A seven-year jail sentence on a Co Donegal mother of six was confirmed in the Central Criminal Court yesterday after the judge told her she had shown no remorse for the attempted murder and robbery of an elderly neighbour almost three years ago.
Last May Margaret McCole (44) of Magherard, Drung, Quigley's Point, was sentenced for the attempted murder of Mr William Harrigan (86) at his home early on May 9th, 1996. Last January a jury convicted McCole of the attempted murder, which she had denied. She pleaded guilty to four other counts connected with the robbery and assault.
Confirming the sentence on her yesterday, Mr Justice Quirke said McCole had been convicted of a crime of the "utmost gravity" and had been given the opportunity to show that she was remorseful.
But the judge said McCole was now suggesting that her conviction was a miscarriage of justice. He said it was open to her to appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal if new evidence was available but she had for some reason refused to follow that course.
She also had not co-operated with any of the probation services since May.
The judge said there could only be one conclusion - that McCole did not feel she wished to demonstrate that she was in any way remorseful for the "immense damage done to this elderly man".
He said there was not "one shred of evidence" on which he could justifiably suspend any part of the sentence.
Mr Gregory Murphy SC, prosecuting, told the court that before the assault Mr Harrigan had been an active, independent pensioner who enjoyed good health. But, as a result of the attack, medical opinion was that he would be unable to live independently and would re quire long-term care.
He said that in an article published in the Sunday World on May 31st, McCole gave an interview in which she stated that she did not attempt to murder Mr Harrigan and professed her innocence.
During the trial last year, the jury heard that McCole had looked after Mr Harrigan, who was a neighbour, and had made him breakfast and lunch and collected his weekly old-age pension.
He had changed his will to her benefit and had entrusted £5,000 to her for safekeeping, all of which she had spent, except for £20, over Christmas 1995. She had feared discovery of her fraud.
The jury also heard that Mr Harrigan spent a total of 182 days in hospital recovering from the attack.