Man gets seven years for son's manslaughter

A 47-year-old Offaly man who fatally stabbed his teenage son during a drunken row was handed a seven-year prison sentence for manslaughter at the Central Criminal court today.

Mr Thomas Groome was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of his son Christopher Groome by a jury at the Central Criminal court on 5 March last.

Christopher Groome (aged 19) died from a fatal stab wound to the chest during a “tussle” in a caravan at Churchview Heights, Edenderry, Co Offaly on 15 November 1999.

Addressing Mr Groome, Mr Justice Barry White said: “Your son lost his life in circumstances where you chose to pick up a kitchen knife in the course of a struggle or tussle which appears to have developed out of a relatively trivial argument between you”.

Mr Justice White had some strong words on what he called the “knife culture” in Irish society.

“It is a recognised fact that all too often the murder trials that appear in the Central Criminal court arise out of a fatal stabbing” he said.

“I am firmly of the view that the message must go out loud and clear that the courts will not tolerate the use of knives and that the courts have respect for human lives and dignity even if others do not have that respect for human life."

The judge added that “deterrent sentences” should be handed down by the courts “until such a time as people start to have proper regard for the value of human life and until such a time when the knife culture that is in our society ceases”.

Mr Justice White said he took Mr Groome’s “tough upbringing” into account when passing sentence but told him: “You have condemned your granddaughter Amber to the same by what happened that night”.

“Personally, I do not understand the mentality of a person who picks up a knife in the course of a struggle” he said.

While he said he was conscious of Mr Groome’s “difficult life and remorse” he said he could not ignore the loss of human life nor the effects of Christopher Groome’s death on his daughter Amber and partner Ms Kelly Richardson.

Mr Justice White suspended the final year of the seven-year sentence on condition Mr Groome agree to a bond of €100 of good behaviour for three years.

Mr Groome looked ashen-faced as he stood in court today to hear Mr Justice White passing sentence.

His partner was also present in court.

The jury heard during the trial in March that an underlying tension between father and son erupted when Christopher got into bed fully dressed after a family night out.

"Tommy was saying 'get out of bed with your clothes on, don't get into bed with your clothes on,'" the deceased's former partner Ms Kelly Richardson told the jury.

"Christopher said som'at to him, Tommy got mad, he bumped into me, ran up to the bed and punched him in the face, there was tea split all over the bed," Ms Richardson told the court.

Mr Groome admitted stabbing his son to Detective Sergeant Gerard McGrath shortly after his arrest in November 1999.

"I picked up the knife on the draining board. In the struggle Christy and I fell backwards towards the door …I don't remember what hand I had the knife in. Christy fell on top of me frontways, it was after him falling straight on top of me that I stabbed him," Mr Groome told gardaí.

Groome’s son, his son’s girlfriend Ms Kelly Richardson and their 8-month-old daughter Amber, had moved into his cramped caravan - which had no toilet facilities, running water or electricity - just two weeks before Christopher ’s death.

The last words of Christopher Groome were recalled for the jury by Det. Sgt. McGrath: "I cradled Christy in my arms, I saw his face turn white in my hands. He said 'Da why did you do it?'" Mr Groome told Gardaí.

Sgt James Queeney from Edenderry Garda station, testified in court today that Groome was sent to Artane Industrial school at the age of six and from there was sent to another industrial school in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

“He would seem to have had a tough upbringing. His father died in 1957 while he was still a baby. He was in and out of children’s homes,” said Sgt. Queeney.

Groome joined the Defence Forces at 18 years and served three years.

After he left the Army he worked on building sites and “a lot of odd jobs” before coming to the notice of the authorities and moved to England.

Sgt. Queeney said Groome had 13 convictions and two appearances before the Irish courts for “minor larcenies, traffic offences and bail bonds”.

Groome was well known to the police in the UK where he spent most of his adult life.

He appeared before the British courts over twenty-five times between 1973 and 1998 and received 94 convictions ranging from burglaries, theft, stealing cars, and breaches of bail conditions.

Speaking afterwards, Sgt Queeney from Offaly said that the sentence was “just and fitting”.

“The evidence that came out during the trial didn’t portray the full story -Thomas Groome had sought to blame others, namely Kelly Richardson,” he said.

“We’d be happy that Kelly Richardson’s name has been vindicated.” he added.

Sgt Queeney also said the conclusion of the trial would give the victim’s mother and sister “some peace and finality”.

“From their point of view the truth has come out, they’re more aware of the full facts, they didn’t know who to believe,” he added.

Leave to appeal the sentence was refused to defence counsel Mr Patrick MacEntee SC.