When I wrote the other day about Baby Peter Connolly and how it was only matter of time before another child death hit the headlines I had no idea that it would be merely days – and that the child would be a tiny 15 month old girl living just a matter of miles from me.
Little Millie Martin, 15 months old, has not made it through to see her second Xmas. The 15 month old baby girl was admitted to Belfast City Hospital on Friday where she died from what are said to have been ‘horrific injuries’ and evidence of a serious sexual assault. Medical staff at the hospital and police who attended the case are reported to have been severely traumatised by the condition the child was in when she was admitted to the hospital. The partner of Millie’s mother, Rachael Martin, has been arrested over the alleged attack on this baby girl.
The whole community at Glebe Park in Enniskillen where Millie lived, are outraged and shocked beyond comprehension. Tommy Gallagher, MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, said it was “a horrendous incident”...
“Everyone is so shaken about what happened, they don’t want to talk about it…” he said. “I get the feeling that people will shiver when the full story comes out”…
I for one am dreading to read what this little girl endured in the hours prior to her death but for now we must keep her family in our thoughts, especially at this special time of year when Millie should have been getting ready to open her Xmas presents. Increasing speculation regarding the circumstances has prompted Millie’s mother, Rachael, to speak about the families grief in a one-off interview with The Impartial Reporter.
But it still begs the question: how the bloody hell did this happen???
Above: Barry McCarney, partner of Millie’s mother, is charged with Millie’s murder.
Copyright © 2007-2010 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.
I am a close family friend.
I wonder have you any children??
How many single mums have boyfriends???
How can you protect your child from something you do not know about can not see happening and she cant tell you???
He has other children which as far as anyone was concerned had never laid a finger on he has nieces and nephews with no complaints…. so tell me how did she know this was going to happen??
I apologize if im coming across as rude but family friend or not i would be able to see that any mother could not have stopped this. i will also remind you that most children that are abused it is by a relative so how the hell can you trust anyone?? but you have to because this should not happen. also your taking a risk when you send them to nursey in ref. to the nursery paedophiles or school holly and jessicas caretaker .
This did not happen due to lack of preotection from Millies family. this happened because of a sick sick sick man and the only person responsible is him.
“I wonder have you any children??”…
I am the mother of five sons aged from 5 to 23.
“How many single mums have boyfriends???”…
Most of them do – it is rare to find a woman collecting ’single parent’ benefits who is actually ’single’. It is also a fact that the majority of children killed in their homes are killed by the partner of their mother i.e the boyfriend, step-father, de-facto – whatever you want to call them it is almost always the mother’s partner. Go ahead and challenge this but the statistics are all too tragically clear.
“How can you protect your child from something you do not know about can not see happening and she cant tell you???”…
We have seen before how ‘blind’ some women are to what their partners are like – it all comes down to awareness and whether you’d rather be on your own with your child or with a male at all costs…some women can ignore the nose on their own faces. Personally I am sick, sore and tired of writing about little children murdered by the man their mother sleeps with – but I will keep at it until we see a change in how these children are monitored by social services.
“He has other children which as far as anyone was concerned had never laid a finger on he has nieces and nephews with no complaints…. so tell me how did she know this was going to happen??”…
Children killed in this way are almost always killed by non-related men and likewise these men are more likely to abuse/kill non-biological children in their domestic set-up. If he did not attack any related children it says to me that the parents of those kids were aware of his problems and kept an eye on them – who the hell suddenly ‘turns’ and destroys a baby girl like this…no normal person!
“this happened because of a sick sick sick man and the only person responsible is him.”…
If he is as ’sick sick sick’ as you say why did nobody see any signs…? I’d be damned before I allowed any man near my kids unless I knew him inside out…and no, I don’t trust anyone for that matter. Your kids matter first and foremost – some women need to learn to live without a man and concentrate on their children. Your kids come first. Always.
Lisa, of course this happened due to a lack of protection from Millie family. Mother’s, single or not, are responsible for the people they invite into there homes. When you allow this to happen in your home you are equally responsible. Why did he accompany the mother to the hospital??? If that were my child he would also be checking into he hospital due to his penis being cut off after I found my child half dead in his care.
he did not accompany the mother to the hospital he took the child to the hospital on his own!
you are correct Lou. He was alone with the child when he abused her.
Something is not right about this case – I have read that the family are asking for privacy at a time when serious questions are going to be asked regarding this little girls suffering and death. Now is not the time for silence! Questions SHOULD be asked, again, again and again as to why this baby has died in such a way!
It must be pretty bad when the police and doctors were as shocked as the papers have said they were and I agree with you about the single mother thing, too many of these women are too hung up on having a boyfriend regardless of what they are like around their kids, a thug is better than no man at all think some of them. I would like to say my prayers are with the mother of this baby right now but I will save that until we hear some more about this terrible story. A baby is dead, how much worse can that get?
Please be aware that I am not comparing this story to that of Peter Connolly…just yet…the title merely refers to how quickly such an incident has occurred after I wrote about Peter’s story. Well, we were all just biding our time until another child died and now it has happened – and what about the one’s we don’t hear about…?
I too am fed up with hearing about the children of single women being killed by their male partners. Apparently this phenomenon also happens within the chimpanzee world so we haven’t fallen that far from the tree as a species have we…
Kind of strange the family asking to be left alone though – I cannot see the media letting this drop, this little girl’s death needs explaining.
i am a single parent and i find your comments unduely harsh! hindsight is a wonderful thing and i’m sure that you’ll appreciate that for the rest of their lives everyone close to Millie will be wondering what they could have done differently. As yet, post mortem results have not been released and i think its unfair to speculate that Millie was subject to systematic ongoing abuse, i’m sure she may have been but when a parent goes to the shop and leaves her child for a matter of minutes with a man she has spent alot of time with, would you in your wildest dreams expect to come back to that horrific site. whats important is that a little girl had her life cut short by a brute and the justice system needs to work togther in putting him away . If her mum has done anything wrong then surely the police investigation will bring that up! instead of slating a family that clearly you dont know would it not be better to post a memorial to Millie
Come on, these ‘brutes’ do not show themselves just like that. And Millie will be added to my memorial page very soon – unfortunately – with all the other children who were killed by their mother’s boyfriends. Like I said, some women cannot – or will not -see the nose on their own face.
I Totally disagree with you, im a single mother of a little girl and no man would come between us, if the mother noticed millie’s eye closing thurs morn then why the hell did she go and leave her again that night, answer me that it makes me so cross always men before a child.
well said Mary. When you have a little girl (mine is 15 months) you have to be extra careful. some paedophiles will actively seek out single mothers in order to get access to a child.
Unfortunety he was a violent guy…he attacked all of his ex partners, I know this cause I know one of them. She was even questioned 3 days in a row as cops tried to get a profile of him sexually! When he didn’t get his own way he went into a satanic trance and beat until the victim would be on the floor nearly unconcious. ‘God told me to do it’ he stood up and said to the police when he left one of his exs with her ear nearly ripped off!’ He beat his own mother who had cancer cause she tried to throw him out of the house. She wouldnt report it to the police but his uncles gave him a beating for it! Apparantly he lost joint custody of 2 of his kids (he has 3 to 2 different women) during that week in Enniskillen court house…..
His mother was a nice women, and his dad is a quiet man. They split up when he was young. The guy has a screw loose. But I’ll tell you…women were ‘mad’ about him…they couldnt stop wanting his kids to have a tie to him. They fought over him including the girl I know…..a girl spat in her face cause she was with him. He was like a drug to the girls he was with, even though he was a bXXXXard!!! He had that charm to hold them, to convince them he loved them and he’d kill himself if they left him!!
And this man was invited into a house to live with a little girl…?
Your words tell me that I am correct in saying that there are women who place more importance on a man being in their lives than the TYPE of man they are. I feel sorry for the kids in all of this – the one’s who will suffer from having a ‘father’ like this and the one little girl who has paid with her life for having him in her home. And who determines all of this…adults, their mothers…makes me sick, it really does. I will bet the grandparents tried to do something – they usually do.
God has a choice to make women stupid or make them fertile – sadly he has made many of them to be both…
Tullabell, You seem to know alot about this fella Barry are you sure you didn’t take the drug urself you seem a bit obsessed with him and his life…. I dont think it was right the way you have brought up things that happened many years ago and his Mother is not alive to confirm your STORY yes he had a violent past but if he was as bad as your making out how come he was not locked up long ago…
You know the family well so did you not think about how they are feeling before you dragged up most of his past as i’m sure what has happened is a shock to them too….
