An answer, finally, to the year’s most awful question
All eyes in court number two were on the jury as the registrar then stood up - to absolute silence and dread expectation - and addressed the seven women and five men, saying they had been deliberating for four hours and 21 minutes.
“Madam foreman, can you answer yes or no to the following question: have you reached a verdict on the single count on the indictment upon which at least 10 of you agree?”
Yes, came back the reply. Everyone was on the edge of their seats.
“Have you recorded that verdict on the issue paper and have you signed it?”
Yes, came back the reply.
“On the single count on the indictment, you state the accused is not guilty of murder but is guilty of manslaughter. Is that correct?”
That’s correct, was the reply.
“Is that the verdict of you all?”
Yes, all.
O’Donoghue held his head in his hands as the reaction filtered through the court, to Robert’s parents Mark and Majella Holohan, and Wayne’s parents Ray and Therese, in the public gallery.
Then suddenly, almost snapping everyone in the court out of their thoughts, and back to the matter in hand, trial judge Mr Justice Paul Carney declared as matter-of-fact: “I propose to deal with the sentence at the sittings at Ennis.
“Wayne O’Donoghue, you are remanded in custody for sentence on January 24.”
While everyone in the courtroom was still grappling with the realisation of the verdict, the judge then turned to the 12 people who had tried the gripping case for 10 days solid.
“Madam foreman, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, thank you very much for your careful attention to this case, which has been difficult for everyone involved.”
The emotion had already started. There were tears in the public gallery. Relief in the dock, for sure, and sadness in other quarters about the events that book-ended the awful year of 2005 for so many people.
Outside the court doors, the Holohans - who had much to contend with during the trial - were whisked away by gardaí, no doubt for a private moment before being taken away from the courthouse in which the worst days of their lives were picked through in such detail.
Outside the doors quietly stood O’Donoghue’s defence team - solicitor Frank Buttimer and senior counsel Tim O’Leary and Blaise O’Carroll - after their Herculean work on behalf of their client.
Then Ray O’Donoghue came out, quietly and reverentially too, and hugged Mr Buttimer, expressing unheard words of gratitude for the legal team’s efforts.
As did Therese O’Donoghue, whose face was raw with tears and the emotion of seeing her eldest son cleared of murder.
Wayne’s girlfriend Rebecca was on the phone, spreading the result of that day’s hearing. Politely she declined to comment to a reporter and walked away.
There was a lull and the public drifted away to watch the media scrum outside the main entrances to Cork courthouse.
The patience of the public was rewarded as Frank Buttimer was engulfed by reporters, cameras, microphones and tape recorders as he arrived outside court to make a statement on behalf of Wayne.
This was history in the making before their eyes, the crowd thought, as Mr Buttimer briskly gave the statement.
But the spectacle was not over - they soon realised Wayne would be coming out publicly to a waiting garda van.
Frequently the gardaí had to tell the public to move.
“Look, he won’t be coming out now for 10 minutes,” a garda told the crowd - which just stayed there anyway.
Pensioners jostled with students who had packed the public gallery all week.
Suddenly, the door opened and O’Donoghue was lit up by the glare of flashbulbs and camera lights as he maintained his strict, heads-down position.
No manner of questioning from reporters would bring forth a reply as he was taken through to the white garda van.
Significantly, there was no jeering from the 100-strong crowd - an indication, perhaps, of the view that what happened on January 4 was a tragedy for two families.
As the van drove off, a well-dressed pensioner rapped the side of the van, crying out: “Wayne, we pray for you, boy.”
