It is a very sad case - and such a young life cut cruelly short in such a brutal way.
However, the very fact that there is such a huge - and disproportionate - media reaction to Ashling’s murder actually shows just how
rare these crimes are here in Ireland.
I don’t mean to sound cynical - but if the victim was an overweight, ugly 50 something woman - or a man for that matter - as opposed to a very pretty young woman who worked with children - would the media still be falling over themselves about this case?