Michelle Ryan, the daughter of murdered Bobby Ryan, a part-time DJ who went by the name Mr Moonlight, delivered an emotional victim impact statement on behalf of the family shortly after Patrick Quirke was found guilty of killing her father.
Ms Ryan began by saying the lives of the Ryan family, and the world as they knew it, had been “torn apart” on June 3rd, 2011, the day Mr Ryan went missing.
“I can’t find the words to describe how it feels emotionally. It’s a torment that’s constantly with us, a black hole that we carry every day, the mental anguish every day wondering was Daddy calling out for help, was he calling our names to help him?
“We close our eyes every night and picture Daddy with fear in his eyes.We wake up every night with the nightmares. This is something we will never ever come to terms with.
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“God didn’t decide to take Daddy from us and knowing how his life was taken and where he was found, rips us apart every day. We are completely destroyed beyond repair because of the trauma of how our father was brutally taken away from us. We don’t have a life to live anymore just an existence to drag ourselves through every day.”
Ms Ryan said her father was also a grandfather, known as “Grandad Bob” by the grandchildren who continued to love him dearly.
“The ones who do remember him struggle every day to come to terms with how Grandad Bob was here one minute and gone the next, and the other little ones just have a picture of him that that they carry every day.
“Grandad Bob will always be a part of their lives because we talk about Daddy every day and tell them stories of their Grandad Bob. They laugh and smile remembering Grandad Bob, and the little ones wondering what kind of Grandad he was, and our torment growing bigger knowing someday we will have to sit them down and try explain how Grandad Bob was taken away from us and visioning the light burn out in their eyes and hearts as well.
“Our lives will never be the same again, we know we have to carry this cross from the rest of our lives and we know our children will have to bear it as well.
“We will never be doubtful of just how much Daddy loves us, I can’t put into words how much we love him, we will continue to love and cherish what precious memories we have of Daddy.
“That is something no-one will ever take from us, this has consumed our lives completely. We will live through this heartache for the rest of our lives. While we hope that Daddy will now rest in peace, it’s a peace that we will never know until we meet him again.
“Daddy I described you as “Wow” when I was asked because that’s what you are, such a wonderful caring father and grandfather. We will carry you in our hearts everyday in everything we do for the rest of our lives.
“So until we meet again Moonlight, just know how much you are loved and sorely missed by us every day. So spread your beautiful wings and fly high with the angels. You are gone but will never be forgotten.”