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Hundreds gather at vigil after killing of mother-of-two

BBC A large crowd of people stand side by side in Derry's Guildhall Square, a number are holding posters of a young woman.BBC
Many among the large crowd held candles and posters in Amy Doherty's memory

Hundreds of people have attended a vigil in Londonderry city centre in memory of Amy Doherty who was killed in the city last weekend.

The 28-year-old was found injured at a property in Summer Meadows Mews last Saturday morning and later died in hospital.

A man appeared in the city's Magistrates' Court earlier on Friday charged with her murder.

Speaking at the Guildhall Square vigil, Amy's mother, Sharon Doherty thanked the people of Derry for coming out in her daughter's memory.

Family handout Amy Doherty who has light blonde hair partly pulled back over her left shoulder, she is wearing a white lace top and smiling at the camera.Family handout
Amy Doherty was found injured on Saturday and later died in hospital

She said her daughter had been "brutally taken from us and her babies".

"I don't want Amy and the other 29 women's murders to be in vain," she said.

"All we want is justice for Amy."

PA Media A woman, wearing a coat and scarf and with glasses on her head, speaks into a microphone. she is surrounded by other people, a number of purple ballons can be seen behind herPA Media
Sharon Doherty said her daughter had been "brutally taken" from her family

Changes, she said, need to be made to address high rates of violence against women and girls.

In a statement issued earlier this week Amy's family said they have been "crushed with disbelief, sadness and pain".

She is the 30th woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since 2020.

A woman with pink hair is wearing a pink pair of glasses, a purple jacket and a green and purple scarf. She is standing on steps in front of a small crowd of people
Vigil organiser Bethany Moore said ongoing violence against women "feels relentless, a relentless horror"

Vigil organiser Bethany Moore said ongoing violence against women "feels relentless, a relentless horror".

"We stood on the steps of the Guildhall in 2022 after the death of Aisling Murphy, we stood here in 2024 after the murder of Montserrat Elias also in the city," she told BBC News NI.

"And we stand here again in 2026 to mark the loss of Amy Doherty."

She added: "I really hope something changes and we don't have to stand here again."

A group of women stand on the steps of Derry's Guildhall, each holding a poster of a woman killed in Northern Ireland
All the women killed since 2020 were remembered at the vigil

Chris McMonagle, a friend of Amy's said he, like many in Derry feels, "numb, sadness and shock" following her death.

"Amy was bubbly, caring and honest," he said, adding she was "soft hearted and the life and soul".

a man with short hair stands in Derry's Guildhall Square. Some lit up buildings are in the background to his right, while on left is the red bricks of the Guildhall. He is wearing a black jacket over a pink hoodie
Chris McMonagle said his friend Amy Doherty was caring, bubbly and soft hearted

"Not only did she care for her children but she cared for others, worked in the health care setting, cared for the elderly," he said.

"It is our job now to carry on her legacy."

PA Media A large crowd of people stand in Derry's Guildhall SquarePA Media
The vigil took place almost a week after Amy Doherty's death

Many among the huge crowd in Guildhall Square carried candles, or flowers in memory of Ms Doherty.

People lined the city's walls overlooking the square, watching on as posters were held up bearing the names of all women killed in Northern Ireland since 2020.

Foyle SDLP MP Colum Eastwood stands in front of Derry's Guildhall. He is wearing a black coat, behind him are a number of people holding posters
Foyle MP Colum Eastwood says the vigil was about a city showing solidarity with the Doherty family

Foyle SDLP MP Colum Eastwood said the vigil was about the city showing solidarity with Ms Doherty's family as well as with the "countless women who have been subjected to violence in our society".

"It is an issue for of us and it's an issue particularly I think for men to face up to, to stand up to, to call out," he said.