When you say he attacked all of his ex-partners this is not true as I know some of them 2…. And as for what the reporter said outside the court you were not inside the court room so there for you dont know what was said there have been so many rumours and lies in the papers and on the street it will all come out eventually hopefully sooner rather than later so the family can grieve for Millie properly and in peace….
What happened to Innocent until proven Guilty? No one knows what happened I’m not saying if he is Innocent or Guilty but I just dont think telling stories and dragging his family into this is helping, and as for your comment earlier about someone coming in and doing it cause they hated him do you not think there is enough rumours going about without you hypothetically thinking….
My prayers are with Racheal and her Family R.I.P Millie
i think marie ur abit obsessed urself, innocent to proven guilty, get a life iv heard it all now, come on are you for real it he so innocent how did it happen with him the only one in the house
Read What I wrote MARY I said ”I’m NOT saying he is innocent” but there is more to this than what we are hearing….
Plus i’m not obsessed I hardly know him, I was saying everyone has a past and writing false information to make things sound worse isn’t rite, just like what has already happened. How many facts in the paper turned out to be wrong?
I think people have forgotton what the question was and what this is all about, it’s turned into a slagging match….
As for Get a life I have one and i’m very happy thanks… I’m just not one of these people when something bad happens drags up what they done or didn’t do in the past….
her first sentance stated she is an ex partener, so she probably knows him very well. he has proven he is a monster. nothing wrong with dragging up the assholes past. the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour.
read it again she aint an ex partner she a friend of a so called ex partner and nothing has been proved..the courtcase will tell the tale of wat really happened!
yes, i’m sure he will tell the truth on the witness stand. child abusers are very honest and trustworthy.
When the story broke the first thing I said to my sister was”the mums boyfriend”.
It almost goes without saying these days eh…?
The family have not asked for privacy from friends and family and the police etc.. the family asked for privacy from the press. the media campin outside their houses. the media DEMANDIN nice photos of millie or threatening to find bad ones etc etc… i do not think people do not have a right to an opinion my problem is that keep ur opinoins until the truth is allowed out.
i dont understand how you can suspect someone of doing something when they dont act like a thug around your child. the opposite really good with the child and whats chilling is the child who obv didnt know any better never shyed away from him . so how would she suspect it was going on??
the mother of this child would never put a man before her child she loved her like nothing else . the fact is you cannot know what anyone is capable of.
i know this family and he didnt seem like a thug. if he didnt look like a thug talk like a thug act like a thug how could anyone think he was a thug??
there are not many men capable of this heinous crime and she could have picked a man who didnt bother bout the child or did act like a thug who may never have touched a hair on her head but how was she to know??
5 children?? did they have no aunts with boyfriends? did you ever leave them with someone you should be able to trust or were you with them 24/7??
if she knew he was capable he would not have been there.
Read the other comments here regarding Mr McCarney.
My kids were all born within marriage – and no, I never left them with babysitters, I looked after them – me. I never fobbed my kids off onto other people and I never invited just anyone to live in my home and never would have done.
This child is dead because of misplaced trust and irresponsibility – too late for excuses now.
unforutneatley the world is not as perfect as you. yes her mother made a mistake a wrong choice having him but she has to live with it for the rest of her life.
i was brought up in marriage and my parents are still together but i know family friends would have minded us etc. nothing happened me. but it could have done.
thats great lisa hope you have a happy fun life.
i know alot more of the story than you. the brute did show himself like that.
there is nothing suspiscious about not wanting the press who are speculating and making stories up to stay away until the results come out. the fact that they have had little more than two minutes to themselves because of the police needing all the evidence and info against him means they cant even grieve yet. its ok for people of your generation to judge because yes your right yourchildren werent harmed. but if you had to do it again and had not stayed with the father i can imagine u wud have joined a nunery.
and also as for benefits how dare you assume that she was claiming benefits while living with partner etc?? i didnt kno this i wonder how you do??
this is not that a light hearted case that you can tar her poor mother with the same brush as everyone else. a childs and mothers life have been ruined and a poor baby tortured and you know about 1% of the facts but speak like mystic meg!
I suggest you save all of this knowledge for the courtcase – I wrote extensively on Baby P during the case and let me tell you nothing, nothing at all can convince me that a woman can have a man live in her home and not know what he is like or what he is capable of. Too many women do and are too scared to do anything or choose to go it alone. People of my generation are simply fed up with the mothers of THIS generation letting their kids down again and again. It is happening too often and quite frankly the public will let itself be heard on this one believe me. You dont have to join a nunnery – you just have to choose a decent bloke rather than just any bloke!
This baby’s life is not ruined – it has been decimated by yet one more violent man living with a single mother. Same old story.
I agree with you Wendy. Some women would have a man in their lives, at all costs, regardless of how they treat their kids. My guess is he didn’t hide his feelings regarding this child, they rarely do, but women make excuses, or turn a blind eye because it suits them to do so.
I speak from experience, as an ex-friend of mine had such a man in her life, and still does. He was with her since her son was 4 years old, and from the beginning he made it clear he disliked the boy. He always told him to stay in his room, told him he was an inconvenience, and made hurtful comments to him. She would complain to her friends, but never would kick him out. Even when he came home drunk, and set the family dog on fire, she didn’t kick him out. Instead, she covered up for him when the police investigated. No normal person would allow that type of man around her child, but she went on to have a baby with this sick person, and almost 9 years later is still with him. It is a miracle that neither of her chilren have been hurt or killed by this man.
I am a single mother myself, and I would rather live my days alone, celibate, and go to my grave a lonely old woman rather than sacrifice my children for my own wants and needs. That is what being a parent is about, you sacrifice for your children.
I don’t believe for a second that the signs were not there for her to see.
Do you know when the funeral is Lisa? I’d like to go if I could or would it be private do you think?
its not private. it will be in kesh and will prob be sunday or monday as her body is not actually home yet like theyre saying x
God rest her soul too.
Comment moderated.
Lisa, the family have not yet released funeral details so it would be inappropriate for you to mention the details here.
well i also know her and she didint work, yeah money does grow on trees.
Mary this comment proves that you actually don’t know her very well.
there is nothing wrong with taking a man break until your daughter is old enough to tell you “hey mum your boyfriend is raping me.” if this means you don’t date again till she is 18 and off to college, then so be it.
Good point there Helen. Unfortunately many kids don’t get a say in who moves into their own home…
As I said though he was a charmer, quite convincing….those that had relationships would still have feelings for him….so the mother may not have known his past. And if she did he probably told her it was his exs fault….they drove him to it or that they hit him first and he was defending himself. Men like this are manipulators. The mother was only 25, and a single mum. A perfect target for himself a controller…. I dont actually think he lived with her…he would have stayed over i’m sure but he didnt live there…
I’m not surprised to hear his violence…..but shocked at the rape bit….even those who he beat to a pulp didnt think him capable. Supposively he was GREAT with kids!!!! Always acknowleged kids, gave them sweets, picked them up etc….
I think what wendy may be trying to say is for god sakes women, if you have any doubts about your man get rid!!!! Before another child is taken…But to be fair as much as he was a thug…no one expected this. I thot it was just women he’d be violent as he gets so jealous and charged up…..but the baby couldnt have challenged him…..so no excuse. I hear he had no drink r drugs inhis system????? Thats even worse!!!
Said on the lunchtime bbc news from outside omagh court house that his work collegues at a building site said he was aggitated and asked to go home……then he went back to rachaels and she went 4 a takeaway….then she came back and they took child to hospital and nurses docs etc saw bruising and injuries that happened very recently indicationg sexual assault. He understands what he is being charged with but denies murder!
The defence team are saying that he was held for 5 days and throughly investigated. He kept asking them if they have any scientific evidence linking him to her death. At the minute they don’t, just the circumstances but they are still working on tests and forensics as we speak. He will be trialed in Enniskillen by videolink in a months time!
I wonder if there is any way that someone else did it…speaking hypathetically…he knows some dodgy people and maybe they came while she was out and did it to punish him in a sence and hes keeping his mouth shut incase they kill him or something? Just a mad idea in my head but we’ll have to see what the forensics can piece together???? They did take a long time to charge him….??
Anything could be possible – neighbours said they saw him and the mother carrying the baby out of the house at high speed, they never said they saw anyone else near the house earlier and I know that not much gets past the neighbours in those areas…
It is usual for interrogation to run into days because it is so easy for killers to get off on technicalities and police need to follow protocol. The child was brutalised in her own home – surely the torch has to be shone on her mother and her boyfriend without people rushing too quickly to their defence. The police always look at the parents first in these cases and for very good reason.
