Manslaughter victim suffered relentless abuse, family claims

The family of Declan O'Neill claims he was the victim of relentless physical and mental abuse from his wife, Dolores.

She was jailed for eight years yesterday for the manslaughter of her husband. She had claimed that her husband regularly beat her, was an aggressive alcoholic and frequently left the family with no money.

However, Mr O'Neill's brothers rejected this and said he was a "gentle, loving, friendly and sensitive person". They said Declan was relied on to bring family members home after functions because he never drank anything stronger than Smithwicks or beer shandy.

Mr Dermot O'Neill read a statement on behalf of the victim's siblings outside the Central Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday after Dolores O'Neill was sentenced.

He catalogued a list of alleged assaults by her and quoted from a hand-written document found in Declan O'Neill's car after he died. It was a diary of assaults, with the final entry made four months before he was killed.

One entry in March 2002 said: "In Tallaght Hospital for abrasions to head and leg after flung by car while she was at control." Another read: "Hit over head with bottle on at least two occasions."

"We were stunned to learn that the State prosecution could not or would not use this testimony, which we considered was Declan speaking from the grave," Mr O'Neill said.

"On the witness stand Dolores was given free rein to besmirch Declan's name as she saw fit, in an effort to excuse her action of bludgeoning and knifing him to death".

He claimed that Dolores O'Neill rammed her car into her husband's car when her son was with her. On other occasions she broke an ashtray over her husband's head and ripped the buttons off his shirt, he said.

He said phone records would show that she harassed her husband by phoning him up to 40 times a day. On one occasion she ripped out his car phone kit. He said she also beat him with a mobile phone charger.

Mr O'Neill said he heard a voice message from Dolores to Declan, threatening that she was going to throw acid in his face. "Declan said that she had threatened this on several occasions."

She also threatened that he would have no access to their children, he said. The couple had separated for a time but he had moved back into the family home in Knocklyon, Dublin, before he was killed.

"It is the family's view that he lived a life of quiet desperation," Mr O'Neill said. "Regrettably it was Declan's view that any steps he took were futile and tolerating the abuse was his only option. This decision proved to be fatal."

Despite Dolores O'Neill's claims about her husband's heavy drinking, he said the autopsy report found that Declan O'Neill was a healthy man with no evidence of alcohol or drugs in his system at the time of his death.

The family also pointed out that no defensive marks or abrasions were found on the victim's arms, yet Dolores O'Neill had claimed that she had struggled with him when he held her by the throat.

Mr O'Neill said Declan was treated for depression "brought on by the difficulties in the relationship but his wife saw fit to deprive him of the medication prescribed". On one occasion, she took his clothes, shoes and work items so that he was unable to go to work or attend a hospital appointment.

Family members urged him to get out of the house but he did not want to leave his youngest son. He quoted from text messages sent from Declan to his sister in-law saying "In my room, waiting for the next attack. I will get over it."

The family said Dolores O'Neill should have been convicted of murder.

Earlier in court, another brother, Brian, was invited by Mr Justice Carney to deliver a victim impact statement. Mr O'Neill said seeing his brother in the morgue was "a horrific sight" and would remain in his memory until death.

During the trial, Mr O'Neill said his family "watched in silence" as Dolores O'Neill "set about the destruction of Declan's good name and character. Having brutally slain him, she has tried to assassinate his character".

"We felt Declan wasn't allowed a chance for his character to be revealed," he said.

The family was sickened by the "obscene allegations and foul-mouthed language" she attributed to their brother as he would have never spoken in that way.

Dolores O'Neill showed no reaction to Mr O'Neill's evidence in court.