Mother says sentence does not do justice to her son

ROSE VERHOEVEN, mother of Yohan Verhoeven, expressed disappointment at the five year sentence handed down to her son's killer in Bray Circuit Court yesterday. She said it did not do justice to her son.

Speaking outside the court Ms Verhoeven, who was not allowed to read her victim impact statement in court, said she would never be able to forgive Timothy Kavanagh for killing her son during a cocaine and alcohol-fuelled mock fight in July 2006.

Ms Verhoeven said the fact that her son's body was dumped in a ditch near Roundwood had been very hard on her family.

She said her son's remains had been in such a bad condition when he was found seven weeks later that the family was not able to see him. The process of saying goodbye had never been completed, she said.

"To me I think this was the worst part, not being able to say goodbye. To me he is not even in [ Shanganagh Cemetery] Shankill, he is in Roundwood as well."

Ms Verhoeven, who was flanked by her family and supporters, then gave reporters a copy of the victim impact statement which had been prepared for the court.

In it she said she felt sick hearing how her son had been stabbed. "Even worse was when I heard Dr [ Marie] Cassidy say [ at the trial last December] that Yohan could have been saved if he got medical treatment. Yohan was never given the chance . . . if only Timmy had picked up the phone and looked for an ambulance it may not have been so bad on us."

Responding to questions about her son's drug dealing, she said he had been "no angel", adding "he was my son".