The child was left with McCarney for a period of 20 minutes while the mother went out for a takeaway – when she returned he was leaving in a hurry for the hospital. Twenty minutes – the child was fine when she left and almost lifeless when she returned – all in the space of 20 minutes…?
I think the police are on the right track.
why you so involved in this story strange
WENDY I would just like to say, do you not have any thing better to do….
I have read the above comments and I am appalled to read your views on this young woman mainly because she was a ’single mother’.
That man did not live with her…
You dont know anything about this family, or the actual circumstances, so maybe you should refrain from tainting a little angels mother, until you actaually know the REAL FACTS.
FACT – an innocent child is DEAD.
At the moment there are so many rumours and lies and god knows what else.
Not all mothers on their own pawn their children off to others be it family members, close family friends or whatever, and even if they did, I think they are more than deserving of a break especially being a one parent family.
ITS GREAT THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO TEND TO ALL YOUR CHILDREN WITHOUT THE NEED EVEN ONCE THROUGHTOUT ALL Your KIDS LIVES TO ASK A RELATIVE OR FRIEND TO CARE FOR THEM FOR AN HOUR OR AN EVENING, BUT SURE YOU HAD A HUSBAND THERE TO DO THAT???
Life isnt always so perfect for everyone, and unfortunately we do not live in a perfect world, I am sure if Rachael or any members of the family knew of McCarneys past he would most certainly not have been present in either Rachael or Millies lives.
I read a few weeks ago of a woman who had been with her husband for 15 years and thought she knew everything about this man, only to then catch him emailing 14 year old girls on the internet to groom them for further contact…..
You dont know anything in this world.
Terrible Things happened years ago, the only difference then was that people covered them up.
Yes Annabell
Wedny should not be judging Rachael just becouse she was a single mother..
I know alot of single mothers and all of them real good parents and some childern are better of than childern that are in homes were mum and dad are both present..
Wendy most have been supper woman never to have a night out with her husband in over 23 years..
I did alot of babysittin over the years for alot of people and all parents welcome the break even if it is only for an hour..
Dont judge Wendy as I am sure if we all started looking into ur life ur not perfact eather..
One difference here – none of my kids got beaten to death by some cretin…I too know many single mums, some good, some who should not be allowed to own a dog let alone have a child – those types are far too prevalent in society today and everyone makes excuses for them.
Yes Wendy that is the only difference,….
You typed that you were married and divorced and married again, so you let a stranger into your life at some stage between your first marriage and second.. Thankfully he was a ‘Normal man’ , but you lent your trust to this person just as racheal lent her trust to this guy, and regrettably there is a wee pettlan dead now.
The single parents that you refer to that couldnt own a dog let alone a child, maybe you should be informing the correct authorities rather than speaking on here about these people.
After all if the people in our communuities opened there mouths instead of being afraid of offending the persons involved, maybe these children would be safe.
Like I said – judgement is everything – you have to look at the whole person; where they come from, their past…and this Barry person certainly appears to have had one. There are, thankfully, more ‘normal’ people out there than not but there are signs that indicate what type of person someone is. I certainly DID notify authorities about dead-beat parents I came into contact with and this was years ago – I would still do it in a second if I had concerns and I see nothing wrong with discussing these issues in a public forum. Being afraid to ‘open my mouth’ and take action is something I have never taken a backward step from and never will.
I too think the police are on the right track.. No dout bout it.. I am from that neighborhood and have lived there all my life so to think that it has hapened so close to home makes this case so much more scary.. I think on going debate like this should stop even only for awhile. or at least until more details have been made public..
Reachael may have let this man into her life and that of her daughter and as a result she has lost her daughter in the worst way possable.. That is something that she will have to live with for the rest of her days.. Regardless of how much she knew about his past I am sure she would never have thought something like this would happen..
Tullabell has said how he was very violent towards his past partners, well if he was violent towards Reachael I dont no if he was or not but Im still sure she beleaved he would never hurt her little girl..
None of us not even friends family or neighbours alike can comment on the mother and weather she is to blame in any way.. If she is in any way guilty then the police will deal with her as well.. It is not for us to judge her at this moment in time..
I just hope single mothers will use this as a lesson on letting strangers into their lives and that of their kids to quickly.. But I will agree with Lisa alot of kids are abused by family members even thier mothers and fathers.. It is something that everyone has to take responsablity for and everyone has to watch out for the signs.. All childern have to be protected from those in power and those closest to them as well as from strangers..
My thoughts and pryers are with Reachael and her family at this moment in time.. Knowone should ever have to go through someting like this..
Each and everyone of us should stop judging and finger pointin at this moment in time and wish for and fight for justice to be done for baby Millie..xx
R.I.P little angel u are safe from harm now playing with the angels..xx
Actually I do have much better things to be doing but I choose to do this because if I did not vent my spleen about these all too common cases involving the children of unmarried women dying in such numbers then I would be only a part of the problem – the problem of society being all too tolerant of chaotic lifestyles into which kids are born.
It is not a matter of whether or not I left my kids with relatives, friends or the dog catcher – these kids all live in the same domestic set ups and they all die the same way. I am not talking about cold statistics…I have names to put these poor kids and they are scattered right throughout this site. They all died t the hands of the same person…Mums boyfriend. These men are not merely babysitters – they fill a void in the life of very needy women who go from man to man producing endless numbers of kids. They grow up in poverty, neglect and abuse. Too many of them exist, too bloody many, so yes, I will get up on my bloody high-horse, I will take the high-moral stance and I will pass judgement on people who are supposed to be MOTHERS!
I agree that not all mothers pimp their kids for someone to sleep with but TOO MANY DO!
I chose who came into to my home – I chose who had anything at all to do with my kids – I chose to put their welfare above all else. I can tell you right now I would never, ever put a man before my children and no way would one come winging in to live with me and my kids after a few days, weeks or even months of meeting one. I do not live in a perfect world by any standard but no way would the safety of my children in their own home ever be compromised by my need to have a man with me. It all comes down to judgement, something which so many young women these days have absolutely none of. To say we cannot moralise or judge these women at all is saying we have to tolerate this increasing problem of child abuse because these women have the right to live as they please – maybe they do – but not once a child in involved. No way in the world. The ultimate responsibility for a child’s welfare lies with it’s mother.
I am not disagreeing with you that a mother is responsibil for her kids safety and welfare.. I totly agree with that.. All I am sayin at the min is that we should not be judging or passing remark on the mother in this case becouse we dont no the whole story..
Do u no the mother or any of her family in any way??
Baby P’s mother is different she knew what was goin on and she let it happen..
Even after years u cant always tell what a person is like and sometimes a womans trust is put in the wrong place.. These men pray on the weak minded and the easy to control..
Pitty not all woman wernt as strong as u are..
Another case wer it was the childrens father the Mcenhill case in omagh.. She was with him for years.. so its not always single mothers..
It is everyones responsability to watch out for these things and try and help childern that might be getting abused in any way.. It is sometimes easier to see something when your not so close, as i found out years ago.. I did what I could at the time to help but I was very young.. But becouse I noticed something was wrong I managed to help a whole family.. They may not all no I had anything to do with helping them and I dont care, and it took a while for the mother in this case to fully acceppt what had been happening and understand as she was deeply hurt and shocked that her own brother could touch her kids in such a way..AGAIN NOT A SINGLE MOTHER
SAD NO MATTER WHAT,,,POOR MUM SO LONG AS SHE GOT HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS BE HINDE HER………I LOST MY BEST FRIEND AND HER 10 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER TO RAPE AND MURDER AND SHE DID NOT HAVE A BOYFRIEND IT WAS HER BLOODY MAN NEXT DOOR AND SHE DID NOT ASK 4 HIM 2 BUY A HOUSE NEXT TO HER ,,,IT ALL SO SAD WE SHOULD JUST BE THERE FOR THEM CAUSE BELEAVE ME THEY DONT NEED PUT DOWN SAD SO SAD
This family need to give police as much information as possible in order to nail this terrible crime – I asked how this child was able to be killed and that is a well justified question. I asked who was supposed to be protecting that child – again another question that deserved to be asked. I am not the only person to have said ’single mother – boyfriend’ when this story broke. That little girl did not deserve what happened to her and yet nobody is supposed to question…? given the circumstances reported it is very hard not to be curious!
this is a tradegy, but the whole sytem of social care and family laws needs seriois consideration with intention to change, in september a 18 month old child was badly beaten by a mothers new partner.
a vetting scheme and closer investigation by social workers of all new partners be the the fathers or mothers is needed.
we also have to look at the reality of northern ireland, a residence in where a biological father is absent is the most high risk residence for a child to live in.
