Victim's mother calls for tougher sentences

The mother of murdered west Belfast schoolgirl Megan McAlorum is to meet with the British Attorney General Lord Goldsmith in London today as part of her campaign to make sure that her daughter's murderer serves life behind bars.

Mrs McAlorum has already gathered around 50,000 signatures on a petition in support of her campaign for justice to ensure that a life sentence for murder, really means life.

16-year-old Megan McAlorum was killed on April 11 2004, after being picked up in a car by 18-year-old Thomas Purcell.

Purcell drove the teenager to an isolated forested area just off the Glenside Road in west Belfast, where he had sex with her and then killed her.

He returned to the scene the following day and pretended to discover her partially-clothed body.

Thomas Purcell, of Windsor Road, Belfast, was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison for the murder.

Later today, the victim's mother Margaret McAlorum will hand over the petition to the Attorney General, calling for him take action towards enforcing that Purcell's jail term be increased to ensure that he spends the rest of his life behind bars.

Earlier today, the father of a murder Belfast man joined in with Mrs McAlorum's call for tougher sentencing.

Francie Venus's son John, 28, was beaten to death in 2004 outside a bar on the York Road in north Belfast.

Last week, the two men responsible were found guilty of manslaughter and both received a sentence of six-years in prison, with two other people who were involved receiving one year for affray.

(EF/GB)