Annie Mulvaney on the tragic loss of her son Brian.
When I opened The Irish Times last Saturday week I was horrified by the front page article of the Weekend Review section written by Kathryn Holmquist. I felt extremely hurt and disappointed. I had welcomed Kathryn to my home for almost one hour at a very difficult time for my family, just days after the end of a three and a half-week murder trial.
My views on issues such as bail laws, parental responsibility for offspring with personality disorder did not receive the emphasis that they merited. The article was inaccurate in some instances, and so unbalanced with very little space given to our side of the story. Perhaps Kathryn misunderstood me. But the article was not to the standard expected from The Irish Times.
May I take this opportunity to try and redress some of the shortcomings of the article. My son Brian was murdered on the 11th of March, 2000, Brian Willoughby one of three people involved in the fatal attack had been released on bail three months earlier, pending his sentencing for previous violent crimes. If his disposition was so obviously violent, with the very real likelihood of his re-offending, who bears the responsibility for this flagrant abuse of bail laws? Should people like this, found guilty of a violent crime, be allowed out on bail while awaiting sentencing? Surely it would make more sense, and protect society at large, if such people were detained, and the detention period subsequently deducted from their final sentence.
With respect to the numerous references in the article to ADD, and the major part it played in contributing to this crime, the following points should be pointed out. Impulsive actions are recognised to be a constant sign with all ADD sufferers. All evidence heard during the trial from numerous witnesses present on the night of the murder point to Brian Willoughby being sociable and controlled, while he planned and subsequently, with the assistance of another, executed his violence. A twelve member jury listened and considered, at great lengths, the body of evidence before them, and subsequently delivered a unanimous verdict of guilty to the charge of murder for Brian Willoughby, convicted a second of manslaughter and acquitted a third.
With reference to the seating arrangements at the court, our family were not crowded in at the back, as the gardai kindly reserved seats for family and friends up front, and facilitated us in every way possible.
Brian was not from Templeogue, had never heard of Brian Willoughby or his "frightening reputation", and would have accepted him on face value, which was both sociable and affable.
Finally, the article stated that Brian Willoughby was the ultimate culprit in the death of my son. However, this was an action involving more than one person, an occurrence now becoming more and more frequent on our streets, where young people fuelled by drink, single out individuals to indulge their violent behaviour.
My son died when he was only 19, robbed of a life that he loved so much. Our family has lost something we will never get back and we will miss him everyday for the rest of our lives. He was larger than life, with such a bubbly nature. He had a smile that would brighten any room. It is so easy to say that he hated violence, but really he did and would avoid it all costs.
He was about to embark on the most important stage of his life and we, as parents, felt our job was nearly done. He was ready for the world.
His death has left a huge gap in our lives, that can never again be filled. Our beautiful son was killed for no reason, and it can only make you question the world we live in today. Brian loved his family and friends and they were the most important things in his life. He made a lasting impression on so many people that he will always be remembered by all of them.
In conclusion, I would like to acknowledge and thank Victim Support, a wonderful group of people who were always there, unquestioning and supportive, from the outset right through to the final outcome.
After three years of hell, we would like to feel that this is final closure, and apart from any review of the criminal system, would hope that people would now respect our privacy and leave us to rebuild our lives as best we can.