Judge says crime so serious it warrants life term

McManus told a life sentence is only handed down in exceptional circumstances

RONALD McMANUS disposed of the body of 14-year-old Melissa Mahon in a manner “not befitting an animal” and showed no remorse for his actions, Mr Justice Barry White told the Central Criminal Court yesterday.

McManus, also known as Ronnie Dunbar, was sentenced to life in prison for the manslaughter of the teenager. A life sentence was handed down only in exceptional circumstances, Mr Justice White said, but McManus’s crime was of such gravity that it warranted the sentence.

Melissa was a disturbed, fragile, vulnerable child who had put her trust in him. “You were old enough to be her father . . . You preyed upon her vulnerability and fragility and you took advantage of her.”

McManus disposed of Melissa’s body in the river Bonnet in Sligo and it was not not found for a year and a half, making it impossible to perform a meaningful postmortem, Mr Justice White said.

This “cover-up” was not done in panic, but a calculated and deliberate manner and could not be excused, he said.

McManus had not expressed remorse or made any apology for his behaviour throughout the trial Mr Justice White said.

“You came across to me as being disdainful, scornful, if not bordering on contemptuous of your surroundings . . . There are no mitigating factors in your favour in this case.”

If McManus was affected by anything Mr Justice White said, he did not show it. Dressed casually in a navy tracksuit, he stood silently throughout, looking straight ahead and displaying no emotion. His demeanour showed no change as Mr Justice White served sentence.

The judge concluded sentencing by saying it would be “wholly wrong for me to don blinkers” and not take into account the cover-up, McManus’s attitude and demeanour, his lack of remorse and his previous bad character, in sentencing.

McManus’s crime was at the higher end of the scale, and warranted a life sentence, he said.

There was just a small crowd in the court for the sentencing. Melissa’s parents had previously attended the hearing but were not in court yesterday. Her sister Leanna did attend but left immediately afterwards supported by her boyfriend.