for this past year i ahve warned politicans that child abuse is epidemic in northern ireland, yet they do nothing to combat it
my heatfelt sympathy ges out to the family of millie and i hope for the respect of the child that this does not turn into a witch hunt but is served as the reminder we all need as a society to make changes to social serivces and family law
Well said Hugh – the biggest problem is the habit of having transient males through a household who see the child/children as competition and of course they would not have any bond with them at all. There have been studies conducted for years about the rising incidence of children being killed by step-fathers and of course you are starting to hear about children being abused by step-mothers – those cases though are not as common as the former. I once worked in an environment where I saw many children who lived in one-parent homes and whose lives were very unstable due to the transient relationships of the mothers…I remember well one little boy whose arm was placed on the side of a bath by his mothers new boyfriend who then brought a chair down on it and literally smashed his forearm in two. These are not isolated cases whatever anyone would have you believe – I know there are plenty of great single Mums who go it alone and look after their kids brilliantly…but there are far too many who do not. Those are the ones I refer to here. And after what I have seen in the past I am beyond just passing judgement…I have very clear formed opinions based on evidence. And tragic evidence at that. Social services became too PC and stopped being judgemental – they need to return to such a policy if kids are to be saved in the future.
this is your one statement that makes sense. nobody is saying that SOME single mums are a little to carefree and worried about their own lives. i was merely trying to say stop judging rachael i for one know millie was her life BUT i dont expect you to know that i just expect someone so opinionated to listen to both sides of the coin and not ASSUME so much. you have people here giving you first hand their opinions etc and your opinion is the only one and your right and everyones wrong…. i defo defo agree that maybe new partners should be subject to some type of vetting…..
hi
thats exaclty why i said this should not be a witch hunt, the facts of this case and child abuse on a whole needs a objective study. most reports here run on the subjective traditional notions we all have and by doing this we miss the point that is children first.
the law states – the best interest if children – the laws of the land are flawed and out of date with the society we live in.
political bodies run away from child abuse, it was easy to hit the church that time as they were a non political party, if the lid is ever lifted on social serivces and the legal industry in this country everyone would be on the street.
unfourtitly goven that the proposed vetting laws to protect children will not be introduced what hope do we have of portecting children
I agree that too many single mums these days jump at chance to leave their kids in care of people they dont know, or move strange men into home with children.
I`m 24 yr old single mum, and not once since my 2 and half yr old son been born, have I left him in care of any man in my life.
I have had boyfriend for last year, and it was only after I got to trust him enough that I introduced him to my child.
I have never left my son alone with boyfriend, even if it only for 2 minutes!
My boyfriend has not once stayed in mine and my sons home, as I dont think it right.
I think young single mothers need to think about their childs welfare before any man.
Maybe then, there wouldnt be so many little babies like baby peter and poor little millie.
My thoughts are with Millies mum and family at this time, I cannot even imagine what it would feel like to lose a child.
But I hope this will make alot more young mothers open their eyes and not leave their kids with men they dont know very well
RIP LIL ANGEL XXXXX
I agree with you – and having been married, divorced and now married again I have ‘been there and done that’ and know full well that you have to prioritise and realise that your home is also your children’s home and they deserve to have that space, their home, for themselves and that they should be safe in it. They should not have to share that space with a different bloke every few months. Of course that does not mean a woman cannot try to find happiness with someone, not all men are potential killers and to suggest that is crazy. I just think that many women are not careful enough – if you’ve ever watched an episode of Jeremy Kyle you will know what I mean. It is frightening to see how common it is.
I have not written about Rachael Martin as an individual as I do not know her – but what has happened to her daughter represents a familiar story and will to many people. The grandparents must be devastated.
By the news tonite its sounding like something happened the nite before…he was babysitting, and the next day racheal noticed the child was woozy and closing one eye…at the same time he was at work aggitated and wanted home!!! Y didnt she take the child to the docs that day???? Then that nite she put child to bed, went 4 a takeway then he met her at the erne hosp…with child??? What was he doing lookin near child if it in bed asleep….so many questions.
He may not have had violence towards rachael…yet in the relationship! I do believe he had her manipulated…she is only 25 remember!
the news was wrong…. again. but i cant be bothered to even start explaining because no1s listening and when the truth comes out the papers will still write what they want and you lot will still listen….
no lisa its not wrong, read the impartial the interview with racheal on thurs, she said it herself, so i suggest you read it before you start. you dont know it all, i think the mother knows and it was her interview out of her own mouth.
I totally agree
This is all speculation that has gotten way out of control. AT the end of the day, wee Millie is gone and the questions that need to be asked will be asked by the PSNI and the prosecution. There are 101 theories flyin about but at the end of the day Rachael could be a key witness in putting this man away so obviously anything she says will be kept quiet. It would be obsurd for her to do interviews etc Her baby isnt even dead a week and to be honest the longer the details are kept from the public the better. Tempers are high in this neck of the woods and we need to see justice for Millie and if Rachael’s ’silence’ is the key then sobeit. RIP Millie xx
Exactly. As I said in a comment earlier, the PSNI took their time questioning this man and this is done for good reason – even requesting an extension of time to do so. I also wrote earlier that a lot was NOT being said which is vital when seeking a prosecution. The family are not required to say anything to the media of course and would be advised not to – but the media interest in this case will be intense. Poor poor little girl.
What I said wasnt speculation…it was from a news reporter outside omagh court house just after the case was over…….this was words fom barristers on rachaels side and barrys side!!!! Facts from the case!!!
I saw it too and while people can speculate about what exactly happened in the house while the mother was absent one thing that is fact is that it happened while Millie was in the company of that man. I have just seen a photo of him and I am wondering just what the attraction is for these women…he looks like a throwback.
he defo was a mingerrrr. they were not facts . the takeaway was wednesday night after millie went to bed… he obv hurt her but not in obv way cos there were no marks. next morn millie was tired looking and wanting cuddled but still smiling rach thought she was getting flu but considered bringing her to gp if she didnt peek. he left work early cos she was going to her mums and he shit himself that they might encourage rach to go to hosp. at 8.00 millie was put to bed because she had come round again . rach nipped to shop at 08.20 and when she came back after 10 mins he was leaving with the child for the hosp. FACT
Hugh you are spot on about family law and social services needing changes!
Parents partners should be checked, but then again, how will that work when so many woman claiming benefits saying they have not got a partner?
I`m very cautious of who is around my son, though his biological father, who was emotionally and pysically abusive , can walk into his life after 2 yrs and I have to take my child crying to visits.Now he fighting for unsupervised access!To me, his father would be more of danger to him than anyone, yet law will let it happen. To me that aint right as I got out of abusive relationship to protect my baby.
There are alot of men out there who manipulate women, and if this is case with millies mum, I feel for here, as I have been there myself
We need big change, so that no more children suffer at hands of such cruel abuse!
It`s the children who are sufferer here, and it wil only get worse with every generation. We need to put end to it, and fast!
There was a time when social services would do spot checks on those women claiming ‘lone parent’ benefits – at least where I come from anyway – and particularly with those living in council housing. Back then you were monitored and if you were found to be shacked up with a bloke (most usually on benefits too) you lost a chunk of your handouts or could be asked to find your own accommodation. But you were penalised for sure.
Kay you need to get some help to fight the unsupervised access aspect of your ex’s involvement with your son – authorities are supposed to be putting the child’s needs at the forefront these days and if he is crying and distressed when taken to an access visit then something is seriously wrong. I’d fight the unsupervised access with everything I had – get some help with this if you can. If I was in your position I’d probably move country if I was able to – I’d do anything to keep my kid safe. Good luck girl.
she was not living with him and he didnt usually stay at night.
O dont worry I will use every ounce I have in me to fight unsupervised access, as it is not in sons best interest. I have thought about moving away somewhere, but he will probably track me down and cause more annoyance
Where I live most women are claiming single parent benefits, have partner living with them and he works!Im not sure if spot checks are done anymore but there alot of benefits cheaters around her for sure
Aint fair on people like me who work to support child, with no financial help from father, who really are lone parents!
This country benefits system and social services need sorted out to stop this growing trend of people dependant on state handouts, and to prevent the ever growing number of horrifying child abuse cases
Just think of the great example you are setting for your son – a good work ethic is one of the best values we can give our kids and you love to know that he will benefit from everything you do for him. You just want to give them the best eh?
All those who assume that the benefits gravy train will last forever will get a huge shock in time to come – it wont last forever because the country wont be able to afford it in the future and all those women who have spent their best years doing nothing but spouting out kids will get to 60/65 and find that there will be no pension for them. What will they do then…?
