Latest news with #ForValerie
The Irish Sun
12-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Monster used €6k van to hide body after brutal murder, rages Valerie French's brother amid fight for sister's belongings
THIS is the first photo of the camper van used by killer James Kilroy to hide wife Valerie French's body. The release of the pic comes as her brother David, 56 — who is taking civil action for damages against Kilroy — is on a mission to find the items in his dead sister's estate. 4 Valerie was killed at her home in June 2019 4 Valerie's brother David is on a mission to find the items in his dead sister's estate Credit: Collins 4 This is the first photo of the camper van used by killer James Kilroy to hide wife Valerie French's body David believes all his sister's belongings — including the camper van — should be sold and the money placed into a trust fund for Valerie's Kilroy inflicted 57 injuries on the occupational therapist in a 'brutal' blade attack at their home in Co He then put her body in the Mazda Bongo van and left their children in the house near Westport before he was later arrested by The €6,000 vehicle — bought by Kilroy in 2013 as a treat for his 40th birthday — was used by the killer before the murder as he roamed around Ireland while his wife ran the family home and cared for their three kids. Read more on Valerie French Our exclusive image shows the monster enjoying the outdoor life in the camper van. David — whose new book For Valerie, inset, is published on Thursday — believes his sister's estate includes her car, savings accounts, a motorcycle and a ride-on lawnmower. He told The Irish Sun: 'The van should be sold because it's of no use to Kilroy, now he's serving a life sentence. 'He loved that camper van and just didn't care about other people. Most read in The Irish Sun 'He also loved knives and bows and arrows — and this also shows his violent tendencies.' David added: 'He bought that van as a treat as he was so entitled and only ever cared about himself. 'BRUTAL CRIME' 'He used that camper van in the commission of a truly brutal 'I believe everything in Valerie's estate should be sold and that the proceeds should be put into a trust fund for her children. 'I have asked Kilroy's legal team to provide information on what he thinks should be in Valerie's estate. 'Once we have received his reply on the estate we will then consider our next course of action.' INSANE CLAIM David also believes Kilroy — who tried to claim that he was insane by insisting the mother of three had hired Brute Kilroy is legally recognised as the sole owner of the Although David has urged him to sell the property for Valerie's children, he has yet to agree to the move. Valerie's brother is now considering taking legal action over the house. LEGAL BATTLE During a previous court ruling, wife killer Eamon Lillis was forced to surrender half of the proceeds from his house sale to victim Celine Cawley's daughter. David added: 'Kilroy should not be in a position where he can benefit financially from my sister's horrific murder. 'Proceeds from the sale of that house should go to providing a future for her three children. 'If he doesn't agree to the house being sold, and the proceeds going to the children, we will be taking him to 'We have already seen cases where killers have been ordered to share sales from a house and this will be another option open to us.' 'ROBBED KIDS OF THEIR MOTHER' David also said of Kilroy: 'He deprived those three children of a loving mother — it's time he finally did the right thing by those kids. 'He robbed those children of a future simply because of jealousy and rage. Why should he earn a nest egg after he completes his sentence?' Since his sister's murder, he has fought a campaign for legislation to prevent individuals who have killed their spouses from having guardianship rights over their kids. Entitled Valerie's Law, the issue is one of a number of themes in David's new book. TRIBUTE TO SISTER The publication pays tribute to his sister's loving personality, her relationship with monster Kilroy and the 'shocking aftermath' of the killing. It will also outline details of the inquest into the murder, and three murder trials, before Kilroy was convicted in July 2024. Kilroy — who has appealed his conviction and has never shown any remorse for the horrific killing of the mum of his three kids — is also described as an 'entitled and controlling' husband in the book. 'Kilroy should not be in a position where he can benefit financially from my sister's horrific murder." David French In one extract, David reveals how the couple's relationship 'was deteriorating' before she died. It reads: 'One of Valerie's close friends afterwards told us Valerie was 'practically a single parent'. A few days before she was killed, they had gone with a group of friends to the cinema. 'ODD BEHAVIOUR' 'Kilroy had sat on his own. This was odd behaviour on a rare night out for the couple. 'He saw everything belonging to him as very important. 'And he cared more about his possessions than people. 'He was obsessed by the things he bought. He was obsessed about his motorbike, his camper van and his PlayStation. 'He only talked about himself — I felt Valerie was less important to him than his possessions.' FOR Valerie by David French is published by Gill Books and is available in all good book stores from Thursday. 4 David's new book For Valerie is set to be published on Thursday
