Families’ war of words over how Robert died
As the Holohan family called on the Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal the leniency of the four-year sentence handed down to Wayne O’Donoghue, the killer’s solicitor hit out at claims that his client was a sex offender.
Lawyer Frank Buttimer said the victim impact mechanism should be “regulated” and that Majella Holohan had exceeded the acceptable boundaries in her victim impact statement on Tuesday.
However, the Holohan family solicitor Ernest Cantillon criticised Mr Buttimer, saying Ms Holohan could have been cross-examined on Tuesday on the claims she made during her victim impact report about semen being found on 11-year-old Robert’s body. Mr Cantillon said the “truthfulness” of her statements should not be questioned.
Mr Buttimer offered a fierce defence of his client, saying the semen was not O’Donoghue’s, who he revealed is:
* Still on medication and receiving counselling as he adapts to life in prison.
* Maintaining a relationship with his girlfriend.
* Upset at certain aspects of the coverage of Tuesday’s sentencing.
* Launching legal action against TV3 and The Sun.
Mr Buttimer also claimed yesterday that he had been given “no indication” that a civil action was likely to be taken against his client by the Holohan family.
The solicitor vehemently denied any suggestion that the CIT engineering student was a sex offender and said that O’Donoghue was “very upset” at some of the coverage of the sentencing and the allegations arising out of Majella Holohan’s victim impact report.
“Far be it for me to accuse Majella Holohan of anything because the woman is bereaved and distressed as a result of events,” he said. “However, insofar as there is a structure to these things, she went way beyond what would be regarded as the structures that would be acceptable.
“The court or the Oireachtas will have to look at the victim impact facility that is extended to victims in bereavement situations,” he said.
But Mr Cantillon said that nothing Ms Holohan told the court should have been a surprise.
He said that the Holohans were upset that the veracity of Ms Holohan’s statements had been questioned and that she could have been cross-examined.
“They didn’t avail of that, but yet they come out today and question the truthfulness of it.”
He said all the points made by Ms Holohan were in the garda files and added: “It’s not as if something that Majella Holohan is making up - it’s truthful.”
Mr Buttimer confirmed that his client, now in Portlaoise Jail, was also still on medication.
He added that the 21-year-old is also still seeing his girlfriend Rebecca Dennehy, who attended the trial and Tuesday’s sentencing. Ms Dennehy is planning to move to London later this year to study psychology.
“So far as anybody that’s in prison can go out with somebody - they are still in a relationship at whatever level they can manage,” he said.
Meanwhile, Robert’s grandfather, William Murray, said the four-year sentence handed down to O’Donoghue was “a disgrace”.
“We were deeply hurt about the manner in which O’Donoghue tried to dispose of the body.
“It was the only consolation we had that Robert was found. We would have been satisfied if he got at least 10 years,” Mr Murray said.
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