Get a child psychologist’s report to support you in your access case if you need to, anything to get support on your side. Your child’s well being and development is of the utmost importance and you need to prove your child’s safety is at stake. Hope it all goes well.
yeah benefit frauds PISS me off!!!!!!!!!!!!! because the rest of us are expected to work and earn less than those sitting on their ass or who are working AND getting benefits AND getting their house paid for… its a joke.
how could she not know??? Blinded by love stupid stupid stupid girl!!
yeah thats what i think to, how would you not know
well i have to say im a single mother who would do anything for my kids , i was very young when i had my eldest it didnt work out with her father but he is a good man so i was single for alot of year then i met a real charmer who was very bad to me so i fell pregnant to this man i new i could never let my child near him as he beat me wen i was pregnant so i new wat he could do to a child tht min he took me to court to see the child but thank god for soical workers they offered him visits with some one sitting in he said he wouldnt see his child way tht goin on so thank god he did he like i saw the way this man spooke to his siblings god i prayed hard he didnt have nafin to do with my baby well i tell you a lot of single mums do let this go on im not going to judge anyone for trying to bring to bring up ther kids but i do think tht a lot of the abuse tht is goin n could be lowered if the mumsput ther foots down and wer stronger r.i.p millie xoxoxo
Tragic circumstances such as the horrific, violent death of an innocent baby bring about strong emotions in people and people, at these times, can be irrational. It is unfair to make disparaging comments to Wendy and other posters who are simply stating well documented, statistically based facts. Children are at the greatest risk of abuse and harm in single parent families. PARTICULARLY when there is an unrelated adult (boyfriend) in the home. There are those who would like us to believe that it is all well and good to have an entire sub-culture of single moms but facts tell another story. These children are at tremendous risk, often neglected and abused and yes, we all know wonderful single mothers( I was one myself some time ago), but the truth remains that children are safer and do much better with stable, married parents. It is not judgement, it is fact. Women need to understand when they have a child that the child is the most important thing in life. All life decisions need to be made with the best interest of the CHILD in mind. Not based on some guy or having a good time.
If anything, Wendy is fighting for these children exsisting on the”fringe” of society. What she does here is admirable and its too bad if the club set doesnt find it “cool”. What have any of you done to further the hopes of abused children?
Thanks Mary and this story is just devastating. Most of what I have been saying does not apply to this mother of this little girl directly but rather is a broad comment on the problem of such children in general. Children seem to be dying on a weekly basis in similar circumstances and I have been told by a member of the Metropolitan Police who worked on the Baby P case that there are cases equally dreadful who do not even make the headlines. It has to be discussed or else we would be burying our heads in the sand just like the authorities do when they make one of their frequent errors. For too long the tide has gone with the ‘lets not breach the mothers rights’ direction and in doing so the welfare of these kids have become secondary to that of the adults. This has to change.
And what a beautiful, little darling…..who could do anything but love and cherish her?
I am so sorry you were hurt…
Rest in peace sweetie
She is beautiful – and those who loved her must be absolutely numb right now.
Those who loved her are numb…. the person that loved her most is her mother…Rachael, whom i was with last night…
i have followed this from yesterday… and i just hope the family dont read your earlier posts…
the heartbreak they are already suffering will be with them for life…
you should never judge someone you dont know… As im sure you have read in the papers and seen on tv..Rachael wasnt even at home… what Millie went through was horrific and if something doesnt seem out of the ordinary then you cant see anything…. what happened to Millie last week was the beginning and the end…
and for that family, especially Rachael, they have to go through life without the best thing that ever entered their lives…so Wendy i think its best you say no more on this matter… you as a mother ought to know best and if you had any compassion you will let this go and let them grieve in peace…
god knows they have a life time of it to come !!!
There is an awful lot of detailed information being shared here and I am wondering if you all are better off giving this to the police instead seeing as some of you have told me that the family are not speaking, the mother is not speaking, however some of you who claim to know this woman personally are singing like canaries…
Lisa and Kareen; if the family are refusing to speak to the media – as they understandably would – what you are saying could be in breach of that understanding. The media will certainly write about this regardless, unless a blanket ban is issued by the courts, and you cannot stop this being written about on the internet and to even try merely encourages people even further. It is perfectly appropriate to discuss issues even though these may not refer to this woman directly – it is a public forum afterall. Believe me, if you are worried about what has been discussed here then I suggest you avoid certain other websites which have absolutely no regard for the law at all and publish thoroughly offensive material about cases like this.
As I said Lisa and Kareen, the information you have shared would be admissable as ‘hearsay’ evidence and really should be kept for legal purposes – anything you have said here can easily be requisitioned by the police for the case and it has happened here before with the Baby P case in May so please be cautious as to what you say when you claim ’she did’ and ’she said’ if you claim to be speaking from personal experience.
I just want to say something and its not that I’m against the mum or anything so dont everyone jump on me…..
It says at the hearing yesterday that he was with child alone the nite before…..but the next day the mum thought child lethargic and an eye closing….
As a mum I would immediately think…..’christ millie has mengitis or something….and off I’d go to the docors having panick attacks!!!’
But you never know, maybe barry was telling rachael ‘awk sure shes grand stop worrying……your over reacting’. But it is a question in my head personally????
when i met in stormount in october, i highlighted to the government about the high amount of child abuse in sinlge mother homes, even when the facts were staring them in the face they still tries to counter what i was saying. I told the governmet then that anyone in this country, be it a abusive person or peadophile could have contact with a child but a biological father can be detained from a child on allegation alone. i went onto describe that this one a major reason for child abuse in this country as in very many cases good fathers are removed from a child’s lives and in the vast majority of cases biological fathers are the best protectors a child could have.
i do speak from a fathers perspective and i am a father who is now currently fighting for my child, a new partner was introduced and lived in the same house as my daughter very soon after we seperated, i went through all the emotions of what a stranger could do to my daughter and why such a stranger should be allowed overnight contact with my child, while myself a loving, caring and involved father of 3 years had to fight through the courts for that right.
i made sevral workable proposals, i introduced draft laws to protect children, in the end we won the debate and won government support only for it to be taken away a month later.
children are killed in the UK like millie at a rate of 1 per week by my research, countless times the governmet have be subject to several critical reports about child abuse, what makes me mad about all this was politicians comments after millies death, these same politicians have been forwarned its only a matter of time.
given all the cases i have went through, this case is definitly not reading right, there is far more than meets the eye to all this, all we can hope is that this case will stay in the open and not be allowed to be hidden from the public like other cases
Which is why I discuss such issues here Hugh – during the Baby P courtcase earlier this year I was in contact with a detective inspector from the Met Police in London who was personally involved in that case and some of what he told me off the record was dynamite stuff. To be clearer, this site was under surveillance for the duration of the case as I was discussing certain aspects of the case and believe me Big Brother does exist in the blogosphere…it was good to be told that the authorities agreed with the sentiments expressed here but I walked a very thin line between being legal and being in contempt of court. At one stage towards the end I upset the Judge, Stephen Kramer, and this site was removed/suspended for two days until I ‘complied’ with requests. But I still kept on supporting the issue of abused children here and it gave many people the facility to express how they felt…Baby Peter opened up a lot of wounds for a lot of people I came to discover. I do not intend to ignore any issue, including this one, because these kids need as many voices as possible to shout for them.
Anyone who argues that children are not more at danger in one-parent homes definitely have their heads stuck firmly up their backsides; forget about statistics and figures – the amount of children in graves speaks for itself. Just google how many kids have died at the hands of their ‘carers’ in the past five years in the UK alone – I defy you to find two kids who were not killed by Mums boyfriend or where an unrelated male in the child’s house played no part in the tragedy…you simply wont. Hugh I feel for you in your situation, it must be devastating to know another male is in your home with your kids and all you have to go on is the judgement and common sense of your ex-partner. Politicians, especially here in NI, seem to have their own set agenda’s and rarely does child welfare come into the picture for funding or action. The single-mother issue has become a political hot potato as they were once a minority group at a time when minorities seemed to get the most attention – they live in the pocket of the taxpayer (not all of them I know…) and have a huge roll in winning politicians their votes. Who would vote against the establishment who pays your wages…?
