Purpose of the courts is not retribution

AS sentence has been passed on Wayne O’Donoghue, it might be appropriate to ask why the DPP persisted with a charge of murder when it was obvious a verdict of manslaughter would ensue.

It seems to me that the essential ingredients of murder - malice and an absence of some provocation - were missing. This lesser charge would have been pleaded to and a lot of trauma and harrowing detail could have been spared on the families of all concerned.

In any event, a jury found the accused guilty of manslaughter. The judge got it about right when he passed a sentence of four years on the guilty party. We must respect what can and cannot be put before a court and obey decisions of the DPP, the judge and prosecution.

Let us have some sympathy for the two families involved, and remember that courts are not for retribution or the taking of an eye for an eye. No sentence can compensate for the loss of a life.

Brendan Cafferty

Ballina

Co Mayo