Teen gets life for rape and murder of Michaela

A DUBLIN teenager has been jailed for life for murdering and raping 12-year-old Michaela Davis in west Dublin last year.

Jonathan Byrne, aged 19, of Lohunda Downs, Clonsilla, pleaded guilty to murdering and raping the schoolgirl twice on August 28, 2010, at St Mochta’s playing fields on Porterstown Road, Clonsilla. The child’s body was found later that day on a bank of the Royal Canal.

Detective Sergeant Dan O’Callaghan told the Central Criminal Court yesterday that August 27 last year was Michaela’s first day in secondary school.

Michaela was still wearing her school uniform when she left home at 9.30pm to meet friends. She was home by 11pm as agreed and was allowed out for another half-hour when she asked.

She returned home at 11.30pm and begged to be allowed out for another 15 minutes. Her mother reluctantly allowed her. Michaela never returned and was reported missing about 2am.

Her parents told gardaí she had been in a relationship with Byrne, who was jealous and texted her a lot.

Her parents had thought he was 14 and instructed her to end the relationship when they learned that he was 18. She did this, but told her parents that he had been reluctant.

At 3.45am, gardaí went to Byrne’s home, where his mother woke him. They noticed scratches on his forearms.

He didn’t want to speak in front of his parents and invited the gardaí into his bedroom. He said he was an alcoholic and had self-harmed and this is why he had scratches on his arms.

He said he had seen Michaela that night but had left her at 10pm. He said he had just discovered she was only 12.

The gardaí returned to Byrne’s house the next day, where his parents confirmed that he’d been out but returned home after 2.30am.

Byrne’s friends told gardaí he did know how old Michaela was. His friends also said he hadn’t been that drunk when they last saw him at 11.20pm.

A walker found Michaela’s body the following afternoon near the canal next to St Mochta’s playing field. She was pronounced dead half an hour later and her father identified her body.

She had died of asphyxia due to strangulation. State pathologist Marie Cassidy suspected it would have been manual and quick.

A bloodstained shirt and Michaela’s mobile phone were found near her body and these led gardaí back to Byrne. His DNA was found on Michaela’s injuries as well as on a T-shirt found near her body. Her blood was found on Byrne’s jeans.

Mr Byrne Snr took his son to the Garda station, where he admitted he’d been in a fight with Michaela. He said he had broken it off when he found out she was 12.

He said he was drunk that night and texted her to sort out the break-up. He said they met and he told her it was over, they fought and he hit her on the head. He claimed he walked away, leaving her alive.

Later he said he’d been very drunk, that he’d raped her, beaten her and strangled her. He said he then dragged her body around the field, before dumping her body in the undergrowth. He said he dropped her body a few times and suggested this might explain her head injuries.

He said he washed his clothes before he went home, drank whiskey and cut his arm with a blade.

Mr Justice Paul Carney handed Byrne the mandatory life sentence for murder. He imposed two 15-year sentences for the rape charges and declared him a sex offender. All sentences will run concurrently.