Now throw in the plight of the single-dad and you have a long list of discriminatory attitudes – they don’t get the same rights, are only now able to lobby and be heard and have to fight for the basic entitlements that single-mothers automatically qualify for. The single-dad is an untapped resource and he needs to be recognised as a significant person more than capable of caring for their child – providing the dad is willing and capable emotionally of doing so – I would even venture to say that many kids would be better off with their dads than their mums…
it wa the government who where saying children are not at a higher risk from unrelated partners, i have case file after case file on abuse at the hands of new partners. Eilen sung from the gender equality unit who tried to counter it. i know more kids are killed by non biological parents or parnters and usually while they reside with the biological mum. the government know this as well as i have told them countless times and showed them world wide instances of it. in my fathers day report i wrote that what does the words i am telling my daddy on you mean to the world today, instead of empowering children or parents , parnets hvave to coe back to the stance that if you touch my children you will answer to me and be allowed to do so
the biggest blow for me is that i highlighted a welfare issue raised by my daughter to me about the new partner and her mum and because of that i cant see my daughter. social services told me to get a solicitor and did not investigate the issue to 9 months later. the same trust for millie the same trust in the mcehil case is the same trust involved with me and again that does not fill me full of hope. If anything does ever happen to my daughter all it will be is another serious case review and thats that.
Lisa if you come back on. Can you tell us why Millie was known to social services if what you say abot Rachel is true and that she had no inkling this monster was violent.
read the impartial reporter… Rachael has done a one off interview to clear up a few things…. you will get your answer there Traci
R.I.P wee Millie xx
Here’s a link for those who don’t know this publication – http://www.impartialreporter.com/news/roundup/articles/2009/12/17/390444
I feel very sorry for this woman and the grandparents – but this child has died in very strange circumstances that much is clear.
If you believe all lisa tells you, well shot me dead iv really heard everything, even the interview millies mum gave says things, quess what lisa says they arent true, lisa knows what happened but millies mum doesnt, sick why so involved totally sick
I’ve been following this blog for a few days now. I have a baby girl a few days older than what Millie was. She looks like Millie, acts like Millie when you read what Millie was up to (Impartial Reporter have a very touching interview with the mum today) and while I totally stand by the points raised about single mothers letting men into their lives too easily I truely believe that Rachel didn’t miss signs. For some reason I think whatever happened to Millie happened within the two days of her death. I also believe that she wasn’t known to social services.
Her family loved her very very much, they are heartbroken. I do believe that they would have loved her enough and that they paid her enough attention to recognise if something had been going on for a lengthly time. They would have protected her. This is in my eyes a complete tragedy to them. Yes, there are many questions. But I wholeheartedly trust that this family did not know they had a monster in their midst. I don’t think they had any signs. Id love to know how long she was with him.
I had a little boy when I was Rachel’s age, and although I am happily married to his father now, we did split up briefly and I remember thinking I’d be lucky if anyone wanted me with a child. It’s such a vulnerable position to be in. I don’t blame her at all. It’s such a tragedy that she was so trusting. My heart goes out to her.
It must be unimaginable to have to go through this and especially at this time of year which is supposed to be a happy time for children – my Dad always said that Xmas is only for children. I am wondering though what the Sinn Fein MLA meant by “people will shiver when the full story comes out”…
Maybe not the most responsible thing to say at the off but given that you have to understand the public interest in such a story.
As far as I know, Tommy Flemming made the comments before Tuesday’s appearance at court. We were all shivering when we heard that account. Would he have any access to Post-Mortom? I doubt it for some reason. If the nursing staff thought she may have had Meningitis or a fit then something seems to have happened very quickly and mostly internally. I hope that what we have found out so far is as shivering as it gets. I think it is shocking, without hearing anything worse. It feels like people are waiting for more, much worse things to come out. We are so facinated by the macabre, that what we have heard just isn’t enough for some people.
It’s easy for others to say Millie should have been taken to her GP when her mum thought she was ill, but its so hard these days to get an appointment, and you do feel like you are over reacting when you get there only to find out its “a wee virus” If there were no external cuts and bruises how could she really tell. I have a friend who had a little 2 year old boy who was holding his head to the side. she took him to the doctor who diagnosed an ear infection. Her little boy died of a brain tumor a few days later. It makes you wonder why you would bother when they dont care.
I just don’t know. I would have always assumed these things happened to neglected babies, and something in my heart tells me Milie wasn’t neglected at all. Maybe its wishful thinking, as I look at my 15 month old and just dont want to imagine something like that happening her.
Although others may think I am naive, I just do not believe the mum knew this was possible. And if one good thing comes out of this, may it be that other single mums out there take this tragedy on board and do not give themselves and their child to someone without knowing them inside and out.
And to the rest of us, give the babies an extra hug tonight. You just can never tell when someone you love will be gone.
Nice blog Wendy.
Louise i think you have made your opinion come across nicely. millie was not neglected and she was loved and im glad someone on this blog can see it from the other perspective.
x
We never saw the child – those at the hospital did though and by all reports she was not in a good state. So how can we see this from any other perspective just yet…? a young baby left with a bloke – on two close occasions – dies, and not from natural causes. He is questioned at length an arrested. No application was made for bail either…
A lot of people are adding 2 and 2 and getting the same answer Lisa. And I am sure she was deeply loved…but not by that man.
and here we go again lisa knows, tell me how you know did you live with them, follow her 24/7, NO then you dont know anything.
Thank you for directing me there. Sorry for the insinuation. I read somewhere ths morning it was no secret Millie was known to SS. I apologise.
This story is too tragic for words.
RIP little Milie
Traci it was reported in the media that SS had been involved in Millie’s life so a lot of other people are under the same impression. I will be extending on this story when more details emerge.
Me again,
The reason I believe that SS weren’t involved is because they are in so much hot water over the McElhill tragedy that they are being ultra careful in the Sperrin Lakeland/ Western Board. They are literally investigating anything they have an inkling.
I had a routine 15 month check-up with my daughter this week. The HV (I am under this trust too) was able to tell me that she was sorry for my recent miscarriage, asked how my son’s health issue was, asked was I happy with his glasses and how my daughter’s medical condition had panned out. I hadn’t told her any of this and was shocked that she knew it all. She told me that she received any notes about any child in her area. She also did the whole “and how are you” speil that you know is to try and find out if everything is ok at home.
It felt like an interview. Millie had not had her 15month check obviously as Rachel says in interview that she had not seen her HV from birth. So I wonder if the 15 month check had been on time, would Millie still be here?A good Health Visitor is a wonderful weapon in the fight against child abuse.
Oh yes, our seven year old was bouncing on his bed then fell off and cut his forehead on the bedside table. Off we went to A&E for some sutures – we visited the GP a month later for something unrelated and he asked us how our son was doing after his little mishap…every time a child goes to A&E their GP is notifed – there is a network which some may feel is intrusive but I feel is vital. It is all set up to ensure kids are alright even though authorities get it wrong at times.
When we lived in France until recently we were told that a new baby MUST attend the baby clinic every month until it is a year old – if you dont you lose your child payment. Children there are monitored until they are sixteen and when you are sent an appointment you don’t even bother to argue – you go regardless. I think the HV scheme here is brilliant and should be well supported by Govt – I wish it existed in my home country of Australia.
as a close friend of Rachael’s .. its something this family, indeed Rachael will never get over… their heartbreak is evident..for friends of Rachael, its hard seeing comments against her and the stories stating about SS, well it just shows you shouldnt believe everything you read… i think in the past few days, especially here, we have been ’sticking’ up for Rachael… because we know her… and a little compassion goes a long way…
all i ask is what some papers state are not the facts… the facts themselves will be judged in court… i just hope people read Rachael’s story and mabye now they will think before the post comments they are unsure of
i wonder why rachael is not under ANY suspicion from the police?!?! i agree with kareen that maybe we are a little on the defense which is to be expected when we knew millie and knew she was perfectly well cared for and loved. i do understand however the questions people raise as a lot of things have been said in the papers are not true. however i found this blog excruciatingly black and white and one-sided or rather thats how ive found wendy… im very sorry i even stumbled upon this blog as it has annoyed me so much and i feel like im running at a brick wall… and i also find the sarcasm on here or what seeems like sarcastic comments offensive. i love rachael and millie and i hope that people will reserve their judgements until the facts comeout and i know that no matter who believes what millie knew her mummy loved her its just a pity she didnt get to tell her mummy that and live her life to the full. RIP Millie xxx
Lisa if you feel so strongly then by all means contact the Belfast Telegraph and give them an exclusive because most of the country – the UK in fact – are looking at this from pretty much the usual view point. This story is now attracting readers from the USA, Australia and various parts of Europe – that’s where my hits are coming from right now. Did you rage against the vile Facebook group set up to defame the mother as well as the community she comes from…? or have you been too busy just complaining about people here voicing an opinion…?
This child was killed – she did not just die – she was killed and no matter how much any of you like it the mother will come under a lot of scrutiny by all sections of the media over the coming months. That’s how things go when a baby is attacked and killed in it’s own home. From what you say the mother is a good caring mother and if that is the case then that will emerge eventually and in time – trying to change the opinions of the majority is a waste of time believe me. I admire your loyalty to her and your intention to protect her reputation but the fact is society is fed up with these child deaths and people are understandably angry at this one. When a baby is dead in this way it is very difficult for society to look at it in any favourable way.
