'He died in fear,' says Vincent Parsons' wife as two men get life for murder of father of two
Vincent Parsons' wife Clare: "We had to wait 10 days for this body to be released back to us - they were the hardest days for me. I just wanted him back so I could see him again. That was the longest time I ever went without seeing him in my life." Picture: Collins Courts
The wife of a father of two who was beaten to death while he was on a stag night has told the Central Criminal Court of the grief of feeling how her husband "died in fear" and how she believed she would "die of a broken heart".
After Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo pronounced the mandatory life sentence on Philip Disney and Sean Carlyle on Friday morning, Carlyle baited the grieving family of Vincent Parsons and their supporters by smirking and insulting them before being led away by gardaí.
Thirty-four-year-old Mr Parsons was murdered by the two Dublin men after the trial heard he had too much to drink at a stag do, became "messy" and irritated Disney.
Philip Disney (27) of Donomore Crescent, Tallaght and Sean Carlyle (30), with an address at Donomore Avenue in the West Dublin suburb, had denied murdering Mr Parsons at Killinarden Way, near the Killinarden Inn in Tallaght, on the night of August 24, 2019. Mr Parsons died two days later in Tallaght hospital.
However, last month a jury of six men and six women arrived at their unanimous guilty verdict after four hours and 48 minutes of their deliberations over two days.
The trial heard that after an altercation, Disney said something to Mr Parsons causing him to run from the pub but the pair followed the deceased in a van and fatally assaulted him on a nearby green area.
Today at the Central Criminal Court, Mr Parson's wife, Clare, read from her victim impact statement that her husband was her "best friend, soul mate and our provider".
Mrs Parsons said that she had never seen her husband in an altercation and that he saw the good in life and was willing to help "a friend, a colleague or neighbour". Mrs Parsons said that when she received the call about the attack on Vincent, she was "in denial" that it was him.
"I couldn't understand," she said. "I was in denial it was him until I arrived and found out it was true. I had to wait for hours to get to see him and that image will haunt me for the rest of my life."
Mrs Parsons said her and their children's world had "fallen apart" since Vincent's death.
"Coming to court was like living the nightmare over again. But I stayed strong. I promised my husband I would fight for him and I did. But now after the trial, the feeling that I have is that my husband just didn't die, he died in fear," she said.
"We had to wait 10 days for this body to be released back to us - they were the hardest days for me. I just wanted him back so I could see him again. That was the longest time I ever went without seeing him in my life.
"For me, life became scary and lonely. I was in and out of hospital. I actually thought I was going to die with a broken heart. We had to keep going to get justice," she said.
Mr Parsons' sister, Marian, read from her own statement on behalf of the family and described her brother as a "hard-working family man, first and foremost".
She said "everything Vincent did was for Clare, Jade and Gerard. His family was his absolute world. He was a great brother and son; always there when we needed him. He was a wonderful uncle to all of his nieces and nephews and treated them like they were his own. He was a fun uncle because he was just a big kid at heart."
"Vincent was a popular, easy-going funny guy who enjoyed a joke and a laugh. Vincent was a genuine soul with a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone. He was never aggressive or angry - it wasn't in his nature. This is why it is so hard for us to believe that anyone could do this to him," she said.
She said the image of Mr Parsons in hospital would "haunt us all for the rest of our lives". "He was unrecognisable and he was surrounded by machines and tubes everywhere. He had no marks anywhere else on his body. All the damage was to his face and head. How could anyone do this to another human being?" she asked.
She said the family has sleepless nights over the images of Mr Parsons being "hunted down" to "a senseless act of savagery, carried out by the most unremorseful people".
Detective Garda Conor Harrison told the court that Carlyle had 27 previous convictions, including a three-year sentence for violent disorder in a pub, production of an article during the course of a dispute and dangerous driving. The detective said Disney had two previous convictions for road traffic offences.
Mr Justice Naidoo said Mr Parsons died after a 48-second "intensely violent assault, which was not spontaneous" and that he was the victim of a "pitiless beating" while offering no resistance. He said neither Carlyle, who wore a headband and smiled throughout the hearing, nor Disney showed "human compassion or decency". He said the pair took Mr Parsons' watch after the attack, "leaving him for dead".
Speaking on the steps of the court after the life sentences were handed down, Clare Parsons, flanked by family members, thanked their legal team, gardaí, the jury and the public who came forward. She said: "We will never get our Vincent back but today justice was served. He was soft, kind, happy and a hard-working family man."
Mrs Parsons said she was "used" to the behaviour of the two men during the trial "who sat there sniggering and laughing". Mrs Parsons said she did not want to say what she wanted to about Disney and Carlyle but did say the pair were "murderers". She added that she had her doubts about the outcome of the trial but was now "overwhelmed" by the conviction.
During the trial, Lorcan Staines SC, for the prosecution, told the court the deceased had been drinking for several hours at a friend's stag do when he became "messy", started hugging people and began to irritate others in the Killinarden Inn before coming to the attention of Disney.
CCTV played for the jury showed that there were words between them and, counsel said, Disney became irritated and agitated and could be seen raising his arm and pointing at Mr Parsons before saying something to him. CCTV showed Mr Parsons leaving the pub after that interaction and then, once outside, running from the pub.
Counsel said: "Whatever it was that was said, it caused Vincent Parsons to run. He immediately left the pub out the front door and ran left and away from the pub." Mr Staines told the jury that Mr Parsons ran "as if his life depended on it".
Counsel told the jury that the two men got into a van and caught up with Mr Parsons and beat him to death on a green area at Killinarden Way. Mr Staines had told the jury that the two accused had "acted together each and every step of the way in common design" before and after the killing, which CCTV evidence showed.
The prosecution's case was that the two accused left the pub within minutes of Mr Parsons' departure, got into a black van and then got out of the van at the nearby green area where the two beat Mr Parsons to death. Just 48 seconds after stopping at the green area, they got back into the van and drove towards Carlyle's home, footage showed.
The State's case was that Carlyle changed his clothes and then left the van "off site" at a nearby housing estate. Both men then got a lift back to the pub, where they could be seen returning on CCTV about 30 to 35 minutes after they had left to manufacture an alibi that they never left.
A watch belonging to Mr Parsons, which was a gift from his daughter with the inscription, "To Dad, love Jade, Xmas 2011", was found in the van that the prosecution alleged belonged to Carlyle. However, no DNA profile could be generated from the watch.
Forensics found the deceased's blood was on a pair of shorts that Carlyle was wearing when gardaí entered his house with a warrant less than seven hours after the alleged murder. It was the State's case that the two accused were part of a "joint enterprise" to murder Mr Parsons.
A pathologist told the court that Mr Parsons's cause of death was brain damage due to a shortage of blood flow as a result of a heart attack, which was in turn caused by severe facial injuries and the inhalation of blood.
Mr Parson's brother, David, who was in the pub on the night, told the court that Vincent: "would never start a fight with anyone. He could be a messy drunk but was never aggressive. There's not a bad bone in his body."
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