One day you’re going about your life, full of hope for your future; the next, you’re sinking helplessly into the mire of despair amid false allegations of murder and malicious finger-pointing.
This is what I imagine life must have been like for Joanne Hayes, the woman who was wrongly accused of murdering Baby John, aka the Kerry baby who was found stabbed to death on a Caherciveen beach 34 years ago.
And, while Joanne, ‘has welcomed an apology for what she went through,’ as someone who vividly remembers the whole heartbreaking episode, I believe that ‘sorry’ ain’t gonna cut it!
Now, while a DNA profile has conclusively confirmed Ms. Hayes was not the mother of Baby John, and while Gardaí understandably regret their actions (and we must realise this is a 34-year-old cold case, so current serving members of An Garda Síochána weren’t part of the original investigation and we shouldn’t hold them responsible for the historical shoddy and sub-standard cock-up left by their predecessors), the fact is, Joanne was treated like muck.
Watching the news unfold last week, I was reminded how horrendously savage this poor infant’s death had been. And, followed by the botched investigation where we learned how Baby John had endured ‘28 stab wounds and a broken neck’ on his innocent little body, and that Joanne, along with her family, had ‘confessed to the murder of the baby,’ (later retracting it), I was jettisoned back to an Ireland of the dark ages. An Ireland where women, poisoned by the bitter bile of those who should have known better, daren’t fall pregnant and have a child outside of marriage for fear of being shamed and branded a trollop; or worse, in Joanne’s case, a murderer.
Now, while I want to know why Joanne Hayes was hammered, defamed, stigmatised and discredited as if she was personally responsible for all that was wrong with good old Catholic Ireland, I also want to know who parented the innocent little angel whose life was so brutally and maniacally snuffed out. I want to know who terminated that harmless innocent, newborn’s existence. I want to know, as a right-thinking, law-abiding member of society, and someone who respects and supports our Gardaí, how (back then), investigators (allegedly) appeared to have gone through the Hayes’ family like a dominant and potent recessive gene, to illicit a murder confession from them.
Have no doubt folks, there are dark and cryptic secrets behind Baby John’s death; and, as ‘new informants’ are coming forward, I hope we find out what they are. I hope cold case investigators rigorously analyse and audit every single smidgen of evidence available to them and nail the guilty party(ies).
Let’s also hope the technological advances made will, without any shadow of a doubt, reveal who the parents of Baby John are; and that all new revelations are treated sensitively and circumstances are handled delicately and appropriately.
Remember, somewhere out there is (possibly) a grieving woman, who, back in 1984, just wanted a chance to do her job. To nurture and mother her son, Baby John, like she was meant to do.
Remember also readers, deep down, if you ask yourselves what the Kerry Baby case was all about, it appeared to have very little to do with the merciless slaughter of an innocent infant and much more to do with systems that had been put in place to keep women, (and single mothers) firmly in their boxes and make an example of one of them by pinning a false murder accusation on her. The State (and by that I mean the taxpayer), will be writing Joanne Hayes a massive cheque!
Is Kanye ticking the ‘delusional eejit’ box?
Well, we have North West and Saint West, and now, with the birth of too-posh-to-push Kimye’s latest offspring (born via a surrogate, or as Kim calls it a “gestational carrier”) we have…wait for it…Chicago West. Yep, apparently the new baby’s name bears some ‘significance’ for Kim and Kanye, the publicity-seeking junkies who thrive on the glaring lens of the international meeja, as daddy ‘is from Chicago.’
However, Mr. Kim Kardashian, or as he likes to think of himself, POTUS 2020, is actually from the South-side of Chicago; eh so, that’s not exactly the West-side now is it, genius?
Mind you folks, it appears the rapper, who clearly believes he bleeds some serious talent – so much so he was once quoted as saying ‘I am God’s vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live’ – holds himself in such high regard, I’m beginning to feel sorry for him. I mean, imagine being so brilliant and yet never being able to grasp the awesomeness of your own ground-breaking performances! How excruciating is that?
Then again, all joking aside, I have to ask, has Mr. Kim Kardashian now reached that stage in his life where ticking all of the delusional and desperate eejit boxes means calling his kids obscure geographical names has become part of his ballsy grand masterplan to remain relevant?
Vote wisely folks
The Eighth Amendment debate is due to dominate the news headlines and set the political agenda for the coming months. And, while I personally have my own strong views on this emotive subject (and won’t air them here), I will say I’ll have to place my trust in the Irish people and hope that they (we) make the right decision. You see, whichever way this vote goes, the result is set to have long-term repercussions for every single one of us. Please choose wisely folks.
