'Our world collapsed,' say family of murdered Cameron Reilly as Aaron Connolly gets life

Cameron was more than just a name in the media, his uncle Darren Flanagan told the court. He was a son, a grandson, a cousin a nephew and “so much more than that”.

Handing down a mandatory life sentence to Aaron Connolly (pictured) on Tuesday, Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the defendant is young enough to make some use of his life when he emerges from custody but, he added, Cameron Reilly will “never emerge from where Mr Connolly put him on that night”. Picture: Collins Courts

The family of Cameron Reilly, the 18-year-old who was murdered by a teenager he had been drinking with in a field in Dunleer, County Louth, four years ago, have described Cameron as “the apple of our eye” and said they were served a life sentence the day he was taken from them.

In a victim impact statement on behalf of the family, Cameron’s uncle Darren Flanagan said the four saddest words in the English language are “what might have been”. This is something they would always question, he said, adding that although the trial may be over, it is never over for the family.