'Our disbelief at release of killer who is now on the run' - victim's family

The sister of a man whose killer has been on the run for eight days has said her family had no idea he had been released from prison to attend his father's funeral until after he absconded.

Gary Anderson and his brother Sean were jailed for life in 2023 for the murder of Karol Kelly in Londonderry in 2018.

Anderson was freed from Maghaberry prison for two hours last Monday after a court sitting the previous day overturned a decision by the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) not to release him.

Francesca Kelly said the failings had been "at the highest level" and she wanted to raise these face-to-face with the Justice Minister Naomi Long.

Speaking for the first time since Anderson went on the run, Francesca said her family were only told about his release from prison in a phone call just before 14:00 BST on Monday, hours after it had happened, and after he had gone missing.

"At that stage the prisoner had already absconded for a few hours, so we weren't aware at all of any application for compassionate leave," she told BBC News NI.

"I felt that maybe he would go missing for a few hours but eventually hand himself in.

"We certainly didn't think we would be sitting one week and a day later with him still at large."

She said the past eight days had taken a heavy toll on her family, describing it as "exhausting".

"You work hard to move forward in your life," she said. "You work hard to ensure the loved ones still here are okay and can move forward in their lives.

"But the trauma, it sits quietly within each and every one of us and it only takes one slight trigger, and you're right back to that night, you're right back to that graveside, you're right back to that courtroom - and that's a very difficult place to be."

Francesca said the justice system had let a lot of people down, including Karol's five children, the wider family and the jury at the trial who listened to "thorough, onerous and sometimes difficult evidence".

"It has also let down those brave witnesses who took the stand to ensure that they could share what they'd seen and experienced that night," she said.

"So yes, that is all the justice system has let all of us down, because their one job was to ensure that the sentence imposed by Judge Babington was adhered to, and it has not."