Guilty verdict but no happy ending

IT was a murder that shocked the nation and destroyed a family.

Mother-of-three Rose Patterson, 30, was stabbed to death in front of her infant son in the west Cork town of Clonakilty last year following a fierce row with his father, her estranged partner, 33-year-old Turkish barber Hadim Kedik.

Details emerged during the murder trial of the couples’ stormy relationship, their split, Mr Kedik’s jealousy as Ms Patterson moved on with her life, and their bitter child access rows.

Chilling blood-stained letters written by Mr Kedik, and found in the Connolly Street flat where the killing took place, show that Mr Kedik thought about killing the mother of his child.

Graphic evidence also emerged of how the innocent toddler was in the room as his mother was attacked, watched her bleed to death, walked backwards and forwards through her pools of blood for several hours afterwards, before eventually falling asleep overnight next to his unconscious father, who had cut his own throat and wrists.

Mr Kedik’s trial began in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on January 21. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. A jury of eight men and four women was sworn in with Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy presiding.

The court heard that the accused, who had fought in the Turkish army, moved to Ireland in 2002 and began work in a barbershop, A Cut Above.

He started a relationship with Ms Patterson, who had two daughters, aged nine and five, from previous relationships. In July 2005, she gave birth to Mr Kedik’s child, a boy.

But Ms Patterson started to get angry about Mr Kedik’s drinking and pool playing with his friends.

Their relationship ended and Mr Kedik moved into an apartment above the barbershop on Connolly Street.

Mr Kedik secured a court order for twice-weekly visits with his son — between 1pm and 6pm on Wednesdays and 11am and 6pm on Sundays.

But the court heard that Ms Patterson was often late dropping him off.

The couple had also been arguing over their son’s injured finger, with Mr Kedik claiming Ms Patterson was not looking after him properly.

One of Mr Kedik’s colleagues, Romazan Cansu, said he heard arguing in Mr Kedick’s flat at about 2pm on the day before their bodies were discovered.

The next day, when Mr Kedick failed to arrive for work, shop owner Mr Crowley went to investigate and found Ms Patterson slumped dead against the door inside the apartment. Mr Kedik, who had cut his own throat and wrists, was lying unconscious and face down on the floor nearby.

Their toddler was asleep on the floor near his father, covered in blood and vomit.

Ms Patterson had been stabbed eight times — the fatal blows pierced her liver, right lung and left femoral artery.

She had staggered around the flat for some time after she was stabbed. Blood was spattered and smeared around the lounge table and kitchen, and bloody footprints were on the floorboards.

Dr Liam O’Brien described an overwhelming stench of dried blood in the flat.

The court also heard that Ms Patterson’s daughters were found locked inside their Parkview Estate home shortly after the discovery of their mother’s body.

They had waved goodbye to her the previous day as she set off on the short two-minute drive to Mr Kedik’s flat in the town centre.

When she didn’t return, they went to bed hoping she would show up the next day to celebrate her eldest daughter’s ninth birthday.

Mr Kedik was taken to hospital for treatment and in interviews with gardaí afterwards, he admitted he caused the stab wounds to Ms Patterson but said he did not plan to kill her. Detective Garda Maurice Shanley told the court that Mr Kedik had said Ms Patterson pushed him twice.

Mr Kedik said he picked up a black-handled knife from the table and swung it at her two or three times.

“I swung the knife but not necessarily with the intention to stab her, I don’t know when the knife hit,” he said.

Two blood-stained letters written in Turkish were also found in the flat — letters Mr Kedik said he had written the night before when he was drunk.

One read: “I will only kill Rose and then myself. He is a clever boy, the only thing I want is to tell him that he is Turkish. I loved Rose but neither what she does or says represents me or my family and neither can she give anything to my child.”

The second letter said he was sorry to upset his family but he would always be with them.

“My conscious [sic] is clear. I love Rose but whatever she said or did neither represents me or my family,” it read.

The court also heard from witnesses who said that the previous night, Mr Kedik had been in McElhatton’s pub in Clonakilty where he overheard locals teasing bartender, Gerard Connaughton, about having walked Ms Patterson home the previous Saturday night.

In his closing remarks on Monday, John O’Kelly SC for the State told the jury that Mr Kedik had planned to kill Ms Patterson, knew the injuries heinflicted were likely to cause her serious harm or death and even after the stabbing, left her to bleed and die.

“You couldn’t stab someone eight times without having the intention,” he said.

“In this case what is most peculiar is that it appears as if he had been thinking about it.

“Is it anger over neglect or jealousy of a former girlfriend being walked home by someone else?” he asked the jury.

In his closing speech, Mr Kedik’s senior counsel, Blaise O’Carroll, told the jury there was no question Mr Kedik unlawfully killed Ms Patterson. Their primary concern was a question of Mr Kedik’s intent, he said.

There were two possible defences, provocation and self-defence, and if the jury found either they had to return a verdict of manslaughter, he said.

The jury retired at 4.24pm on Monday and took a little more than four hours to find Mr Kedik guilty.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy sentenced him to life in prison and backdated the sentence to April 16.

During Ms Patterson’s funeral Mass on April 18, Fr Gerard Galvin delivered a powerful homily.

“We can always ask ourselves if there are other women in our community who are in danger,” he said.

“And what can we do to help is to reach out to them so that they can get the help they may need. We can’t do it for Rose now but we can do it for someone else. And if we can, then I think that will be a real lasting tribute to Rose.”

The Patterson Children’s Trust Fund was set up last year to provide for their long-term security. By Christmas, it had raised more than €17,000. Its work continues.

* Bank of Ireland, Clonakilty, a/c number: 67117852; sort code 90-26-10.