A MAN has been found guilty of robbing and killing Christy Hanley in Co Westmeath last year.
Mr Hanley (83) – who was well-known at fairs and horse races in the midlands and was often seen with large amounts of cash – was found tied up and beaten to death in his home.
The jury at the Central Criminal Court took just over four hours to reach its unanimous verdict, finding Noel Cawley (47), with a previous address in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Hanley at his home on Bridge Street, Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath, on May 21st last year. Cawley was also found guilty of robbing Mr Hanley of an unknown sum of money.
The following morning, at about 9am, Garda Enda Kenny at Tullamore Garda station, received a phone call. The caller, a male, said Christy Hanley was tied up in his house in Kilbeggan, then hung up.
Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy has remanded Cawley in custody until July 3rd for sentencing.
At the outset of the trial, Cawley pleaded not guilty to murder.
However, Mr Justice McCarthy reduced the murder charge to one of manslaughter, saying that he took the view that there was “a reasonable possibility that he did not intend to cause serious harm”.
Mr Hanley’s body was found lying across his living-room floor. His hands were tied behind his back. His legs were also tied. A coat was draped over his body, covering his head, and his trousers were down around his feet.
During the trial, Deputy State Pathologist Michael Curtis told the court that Mr Hanley “seemed to have been beaten about the head and face . . . This could have been caused by blows, punches and kicks.”
Mr Hanley bled from his injuries, which would have caused obstruction to his breathing. Dr Curtis said that Mr Hanley could have died from inhaling the blood.
Cawley’s fingerprints and DNA were found on a belt that had been tied around Mr Hanley’s wrists.
Relatives of Mr Hanley cheered and clapped in court as the verdict was read out. There was shouting between some of the relatives and Cawley as he was led out of the courthouse. As he was being put in a prison van, he shouted back at them that he would be back out to them in 10 years.
Afterwards, Mr Hanley’s niece, Breda Harvey, described her uncle as a shy, lovely man, who had lived in Kilbeggan all his life. “Kilbeggan was his family,” she said. “He was harmless and inoffensive.”
She said Mr Hanley was getting ready to visit the grave of his sister, Hannah, for her one-year anniversary, when he was killed by Cawley. She said most of the cash Mr Hanley had in the house was for his sister’s gravestone.
“There was no need to tie him up. He could have taken his money, that means nothing.”
Ms Harvey said her family was happy with the verdict, but would have preferred one of murder. “He’s behind bars now and can’t do it to another old person.”
She added that the elderly people of Westmeath and the whole of Ireland could feel safe now, at least for a while.