Brian Murphy trials - Lessons for society in tragic case

THE tragic saga of the Brian Murphy manslaughter case should be required reading for every teenager.

More than any civics class could ever achieve, it exposed in graphic terms how the 18-year-old youth was surrounded, isolated, kicked and beaten so brutally, in an assault lasting no more than 20 seconds, that he died from brain swelling as a result of facial and head injuries sustained in the attack.

In a moment of mindless violence, Brian Murphy’s young life was snuffed out. It was yet another appalling example of the casual violence endemic in Ireland and which occurs with depressing regularity outside pubs and clubs virtually every night of the week.

The four accused, all former Blackrock College students, faced charges of unlawfully killing Brian Murphy and of committing violent disorder in the fracas outside Dublin’s Burlington Hotel.

The outcome was by no means cut-and-dried. After four days of deliberations, the jury has found one defendant guilty on both counts. While two were found guilty of violent disorder, one of them was acquitted of manslaughter and the DPP will have to decide whether the other defendant should be retried for manslaughter.

A fourth defendant was found not guilty of violent disorder and the manslaughter charge against him had earlier been withdrawn in the course of the trial due to lack of evidence.

Above all, this sensational trial has shown in raw terms how random violence can so easily end in tragedy. It also demonstrates that alcohol-induced violence, which can flare up without warning, is not confined to any particular part of society.

As the harrowing evidence emerged, the sympathy of parents up and down the country went out to the families caught up in the terrible tragedy. That said, however, a question worth pondering is whether society would be so moved if those involved in this deadly affray came from a less endowed background.

Further insights into the pattern of crime in Ireland are revealed in a survey just published by Fine Gael showing that one-in-five crimes are not being reported to the gardaí. Concern is rightly focused on the revelation that among under 25-year-olds, only one-in-three crimes are reported. The survey also shows that 25% of young people in the 18-24 age group and 30% of students were victims of crime.

In welcoming constructive debate on this important issue, Justice Minister Michael McDowell says he is not surprised by the results.

Against the dark backdrop of the manslaughter trial, coupled with the worrying findings of the latest crime survey, there are lessons to be drawn by parents, teachers and youth leaders alike.

They share a bounden responsibility to constantly remind young people of the awful risks inherent in random violence. The stark reality is mindless violence can, all too often, end in the death of innocent victims.