One question though: knowing the family and the facts why were you online researching the story anyway…? if you were curious why should no-one else be as well…?
im the same as Lisa… wish to hell i hadnt come on this site… i was informed about it.. and the person is right what they say bout you…!!!
wendy, right from the start you have more or less been agaisnt Rachael… just because she was a single parent…
you are a one track minded,judgemental person…
infact your damn right NASTY !
KAREEN AND LISA HOLD ON 2 URE STRENGTH 4 URE FRIEND USE WILL BE ABOUT A LOT LONGER THAN THE REST THE TRUTH ALWAYS COMES OUT IN THE END USE NO URE FRIEND WILL NEEDS USE SHE WILL BE FEELING BAD ENOUGH WITH OUTALL THIS TALK XX
Text speak is for mobile phones and while this comment is hard to decipher I do get what you are saying. But if ‘the talk’ bothers anyone they are not obliged to read any of it…
U REALLY HAVE NOTHING BETTER 2 DO OR U WOULD NOT BE SO QUICK 2 REPLY …CANT U JUST SAY NOTHING 4 A CHANGE THAT FAMILY MUST BE REALLY HURTING AND SIILL U GO ON AND ON
Well ‘angie’ it is my site and I do work online most of the day and this site is part of my work, if people take the time to comment then yes I make the effort to monitor and publish what they write within a decent amount of time – you are welcome to contribute in a constructive manner otherwise don’t waste your time – it dosen’t waste mine because I can just as easily mark your ISP as spam and that will be that as far as I am concerned.
I WAS ONLY TRYING TO SAY MY FRIEND AND DAUGHTER WERE MURDERED THIS YEAR HOLLY WAS ONLY TEN IT STILL TO GO TO COURT AND THE HURT I FEEL IS REALLY BAD AND MILLIES MUM MUST FEEL IT WORSE ANDI FEEL YOU ARE NOT GIVEING HER A CHANCE SHE WILL BE FEELING GUILTY ENOUGH YOU ARE OR IT SEEMS YOU ARE VERY STRONG PERSON UNLIKE ALOT OF US THAT ARE NOT SO STRONG AND ONLY WANT OUR FRIENDS OR FAMILY NOT HURT AS MUCH IF POSSIBLE MY FRIEND DID NOT HAVE A PARTNER AND SHE WOULD OF DONE ANYTHING FOR HER DAUGHTER I DO HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND .
That is tragic and very sad what happened to your friend and her child – I hope the courts deal with the person who did this and lock them away for a very long time…two lives taken must surely warrant a rest-of-life prison term, such a shame we do not have the noose anymore. Stay strong and see that justice is done for your friend and her child.
thank you very much for ure kind words xx
Wendy I would like to say that I seen the facebook site I think you are talking about.. This site was set up aggenst baby Millie and the Irish both north and south.. (the north being british) as Millie was.. This site did not refer to the mother father nor the sick man who killed Millie..
I am sure that any normal person who seen this site reported it to facebook, and maybe the police as well.. I know this site sparked more outrage and anger in the area who tensions are running high already..
I think you should set up a site to fight for better social care for young childern rather than slate single mothers on here the way that you do.. The government dont care about site like this and will ignore what is going on in here but if you set something up to directly fight on this matter and involve local government in all areas whould be alot better.. I would back something like this 100% as i do beleave what it is you are fighting for..
The difference between us is that I will reserve judgment on the mother until I no if she is guilty or not and I mean this in general…
Nobody here ever inferred any guilt on the mothers behalf – I certainly never assumed she had anything directly to do with her child’s death. I suspect only that man – not Ms Martin…why should the mother be guilty…? what an odd thing for you to say…
I have spent a lot of time and money fighting the cause of abused children both here and on civvy street; they all have a common background and I have encountered it throughout the years. This is how I do things for now and that’s the way it will remain.
I have started a memorial page in the name of baby Peter Connolly to which I intend to add Millie’s name and that of other children who die from abuse – I shall do just that when the details of her death are officially established.
Where was the mother? I’m sure that the animal who did this must had done other things in the past. The mother mst have known that something wasn’t right. I feel deep sorrow for her and I don’t know the full story but I think she should be held accountable if she chose not to see what was happenning.
Where was the mother? I’m sure that the animal who did this must had done other things in the past. The mother mst have known that something wasn’t right. I feel deep sorrow for her and I don’t know the full story but I think she should be held accountable if she chose not to see what was happenning.
I can’t believe that this child was left with that animal. It is so sad. Where was the mother? She must have had some idea of what this man was like and what he was doing to her beautiful daughter.
I can’t believe that this child was left with that animal. It is so sad. Where was the mother? She must have had some idea of what this man was doing to her beautiful daughter.
Wendy you are doing good job trying to get people to notice how many abused children there are in world.No one is blaming mum on this site, just expressing their opinions on how, so many children left with strangers and something horrible happens to them.
I do not doubt for a second that Millie was well loved and cared for by her mum, but its other people you have to watch out for!
Obviously if a man has violent past, he will never change, but then again did Millies mum know this?
So many questions yet so little answers
Truth will come out eventually about how much Millie suffered
Was suspect a long term partner?anyone know?
So sad and my thought are with family at this time
RIP LITTLE ANGEL XXX
I think that the fact that Barry McCarney did not apply for bail – and nobody including his solicitor did either – speaks volumes. But then again this could be for his own protection. How saying this accuses the mother in any way escapes me – he is the one with something to answer to, Ms Martin just has the worst grief in the world to cope with. This child died in very familiar circumstances – allegedly at the hands of an unrelated male – that has always been the message here. It is the circumstances that everyone relates to. Heck, I have relatives who are single Mums and are brilliant but on the same note I have written here about far too many who are not.
tullabell and lisa seem to know alot an i hope that there facts are true or they could find themselves in hot water. I personally know the accused and rachel and it makes me laugh some of the bullshit posted by both tullabell and lisa. At the end of the day the truth will come out, this man is innocent until proven guilty in my view, there is no scientific evidence as yet to prove he did it and there is yet no tests back to determine when little millie received theses injuries..both of theses things confirmed by the police in court. He may have done it but he also may not have and until there is evidence there to prove that he did people should not be so quick to judge. All i can hope for is that the person who did murder little millie be brought to justice may it be barry or someone else
I dont know who Tulabell is, and I dont really want to know because she seems to have a very vivid and strange imagination,…but I know Lisa and she knows Rachael extremely well!
Lisa is meerly trying to defend Rachael and rightly so, because she is a genuinely nice girl…
I also Know Rachael, and I knew Barry years ago. . . . When I knew him, there was nothing strange or corrupt about him, he was just Budgie.
This whole sorry situation is crazy and I really cant get my head around it like many other people, but as you said the truth will come out and whatever happened will unfold in the coming month/s…
I just hope for the familes sake that people can stop assuming and making up their own accounts for what happened, and let them grieve for that wee darling that is looking down from heaven…
RIP baby Millie xx
he wont ask for bail, as time served on remand counts as double and it will be taken off whatever scentence he gets, that is why peolpe get short prison terms.
I cant in all honestly get my head around the media over this case, when baby peter’s case was hitting the courts there had to be a total media blackout from the families involved as by speaking out the case would be prejudiced. In the case of millie everyone seems to be getting a word in the press and its just not right as it can prejudice the case and if he asks for a jury how in hell are they going to find one that has not read something about the case, he will be able to claim a mis trial and probably after a year or two on remand get released.
Hugh I can reply to this one; the reason for the media blackout during Baby Peter’s case was a) due to the fact that there were siblings who needed to be protected by giving the accused anonymity, and b) Stephen Barker was also accused of the rape of Peter’s two year old sister and this charge was heard completely separate to the murder charge of her brother. Such were the complexities of this case the courts deemed it necessary to issue a media ban.
I am sure all of us were thinking of Millie and her family yesterday as her funeral took place; I know what it is like to lose a child and for babies this young to die at all is so wrong on so many levels. I too have carried a babys coffin into a church and which is why I take such a strong stance against these child killings – babies like mine die through illness and are unpreventable, babies and children who die through abuse ARE preventable and I just want to see people become so much more aware of how precious their children are.
yes i agree with you here wendy. i do think too many children die from preventable causes and yes so did millie. i can only hope that millies story will make people more aware and a bit more cautious of who they bring into their house.
