Kirsty Ward worked in Glenview Medical Centre in Tallaght
Kirsty’s family are ‘broken and disappointed’
A man was sentenced to 15 years for the murder of his South Dublin girlfriend, while the family said they are “broken and disappointed.”
In May, former Dublin soldier Keith Byrne was found guilty of strangling Kirsty Ward (36), a Dundrum pharmacist who worked in Glenview medical centre, at a holiday resort in Spain in July 2023.
Kirsty’s family had to face the trial in Tarragona, Spain, where public prosecutor Javier Goimil said the relationship between the two was very toxic and involved misuse of alcohol and cocaine.
While Byrne first alleged Kirsty had taken her own life at the resort, he was then found guilty of murdering her with a hair straightener power cord because she said she wanted to leave him.
The 15 years sentence was announced this week on Wednesday, July 23, by judge Susana Calvo Gonzalez.
While she said that Byrne and Kirsty being “in a stable relationship” made the crime more serious, she added that his consumption of alcohol and drugs before the murder diminished his cognitive faculties and was a mitigating factor.
“I understand that there is a prevailing basis for imposing the lower penalty and, therefore, imposing a sentence of between seven years and six months and 15 years,” the judge said.
“Within that range, the recognition of the aggravating circumstance and the motivation for the act … lead to the imposition of the maximum penalty, which is 15 years in prison.”
The two years Byrne has already spent in prison since the murder were taken off as they already qualify as time served.
Following the sentence, Kirsty’s parents, Jackie and John, spoke to RTÉ expressing their disappointment.
According to them, the judge’s decision “ignores the verdict of the jury,” and “detracts from the seriousness of the crime.”
“This is wrong. Basically, it devalues someone’s life with such a lenient sentence,” said John in the interview. “It’s not correct. It’s not right. It’s not justice. It’s not what we set out for.”
Jackie mentioned the difficulties of fighting for Kirsty to get justice in another country – which involved them paying for travel and accommodation, getting translators and hiring private legal representation.
The couple are also now caring for Kirsty’s teenage son.
As well as the 15-year sentence, Byrne was given a restraining order preventing him from contacting Kirsty’s son, parents and other family members, or going within 1,000m of them for a period of 25 years.
He was also ordered to pay them a compensation, €150,000 for Kirsty’s son, €80,000 for her mother and €20,000 each for her brother and sister.
However, the family said they don’t accept the downgrading of the sentence to 15 years as their private prosecutor, Estela Cortes, was still seeking for a 30-year sentence.
Public prosecutor Javier Goimil has sought a 20-year-term and is also appealing the leniency of the sentence.
Speaking of the loss of their daughter, Jackie said to RTÉ “I had noticed changes in Kirsty, and I had said to my sisters a number of times, ‘there’s something not right.’”
She said they were very close, and she didn’t think Kirsty was in danger.
The family are “disgusted” by Byrne’s attitude as he never admitted being guilty or expressed remorse.
At the time of the murder, Byrne was also wanted in the UK as he had been an absent soldier without leave for the previous five years.
In their interview, the Ward’s thanked the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust for their “amazing” help in bringing Kirsty’s body home but said they wished they received more emotional support from the relevant authorities during this difficult time.