Irish Examiner
11-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Brother of murdered Valerie French Kilroy writing book about her death and its aftermath
The brother of murdered West Cork mother of three Valerie French Kilroy has written a book about her tragic death and its terrible aftermath. David French is also campaigning to change the law in his late sister's name to protect other families. Valerie's Law would strip someone convicted of intentionally killing their children's other parent of guardianship rights. Currently, there "is a loophole in child safety in Ireland" because people who kill their partners or ex-partners fully retain guardianship of any shared children, Mr French said. The book For Valerie by David French will be available from Thursday, May 15, and can be pre-ordered via Easons. 'The point of the book is to fill out the picture of who Valerie was, what she was like, and what the dynamics of the relationship were as well,' Mr French said. Mr French thoroughly researched domestic homicide following his sister's death. 'When you see the research, you see that all the women are different, they're all individuals, but all the killers are remarkably similar. They usually show up as fairly manipulative, fairly charming, but very narcissistic 'You see so many similarities in these women's stories. This book is for Valerie, but many other brothers and sisters could write the same thing about their loved ones.' Writing the book was useful as a way to work through the case over the five years the family waited for it to go to trial and then re-trial, he said. Once the verdict was given, Mr French had a manuscript ready. 'So it was good to write it because you make sense out of things by writing. It is helpful. You see the similarities across other cases. You sit down and look at what was happening and what the dynamics were, and that side of it sometimes gets lost in all the usual emotion and grief 'You look all these problems that come from a central place and a system almost in denial that this happens." Appeal system Highlighting the huge amount of 'aftermath' for a victim's family — between court proceedings, handling wills and probate, dealing with all of their loved one's affairs — was another point to the book, he said. 'The perpetrator just sits around inside the prison, playing ball, and the victim's family is left cleaning up the mess,' he said. And the killer, James Kilroy, is now appealing, he said. 'But 98% of killers do," Mr French said. 'The system just runs on its own. If you're the perpetrator and you're not happy with the sentence, you just say 'appeal' and then people go and do the work for you. You can go back to watching TV or whatever you're doing. We're about six years after the murder — so he's halfway to his first parole application, which comes in 12 years 'They always have something in the near future to look forward to.' Writing the book also helped inform the campaign for Valerie's Law, highlighting problems with the current system. Two bills are now being proposed — by the Social Democrats and by Government — to bring Valerie's Law into Irish law, Mr French said. 'It does seem like everyone's on the same side at the moment [opposition and government parties],' Mr French said. 'It goes to the justice committee next," he added. A meeting was also held in April with the European commissioner for justice, Michael McGrath, and MEP Kathleen Funchion in Brussels to discuss Valerie's Law in the EU. Guardianship rights Valerie was "savagely slaughtered" by her husband James Kilroy, who showed no remorse and tried to avoid accountability for her murder, Mr French said. Kilroy was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison last July. However, despite a murder conviction, the killer retains his guardianship rights over their children. This means the murderer has a right to know where they live, how they are progressing in school, and to be involved in major decisions affecting their lives, Mr French said. 'This is a loophole in child safety in Ireland," Mr French said. Children exist in their own right and are not stepping stones in the rehabilitation of others. Their safety, privacy, rights, and opinions have to be taken into account In May 2024, Britain enacted Jade's Law so that a person who is convicted of killing their partner or ex-partner will lose their parental responsibility for their children from that relationship, Mr French said. 'The law in Ireland also needs to change so that when someone is convicted of a killing there would be an automatic removal of guardianship of any children shared with the victim. 'We need legislation to protect children from killers by placing this recommendation into law as soon as possible," he said.
