Mother says actions of woman who desecrated and stole from daughter’s grave ‘pure evil’

A mother has described as “pure evil” the actions of a woman who stole from and desecrated her daughter’s grave on three separate occasions.

At Killaloe District Court sitting in Ennis, Co Clare, Kirsty Donnellan told the court she was “in a state of shock, anger and despair” after finding that her daughter Scarlett’s grave had been desecrated in May 2020.

Ms Donnellan said that to have someone disturb your child’s grave and steal items from it is “the most hideous crime ”.

During the course of her victim impact statement, the mother of three told the court that her eldest daughter Scarlett (17) had died just 20 months before the thefts from her grave at Tulla graveyard.

Mairead O’Sullivan (41), of Fergus View, Cappahard, Tulla Road, Ennis has entered 18 separate guilty pleas concerning charges of stealing goods with a combined value of €597.50 from graves at cemeteries at Drumcliffe and Templemaley outside Ennis and also from Tulla cemetery.

There are 14 victims in the case as Ms O’Sullivan stole from the same graves on a number of occasions. The court heard that among the items stolen from the graves between May 2020 and April 2021 were various flowerpots, flowers and solar lanterns.

Sergeant Louis Moloney told the court that four parties have made victim impact statements and said Ms Donnellan wished to deliver her own statement from the witness box.

In her statement, Ms Donnellan told the court: “For any parent to bury their child, it is the most distressing, traumatic event that one could ever have to face in their life, so for someone to literally disturb the grave, and to steal items from it that are sentimental and represent something of that person, that has meaning behind it, is extremely upsetting and the most hideous crime one could ever be a victim of.

“These thefts have added to my anxiety, pain and huge loss. As a mother that grieves for her child, I should never have to visit my child’s grave finding it interfered with and desecrated. My daughter also deserved to rest in peace.”

Ms Donnellan stated that Scarlett “died tragically and unexpectedly in September 2018, to which I still await answers ”.

On discovering the first theft, Ms Donnellan recalled that she had planted two miniature yellow rose bushes but on May 16th, 2020, she found “ two holes” in her daughter’s grave. Items were taken again in July 2020 and in April 2021, including yellow flowers put in a pot at the grave by friends to mark Scarlett’s birthday.

Solicitor for Ms O’Sullivan said that her client wishes to offer her apology to the victims .

Judge Mary Larkin said that she would adjourn the case to September 6th for a probation report .