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ELAINE O’HARA’S FATHER, his partner and her siblings have expressed their relief at the conviction of her killer Graham Dwyer.
In a statement issued through gardaí, the O’Haras said that despite justice being served, they still suffer Elaine’s loss and “miss her greatly”.
“This has been a difficult and traumatic two-and-half years for the family and while we respect the role of the media in providing accurate and important information, we ask that you respect our need for privacy as we attempt to move on from this heartbreaking and distressing period,” they continued.
Elaine O’Hara was reported missing by her father Frank on 23 August 2012 when she failed to turn up a volunteering job with the Tall Ships Festival. Despite numerous public appeals by gardaí, her body was not found until more than a year later in the Dublin mountains.
Following extensive investigations over the next month, Dwyer was arrested at his home in Foxrock on 17 October 2013 and charged a day later.
Earlier today, and after a gruelling trial which lasted 45 days, Dwyer was found guilty of her murder. He will be sentenced to life in prison.
His victim was laid to rest in a private funeral on 16 March last year.
Elaine O’Hara was killed by Dwyer following a sexual affair which included elements of BDSM and stabbing. They had met through an alternative website alt.com.
Her family today warned of the dangers of such relationships and urged people to “be careful when communicating using the internet and social media”.
They had discovered her interest in the alternative lifestyles two days after her disappearance. Her brother, John O’Hara, had found the name of the website written inside a notebook.
“While we were in the apartment, I had looked it up on my phone and I showed my sister and the garda the images on it,” he told the court. “It was a fetish lifestyle website.”
On the Saturday or Sunday, I logged on and created a username to see if I could find anything to do with Elaine. I found one with no picture.
The username on the profile was Chained Brunette but he was convinced it was his sister’s profile.
“I gave the information to the gardaí and I closed down my user profile,” he said.
On that same day, Frank O’Hara’s partner Sheila Hawkins found a black latex bodysuit in Elaine’s apartment.
“I recoiled because my hand felt this oily rubber substance,” she said. “I saw what looked like black latex.”
She said that she didn’t tell Ms O’Hara’s father at the time because ‘the man was very distressed’. However, she did note that she had knowledge of her interest in S&M from a “conversation with her father”.
During his own testimony, Mr O’Hara recalled how his daughter once told him that she was seeing a Foxrock architect who tied her up and masturbated on her.
”I was shocked,” he said, adding later in cross examination that her revelations to him had left him “shattered”.
On an emotional day in court, he described his relationship with his daughter, telling the jury he spoke to her every day and saw her three to four times a week.
He considered that he might have been a “best friend” to his daughter. When his partner had an opportunity to get a job in the UK, he said his daughter was concerned about him leaving the country. “She asked would I be going too,” he said.
Today’s full statement:
We are relieved that justice has been served for Elaine but we still suffer her loss and miss her greatly.
We hope that this case will highlight the need for people to be careful when communicating using the internet and social media.
We would like to thank An Garda Síochána for their sensitive and exemplary investigation. We would also like to thank the prosecution team, Garda Family Liaison officers, Victim Support at Court and extended family and friends for their support.
This has been a difficult and traumatic two-and-half years for the family and while we respect the role of the media in providing accurate and important information, we ask that you respect our need for privacy as we attempt to move on from this heartbreaking and distressing period.
We will not be making any further comment at this time.
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I spoke to a parent who was at the concert and I believe the condition of some of the young teenagers at the concert was nothing short of disgraceful. Under age girls falling around getting sick Surely something has to be done about this. Can the gardai not have a holding area where these people can be held for their own safety until a responsible guardian collects them.
The article says the met the men in a night club after the concert as for the holding area it is a way to stop underage drinking seen it enforced at an underage disco worked perfectly
I heard it was 2 members of the jason derulo fellas entourage! Not sure how true that was though. I dont know how girls in there got so drunk. Any time i went there you were properly searched before you went in, turned away if you were pissed and could only by one drink at the bar per time so you couldn’t by loads for teenagers. It’s stupid getting that locked at a concert … ruins it for yourself and everyone around ya!
I believe they have done away with searches. Probably cutbacks so these greedy organisers can squeeze every last penny out of teenagers. Also I believe most of these kids were drunk going in so should have been stopped at the entrance if people were doing their jobs
Searches and people being stopped for being drunk all falls down to who was providing security at the event
Comments should be closed on this article.
Castrate them and put them in a cell with a lifer. Unfortunately this is Ireland so they will be out in time for the next big concert
Stan
No need for a trial?
Yes if they are guilty of course. It is true that some women falsely accuse men of sexual assault but that is most likely not the case
I will hold my powder on this
Stan, a bit early in the morning to be grabbing your lighted torch and pitchfork isn’t it? I thought mob rule only came out after dark.
I doubt very much that we have any lifers in Irish prisons.
Ok I relent. I’ll put the pitchfork down.
So Stan you were the car and saw everything ?
Do you not understand what the word “allegation” means? There’s also a principal in the justice system that people are innocent until they’re proven guilty.
Stan … I think you mean castrate them if they’re guilty
Why so many red thumbs for Stan? 29 people think it’s ok to sexual assault young girls? Castration would be too good for these two perverts. Obviously they are guilty or it wouldn’t have made the news, journalist have good sources in the police, this isn’t just hear say. I wish the girls all the strength in the world to get over this horrible act of perversion.
Ah well if it’s in the news it must be true. Cancel the court case so.
Malcom, if someone made an allegation against you and you were arrested by the police do you think that you should be castrated on the spot? Only this week a woman was jailed for making false allegations against a man who was totally innocent. no doubt you would have had him castrated as well.
Look up “due process” and perhaps that will explain the 29 red thumbs for you.
Malcolm, you’ve forgotten that the employees at “thejournal.ie” aren’t actually journalists.
they engage in journalism’s equivalent of the ‘retweet’.
Yes Stan it is most likely not the case … Still can’t castrate someone based in most likely
Personally I think anyone who is guilty of sexual assault should be put in life behind bars for life, if only it was like America here, and that they would be locked up for 23 hours of the day in their own cell. This way they are left to think of what they done for the rest of their lives and eventually they will go mad. Unfortunately we don’t have laws that hold criminals to 60+ years. I really think we should revise our law system and instead of locking people up for minor things we should lock up the seriously dangerous people up for the rest of their lives. You ruin someone’s life then your life deserves to be ruined.
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