Fingers crossed I never am in the position of carrying a childs coffin. I have seen the pain of it and that was enough for me and I am sorry for your loss.
Lisa would you believe at all that Millie’s story has overtaken that of Peter Connolly in popularity – of all the articles on this site the stats for the highest hits each day was on the Peter Connolly articles, people are now googling Millie in even greater numbers and that’s an amazing thing seeing that Peter Connolly was the most popular ‘hit’ for all this year. She certainly will not be forgotten.
That is shocking because we know how public it is here but its on our doorstep so you dont even consider how much it affects other people.
I really do hope it makes people aware of who they bring into their house and if Millies and Peter’s wee lives make people take note that people arent always what they seem and make them aware of what people are capable of their lives will not be in vain and I hope it honestly makes men and women all over the world not settle for anything but the very best for their babies.
I do however think its a pity that children are being tortured not just here but all over the world before we take notice especially as they are the naive innocent ones who dont know what people are capable of and we should.
I know I’ll never forget her that’s for sure.
In reply to other peoples replies about my comments… no i was not there 24/7 obv and I really wish i was but I’ve known Rachael my whole life and I can only give my views on this site on what I know myself… I am not saying any mother is perfect I was merely trying to put across the other side of the coin… I do understand people’s interest and of course their questions because when something like this happens people want to know how and why it happened and I understand that… I too asked those questions in regards to Peter. But because I know the family first hand I was giving my input… thats all…
Lisa I appreciate your input – for one thing you’ve offered a perspective that rarely comes with a story like Millie’s and that is one apart from what the media presents. You don’t often get a ‘face’ put to the story until after everything is thrashed out in court so I do appreciate what you’ve contributed here and I am sure your loyalty and concern for Millie’s mother will be a huge support to them when the traumatic court case begins.
I only ever left my boys with two people if it was ever necessary – my Mum and my sister who both lived very near to me and only because I knew both would never take their eyes off them. I was always one of those Mums (still am…) who imagined an accident around every corner and I have to say I almost drove myself mad at times worrying about them – too much of a vivid imagination have I. Basically I never trusted anyone with my kids outside my tight knit circle – that’s just the way I am and never wanted to be in a position where I would have something to regret. Even now, when my two eldest are 23 and 22 and they live in Australia and Germany respectively, I get paranoid sometimes about what they are doing and if they are alright – a friend once told me I will end up with ulcers if I don’t relax more but there it is…since the day they were born their safety and well-being was always paramount to me. I never for the life of me will ever understand the mind set of women who just stand by and allow men to do horrible things to their kids – to me the love you have for your child is the thing that will make you run into a burning house to rescue them…so why would you stand by and watch some cretin bash the life out of them?
Families must look out for their daughters/sisters/cousins especially if they are single mums and possibly looking for the companionship of a man – we all want companionship at some stage – and these women need to trust the instincts and advice of their families if they can see something developing that they don’t like, because love can blind…if a child is at the centre of all this then those families must get involved if only for the child’s sake. A good example is that of baby Peter; all those relatives, never mind the 60 visits from social workers, and yet none of them did anything for that little boy. Even the biological father, who told how Peter screamed and clung to him the last time he handed him back to Tracey Connolly, should have put two and two together. How many pairs of eyes between all those people and still nobody ’saw’ anything…?
Okay so all this might appear to be very black and white – but here’s the alternative – alive or dead…I cannot see any shades of grey in this, you either get involved and do something or you take the easier option, mind your own business and then wait for the tragedy to happen.
Well unless Barry McCarneys own cousins are telling lies, and unless his exs are telling lies and I didnt go one of them visit in hospital after her attack from him……and unless my own eyes are decieving me from her injuries, I’m not telling any lies. I wont find myself in any hot water because unless you yourself want to have a wee look through enniskillen and omagh courthouse archieves his name will have came up a few times. For assault….
However beacuse he has been violent in the past doesnt mean hes capable of this and I agree innocent until proven guilty. But dont tell he he wasnt a manilpulator to women and he got his was with them. He has a right few notches in his bedpost and a few kids to tell the tail. The trial may bring up things which are going to shock people…….and by god if hes found not guilty then I really do feel for him. Imagine it does turn out it was someone else. Barry will still be tarred with that brush.And that wouldnt be fair at all. Sure the things the papers said such as ‘blood bath at scene, and broken back the child had’, and that was all lies!!! Rachael herslef said that those things were untrue.
Anything else I said above was quoted from news reports and courthouse hearing…..but lets see what the trial brings, and post mortem and forensics say….he didnt break after 6 days pure interrogation and still denies it……so they could be evidence which gets him in the clear. Although it doesn look good cause baby in his care at time. Really how old injuries were will be the deciding factor wont it!
If it were someone else why is he in police custody…? I am sure had anyone else entered that house neighbours would have noticed and in a matter of 20 minutes…? whoever assaulted that child sure worked fast!
Who knows wendy, I’m just going by the fact that after the hearing his defence have said they cant connect him scientifically……and that they would be getting an independant post mortem to see how old the injuries are…..so the next trial in january all the results will be laid out on the table. If it turns out the injuries are older than that nite at then what????
I am trying to see all parties points of view here. I’m sorry for Rachael and her family. I am sorry for those on this site who are friends of Barrys. No one wants this to have happened. All tempers are raised here. We all want answers. We all want someone to blame to get it into our own head the truth. No one wants to believe this has happened. Those that know rachael believe that she would have done everything in her power to protect her baby. Those that know Barry want to believe that hes not capable of this.
Its well know where i’m from anyhow (and its not that i’m from his home town or anything) that he had a temper, well before this happened. But even with that even those who know his past behaviour still dont think him capable of doing that to a baby. To be fair some of what I have been told has been from people who have heard stuff, and I have heard it well before this happened, some stuff from people who are related to him. Sure bad news travels fast.
I am well aware wendy hes the one who has been arrested etc…but imagine if it turned out it wasnt him…..I’m not on here to try to be the big women who knows everything. I dont know the ins and outs of this case, I dont know racheal or barry personally. (I just know that those that were with him were besotted with him I guess cause he was a bit of a bad boy and maybe that was the appeal….and that he has hit women in his day. If anyone says thats lies thats fine, and that I have a vivid imagination thats fine too!!! I know that part of his past is true….but this will have no bearing on millies death or trial)
To be honest I think this will be my last post here. To everyone here who obviously feels such a strong vocation to wee millie, and racheal and barry, I hope you all get the answers you are looking for, and that you will be there for racheal and barry when the time comes. They will both need all the support they can get. I’m not looking forward to the trial. I dont want to hear the details, as I’m sure it will be harrowing. If what Ive said has offended anyone I’m sorry. I cant help what ive been told and saw in the past!!! And those that have heard stuff from Racheal directly cant help it either. Everyone on here is trying to correct each other and set each other straight i think…..but everyone will get the truth they seen soon enough.
MERRYXMAS WENDY XX
Same to you Angie – please stay in touch and let me know how that court case goes, I hope justice is served for your friend and her daughter. Drive safely and stay warm too
AWW THANX ….TRIAL STARTS 15 FEB AT GLASGOW HIGH COURT AND IT THE DIANE AND HOLLY FALLON CASE LET U NO AND THANX AGAN KEEP SAFE XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
HAPPY NEW YEAR XXX
32YEARS HE GOT TODAY
Angie, I take it this is related to your case…?
From what you told me – fantastic! how do you feel…?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/default.stm
Words fail me – why did this story not receive more publicity when it happened…? what a despicable crime! surely was a situation where ‘Sarah’s Law’ should have been put into place – society should be informed when depraved monsters like this move into the neighbourhood.
32 years is a fair chunk of this creature’s life – let’s hope that he suffers every single day of his sentence.
IT SHOULD NEVER OF HAPPENED;I WISH THERE WERE SOME ONE LIKE UER SELF HERE THAT COULD OF DONE SOETHING TO HAVE MADE MORE OF THIS IF U NO WHAT I MEAN XX
I feel absolutely dreadful about this appalling crime – to think that this monster had a previous conviction for assaulting a little girl and he only served six months for it! then he is allowed to live wherever he likes which was the tragic catalyst for this poor woman and her daughter. You don’t even want to try and imagine what they both went through and if either was forced to watch the other being tortured…just shocking. Not enough is done to protect the public – too much protection of his rights has caused this.
thanx xx
While a mother might have no idea this would happen, she should never have allowed him or anyone to used corporal punishment on this child. It is difficult to believe that this is the first time he laid hands on this child.
If he did it because he is a sick man than he would have exhibited some signs before. This beautiful child has suffered and her family will continuir to suffer.
Parents need to stop allowing other access to their kids.