An answer, finally, to the year’s most awful question

AT precisely 4.25pm yesterday the jury filed into court with the answer the whole country had wanted to know all year: was Wayne O’Donoghue guilty of the murder of Robert Holohan?

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?”