Vigils Held for Murdered Nurse Karen Cummings

A candlelit vigil was held in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, for 40-year-old Karen Cummings, a children's nurse and the seventh woman murdered in the region this year. Cummings died from a head injury after being found unconscious, leading to the arrest of two men charged with her murder. The vigil, organized by Women's Aid Armagh and Down, saw over 600 attendees holding banners with the names of 25 women killed in Northern Ireland since 2020. Speakers, including Eileen Murphy from Women's Aid and Noel McNally, whose daughter was also a murder victim, called for urgent action against violence towards women. Local politicians echoed these sentiments, stressing that the violence must end and emphasizing the need for societal change and justice reform. The event highlighted the community's grief and solidarity in the wake of yet another tragic loss.