The Kilkee-based sister of Jason Corbett has spoken of the “nightmare” her family have endured as a result of her brother’s killers’ prison release error.
It follows an announcement earlier this week which stated that Molly and Tom Martens, who are due to remain in prison until mid-2024, would be released within the next week.
The father and daughter were jailed in November for a minimum of seven months and and a maximum of 23 months for the manslaughter of Limerick man Jason Corbett in 2015.
The Department of Corrections in North Carolina announced this week that the pair would be released in the next week but has since attributed this to “human error” and says they are expected to remain in prison until the middle of 2024.
In a statement to Clare FM, Jason’s sister Tracey Corbett Lynch, who lives in Kilkee, has described the “nightmare” her family have been dealing with as a result of the confusion.
Ms Corbett Lynch says that the actions of Molly and Tom Martens have “orphaned our brother Jason’s beloved two children, Jack (19) and Sarah (17)” and says the pair have “never shown remorse”.
In relation to the prison release error, she says “no one from the North Carolina justice system contacted us that day to offer help or support” and describes the mistake as “incredible”.
Speaking on the sentencing, she says the episode raises “serious questions about the fairness and the empathy of the justice system in North Carolina” and calls the decision to release the pair next year “a shocking injustice”.
In conclusion, Ms Corbett Lynch says her family will “continue to speak out about this and campaign for victims rights” while asking for privacy to “allow us to deal with the hurtful events of the past few days and weeks”.
