Relief for Sheola’s family as accused pleads guilty to her murder

THE relief on Peter Keaney’s face was striking.

Thomas Kennedy, the young man who five months earlier murdered the Keaneys’ teenage daughter Sheola, pleaded guilty to the crime.

Overcome by emotion, Mr Keaney looked over the head of the killer and towards the public gallery where Sheola’s friends sat.

Mr Keaney had heard the word he, the rest of the family and her friends had wanted to hear since the trial opened last week: “Guilty.”

The day of drama began close to 12.40pm when courtroom number two at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork suddenly become packed with gardaí, lawyers, reporters, Sheola’s friends and her family, as well as the relations of the accused.

Then Kennedy’s defence counsel, Blaise O’Carroll SC, spoke briefly to his client and then took up his own familiar position to the right of trial judge Mr Justice Paul Carney while the jury came in.

“May I ask that my client is re-arraigned on the count of murder?” Mr O’Carroll said in his trademark, matter-of-fact, calm manner.

The court clerk stood up, put the charge to Kennedy — that between July 14 and July 16 he murdered Sheola Keaney at Cobh in the county of Cork — and asked him his plea.

All eyes were on the accused: “Guilty,” rang Kennedy’s voice in clear contrast to his denial in the same courtroom exactly a week earlier.

As the Keaneys — and the Kennedy family a short distance away in the public gallery — took in the admission, the jury forewoman simply signed the issue paper, confirming the guilty verdict.

The eyes in the courtroom darted from the judge to the lawyers and to the accused as Mr Justice Carney weighed up sentencing Kennedy later that afternoon or the day after.

Kennedy met no one’s gaze and made no reaction.

Staring blankly at the oak pew in front of him he only shifted his eyes to look ahead at the judge, who was still considering the day of sentence.

“Notwithstanding the plea of guilty, I require the facts, his character and antecedents as well as victim-impact evidence,” Mr Justice Carney told counsel.

Mr O’Carroll: “My application is to do it tomorrow (Wednesday) so I can take instructions.”

Mr Justice Carney: “I will do it at 11am tomorrow and I remand the accused in custody until then.”

The jury of seven men and five women left and the courtroom began to empty before Kennedy had even moved in his seat.

Acknowledging no one in the court, including his family, the self-confessed killer was then led down the circular stone staircase to the cells below to await his life sentence today.

Outside the court doors Sheola’s relieved family and companions thanked the gardaí and well-wishers but did not make any public statement.

Today — through their victim impact statement — the Keaneys will get their first chance to tell the court and the public how their lives have been affected by the murder.