bid by their solicitor to have the decision reversed failed.
The Murphys are now hoping that political pressure from Ireland could help the family secure an inquest.
He said: “All we are looking for as a family is an inquest. How can someone be stabbed 34 times and no inquest? It's coming up on 2 years now since Tom's death. And where are we? The treatment we received from the UK has been sickening.”
He added: "But we won't give up. Tom deserves more respect than they are showing him. He didn't do anything."
Mr Collins said he said he felt the family was entitled to have answers to their questions about Thomas’s death, and said he did not think their request for an inquest was unreasonable.
He said: “I contacted Micheál Martin and asked him as Foreign Affairs Minister to ask our ambassador to the UK and our consular service to engage with the UK authorities around the family’s wish to have a proper inquest.”
Darragh, and Thomas's two daughters, all gave victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing last October.
Afterwards, senior investigating officer Phil Reade of the Greater Manchester Police Major Incident Team commended Thomas' family for their "strength and dignity" throughout the proceedings.
Thomas worked in telecommunications in Manchester for many years and regularly returned to Ballyagran to visit his family.