Submitting her victim impact statement for approval before it could be read felt “like censorship”, the mother of two murder victims has said. 

In 2014, Sanjeev Chada was given two life sentences after he murdered his sons, Eoghan and Ruairí Chada.

Their mother, Kathleen, read out a victim impact statement in court but felt the process could have been made easier by officials.

“I had to send it through the Garda liaison officer,” Ms Chada told The Hard Shoulder. 

“[They] had to submit it to the courts and then it had to be approved in case there was anything controversial or anything that shouldn’t be there.

“It feels like censorship, you have to think about what you’re writing down there - which is hard.

“The whole process itself was difficult [and] it was emotional.”

Kathleen Chada at the publication of the Women's Aid Femicide Report in 2019. Picture by: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Although she wondered how much of an impact her statement would have, Ms Chada went through with it as it was the “one chance to make sure that he knew how I felt”.

“I needed him to hear it in my voice,” she said.

“It didn’t have an impact on sentencing, he got two life sentences.

“I do know that the judge at the time, Judge Carney, did listen closely and I had a photograph of Eoghan and Ruairi that he took up, looked at closely and advised me that I could put a copy of that in the file.

“Which was unusual apparently - but that meant an awful lot.

“It made it personal.”

'No remorse'

Yesterday, serial killer Lucy Letby refused to leave her cell to hear Judge James Goss sentence her to a whole life tariff - meaning she will die behind bars.

Letby’s refusal to come to court meant she also missed hearing the victim impact statements of those whose children she killed or tried to murder.

Judge James Goss said the former nurse had displayed "no remorse" and her actions had revealed a "deep malevolence bordering on sadism".

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to change the law in England and Wales to compel criminals to attend their sentencing in person and listen to how their crimes have affected their victims.

You can listen back her:

Main image: Kathleen Chada follows the hearses carrying her boys' remains. Image: Laura Hutton/RollingNews