O'Donoghue 'deserves credit for admitting guilt'

Robert Holohan's killer Wayne O’Donoghue should be given credit for admitting his guilt, as the family bereaved by his crime struggle to come to terms with his release, a friend said tonight.

One of O’Donoghue’s character witnesses Denis Ring, principal of Midleton CBS Secondary School, accepted the Holohans may never move on but said it was an honourable thing to do.

Speaking publicly for the first time since pleading guilty to manslaughter, the repentant 23-year-old used his first bit of freedom to apologise for killing 11-year-old neighbour Robert.

“I’m pleasantly surprised that he had the courage to do it,” Mr Ring said.

“I know prison is not the easiest place to be, particularly when you are full of remorse, prison does not afford recovery or room for remorse.”

Mr Ring knew O’Donoghue from the age of 11 and met him on one of the many searches as hundreds of people scoured miles of land for the body the student had dumped and hidden.

The principal was unable to read his character reference for O’Donoghue at the sentencing. The court was thrown into disarray after Robert’s mother Majella departed from an agreed victim impact statement to ask why semen was found on her son’s body and why it did not form part of the prosecution.

Mr Ring said: “He has paid his price. It’s time to move on for Wayne and for the community. But our hearts go out to the Holohans. In some ways they can never move on.”

Ernest Cantillon, solicitor for the Holohan family, declined to comment on O’Donoghue’s release or his statement.

Mr Ring said he hopes the people of east Cork can accept O’Donoghue has paid his dues.

“The substantial majority, if not the greater majority, would say what I’m saying, ’give him a chance to rebuild his life’, albeit at the same time remembering the terrible trauma for the Holohan family,” he said.

“I believe that the vast majority would accord him the space and maybe the consideration to let him try and rebuild his life in the community. At the end of the day, no man is an island.

“I would hope that he can come back, I believe he can, but whether he will or not is his own decision.”

Mr Ring said there will always be the danger of a physical or verbal attack, but added: “I think people’s capacity to forgive, maybe not forget but forgive, is a lot greater than we give them credit for.”

O’Donoghue’s two younger brothers went on to complete their Leaving Certs at the school after the killing and Mr Ring said they were not harassed.

Mr Ring described O’Donoghue as a “normal” pupil.

The same word was used by investigating gardaí after they interviewed him during the search for young Robert.