The father of Belfast woman Kathryn Parton has told how discovering his daughter’s body will haunt him for the rest of his life.
During a hearing at Belfast Crown Court today, Kathryn’s parents Ernie and Geraldine Parton also spoke of the catastrophic loss caused by the death of their only child.
Her voice breaking with emotion at times, Geraldine bravely took to the witness stand to outline how every aspect of their lives have been changed forever.
She said: “Kathryn was a beautiful, bright, intelligent girl. A mother, a daughter who had a profound love for animals, music and reading.
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“She was really into fitness and exercise and horse riding from a young age. She had been accepted to Queens University until coronavirus and other circumstances stalled that opportunity.
“Kathryn was not without her struggles, but she was working so hard to improve her life so she could be the best mother. She was our only child, our daughter who we waited for 14 long years for. Our gift.
“Since Kathryn’s murder, our lives have been permanently changed. The grief we carry is constant. It is present in every part of our day – from the moment we wake up to the quiet moments when their absence feels overwhelming.
“No parent expects to outlive their child, and the emptiness left behind is something we will carry for the rest of our lives.
“The trauma of what happened has affected us deeply. Sleep is difficult, and our minds often return to the circumstances of the loss. There is a constant undercurrent of anxiety and distress that has become part of our daily lives.
“We also struggle with thoughts of ‘what if’ and ‘if only,’ even though we know we are not responsible. These thoughts are hard to escape and add to the emotional burden we carry.
“There is anger at the senselessness of what has happened. Our child’s life was taken and our family has been left to deal with the consequences.
“It is difficult to accept that this loss was caused by actions that did not have to happen.
“The impact on our wider family has been profound. Our extended family members and Kathryn’s friends are all grieving. Relationships have been strained by the shared loss, and the absence of our beautiful Kathryn is felt in every family gathering and milestone.
“This loss is not something we will recover from. It has changed our family forever. We are now not only grieving parents, but also caregivers to a child who must live with this loss for the rest of their life.
“Since the loss of our daughter, every aspect of daily life has changed. The routines that once structured our days no longer exist in the same way. What was once familiar and automatic now feels disrupted and difficult to maintain. Simple daily activities are often overshadowed by grief and the ongoing reality of absence.
“Family occasions are now a source of pain rather than joy. Christmas, birthdays, and special events that were once times of togetherness now highlight the absence of our daughter. Instead, we visit a grave.
“These occasions are no longer celebrations in the same sense; instead, they are reminders of what has been taken from our family and what will never again be the same.
“The atmosphere in our home has also changed profoundly. There is a silence where there were once presence and life.
“The absence is felt in everyday moments, the empty chair at the table, the phone calls, the text message, the ‘love you, byes’ the belongings that remain in place because moving them feels unbearable, and the constant awareness that someone who should still be here is no longer part of our home.
“We are also forced to live with the permanent loss of future milestones. We will never see our daughter’s wedding, her future children, or the achievements and stages of life she should have reached.
“These are not abstract losses; they are deeply personal and painful reminders of a future that has been completely taken away from us and our family.
“The consequences of this loss are not temporary. They are permanent and irreversible. Every part of our present life is shaped by the absence of our daughter, and every part of the future we once imagined has been changed forever.
“Since our catastrophic loss, the emotional strain has had serious and lasting effects on our physical and mental health. We have experienced stress-related health issues that were not present before, including chronic exhaustion, disrupted sleep, and ongoing physical decline linked directly to prolonged grief and trauma.”
“I cannot find the words to express the grief I bear with the loss of my only child, my beautiful baby, my daughter, she was the centre of my life, my support, my comfort and my joy.
“Every morning I wake to relive the horror of her death. My husband, her own father, was the one who found her after six long heinous days, and I have not only to bear my own torture, but I have to watch him deteriorate from the man he was before this happened.
“I am growing old; my own health has deteriorated with the stress and anguish and heartache I now bear. I no longer have the comfort and kindness of a daughter who I could confide in and lean on. Instead, there is an empty place, an empty chair at the table, no arms to surround me and hold my hand when I’m afraid or lonely.
“My beautiful girl who was so clever and smart. I know she would always be there when I needed her but instead, I am alone and bereft without her. I live with this every moment of every day and I am destroyed with the weight of the loss and grief I now have to bear.”
Mrs Parton was accompanied by a representative of the Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse organisation.
The representative read a Victim Impact Statement compiled by Ernie Parton which said: “I, Ernie, Kathryn’s father am suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following the discovery of my daughter after she had been deceased for six days.
“That experience has left me with persistent and intrusive traumatic memories that remain with me daily. I continue to experience distressing flashbacks and psychological symptoms consistent with PTSD, which significantly affects my ability to function and cope.
“I cannot find the words to explain the shock and horror of finding my daughter lying dead on her bedroom floor in a pool of blood. That image will haunt me for the rest of my life.
“I have lost my motivation and ability to focus on anything since, no matter how hard I try. I’ve lost my only child, and my grandson, his mother, to a senseless and brutal attack. I find it hard to face the future with any positivity.”
A 45-year old woman who admitted assisting her son in the aftermath of Kathryn’s death was handed a four-year sentence today.
Kathryn’s remains were discovered by her father in the bloodstained bedroom of her Madrid Street home on May 15, 2024. A postmortem concluded she had sustained a beating.
Her partner Jamie McAllister was one of three people arrested in the aftermath of her murder, as was his mother Suzanne Love.
Love appeared in the dock of Belfast Crown Court where she was handed a four-year sentence for two charges.
From Isoline Street in Belfast, she admitted perverting the course of justice between May 8 and 16, 2024 by removing items from a crime scene and washing items with intent to destroy evidence.
The mother-of-three also pleaded guilty to assisting an offender over the same time period.
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