Families ‘will be forever haunted’

Alicia Brough’s mother, Maria Dempsey, received her daughter’s ashes on her 21st birthday.

Addressing the court during her victim impact statement, she said her family’s lives had been changed forever.

“Losing a child/sibling at the hand of another was devastating, and since her death our family’s lives have been changed for the worse, our children’s innocence has been lost.”

She said she was pregnant when her daughter died and that what should have been a joyous time was a time of grief. She said she was not able to be the parent to her other children that she wanted to be.

“On one hand I have wanted to be there for my children in the way I had always been. On the other hand I have wanted to escape the reality of my situation to enable me to manage the pain and loss I have felt.”

She said a psychotherapist had helped her to remember what she loved about her daughter, rather than “the nightmare of her suffering”.

She said she now had new strengths, but the ache in her heart would always be a reminder of how she had learned them.

She said she and her husband, Paul Dempsey, had provided their family with values that promoted compassion, love, and honesty.

“As a family we are grieving the loss of not only Alicia, but also the loss of peace and innocence, which we have endeavoured as parents to provide to our children,” she said before also reading statements written by her husband and Alicia’s siblings.

Sarah Hines’s stepfather, Peter Rolfe, said the impact of the murders had been catastrophic and that he would never want another family to go through what his had endured.

“She was our family’s only girl,” he said through tears. “Reece and Amy were our only grandchildren. Their deaths have left me scarred. I picture her trying to protect her baby,” he said of Sarah.

He would always feel guilty for introducing Sarah to Geary, suggesting that, had he not, all four would still be alive. “We’ve been shocked to the core.”

Sarah’s godmother, Lou O’Rourke, read a statement on behalf of Sarah’s mother, Avena Ring, who said that her daughter was the glue that kept the family together.

“The callous murder has had a devastating effect on us,” she said. “We will be forever haunted. Were they in pain? Did they call out to us?” she asked of the victims. “What was going through his head? Did he feel remorse?” she asked of the murderer.

She said she had a heart attack late last month following a meeting with gardaí in which she learned the extent of the injuries. She had surgery and will be on medication for the rest of her life.

“The longer the distance from the day of the crime, the harder it gets,” she concluded.

Statements were also read on behalf of Sarah’s brothers, one of whom asked how anyone could be so heartless as to kill two young, defenceless children.

Mr Hartnett said his client wished to express his remorse and read a note in which Geary acknowledged destroying two families’ lives.

“I can’t turn back what happened,” he wrote, before saying he was truly, deeply very sorry for killing his “beautiful daughter” and the three other victims.

Mr Justice Paul Carney sentenced Geary to the mandatory penalty of life imprisonment on each count. He said if he endeavoured to make any of those sentences consecutive, another court would set that aside, so he ordered that all four sentences would run concurrently.

“I have no power to specify a minimum term to be served,” he said.

Geary showed no emotion during the hearing or sentencing, before being led away to begin his life sentence.

Members of both families spoke briefly outside the court to thank the authorities and ask for privacy.