Family's anger as father's killer goes on the run again

The family of a man who was murdered in Londonderry have said they have been "failed by the justice system" after his killer went on the run from prison again.

An international police hunt is under way for James Meehan, 55, who failed to return to Magilligan prison last week to complete his life sentence for the murder of Jim McFadden in Derry in 2007.

Mr McFadden's daughters Danielle Bradley and Ashling Graham believe the decision to grant him temporary release again had allowed him to abscond for a third time.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was working with police in the Republic of Ireland and internationally to find Meehan and return him to prison.

The Northern Ireland Prison Service has appealed directly to Meehan to return to custody immediately.

In 2009, Meehan absconded during the murder trial and was absent for sentencing, before later handing himself in to police.

Co-defendants Brenda Meehan and her son Sean Devenney were also sentenced for their role in Mr McFadden's death.

In 2022, while on temporary release from prison, Meehan left an address where he had been allowed to stay and then failed to return, resulting in an arrest warrant being issued.

He was eventually found 14 months later in the Republic of Ireland before he was extradited back to Northern Ireland and returned to jail.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show, former Police commander in Derry, John Burrows said: "Temporary release is not a right – it's a privilege, it has to be earnt.

"He has breached trust."

Meanwhile, Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie said that Meehan being allowed temporary release is a "failure within the system", adding that "we fail sometimes to put victims first".

Both Danielle Bradley and Ashling Graham described their father as a "gentle soul" and said the murder had left their entire family devastated.

"He was just always up for a laugh, we love telling our own wee children now just how funny he really was," Ms Bradley said.

"When you have your own kids you miss him that bit more, so it's just really hard to know they are growing up without him."

Mr McFadden was attacked after attending a family wedding reception in Redcastle, County Donegal.

Ms Bradley, who was aged 15 at the time, said she and her sister Ashling, who was 16, still have flashbacks from witnessing their father being brutally attacked.

The 42-year-old died of a ruptured heart caused by a number of blows to his chest.

"It was chaotic - it was just crazy - there was roaring and shouting and then I just remember seeing my daddy lying there," Ms Bradley said.

"I remember my mammy going over to him and saying: 'Jim get up, the wains are watching', but he wasn't moving.

"I didn't think he was dead, I just thought he was unconscious and then, I don't even know who phoned the police, I just remember the sirens."

Ms Bradley said the police told their family last week that Meehan had failed to return to prison from day release.

The family told BBC News NI they had objected to him getting day release before and this time, given that he had gone on the run before.

"I can't get my head around how they have let him out again.

"I feel let down by the justice system, I feel completely let down - I really can't believe we are here again."

Ms Graham said he "should never have been let out on day release in the first place", branding the decision as "ridiculous".

Ms Bradley said she believed their family would now likely have to go through a lengthy extradition process in an effort to get him back behind bars.

In a statement issued by the Department of Justice (DoJ), the NI Prison Service said in order to prepare prisoners for "release and reintegration back into society", they begin a "graduated release into the community" following a risk assessment and representations from victims.

It added that while some prisoners abscond while on release, this "should be considered in the context of approximately 4,000 people entering and leaving our prisons every year".

"Managing those individuals is challenging and while every step is taken to mitigate risk, this is not an exact science and on occasion they will make poor decisions that lead to them being unlawfully at large," it said.

BBC News NI has also contacted the Parole Commissioners for comment.

An Garda Síochána said they could not comment as it was a matter for the PSNI.