'All we can do now is make sure Jasmine is never forgotten'

The family of 'beautiful' Jasmine McMonagle have vowed that her memory will live on.

Richard Burke was jailed for 14 years for her manslaughter on Monday by Mr Justice Paul Burns at the Central Criminal Court.

Jasmine was aged 28 when she was found in a pool of blood in the kitchen of her home at Forest Park, Killygordon following a three-hour standoff between Burke and armed Gardaí.

Burke, a 32-year-old of Killygordon and formerly of Donegal Town, was found not guilty of murdering Ms McMonagle but guilty of her manslaughter earlier this year.

Brave Jacqueline Mc Monagle, the mother of the devoted mother-of-two, has told of their world 'fell apart' on January 4, 2019.

“We are not guilty of anything, but we have all been given a life sentence, of suffering pain and missing someone we love so dearly and who we are never going to see again,” Jacqueline McMonagle said.

“Jasmine had her life and future horrifically taken from her by Richard Burk. He violently beat her and strangled her with a rope and mutilated my beautiful daughter. . . the only word that comes to my mind is evil.”

Ms McMonagle recalled how she sat on her daughter's bed calling her phone in the hope 'she would talk back to me'.

She said: “I was in shock and couldn't believe what I was being told about Jasmine's death.”

Various memorials have been put in place to honour Jasmine.

A memorial bench was erected in a playground in Killygordon and an oak tree planted in her memory. 'Smile For Jasmine' pages have been created on Facebook and Instagram.

Ms McMonagle said: “So many other kind and thoughtful ideas were put in place in memory of my daughter. Jasmine touched so many people's hearts.”

Jasmine's daughters, who were aged 17 months and eight years, were present in the house at the time their mother was horrifically killed.

Ms McMonagle said: “Richard Burke's actions have left two young children without their mother.

“His actions are also the reason the children had to leave the house they called home and all the familiar comforts of the home that their mother had created for them.

“Jasmine’s daughters now spend Christmas without their mummy. It is heart-breaking for everyone. Christmas will never be the same again. It means nothing to me any more. We now visit my daughter Jasmine's grave on Christmas day.”

Jasmine's family have promised to do all they can to 'make sure she is never forgotten'.