A barber who stabbed his partner to death in front of their 21-month-old son before turning the knife on himself has been found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Hadim Kedik (33), with an address at Connolly Street, Clonakilty, Co Cork, was found guilty of murdering mother of three Rose Patterson by a jury of seven men and four women just after 3pm yesterday.
Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy sentenced the Turkish national who arrived in Ireland in 2002 to mandatory life imprisonment.
The courtroom was quiet when the verdict was read. Ms Patterson's family asked for a short statement to be read in memory of their "bright, breezy optimistic daughter who always had an eye on the future".
They said it was with shock, disbelief and dreadful sorrow they learned their only child had died last April.
"It's always difficult to come to terms with the loss of someone so young but the manner of Rose's death has added to our loss and complicated our grieving process," the statement said.
The biggest impact of all would be on her children who the family now had to help "face issues that no child should be aware of or have to deal with."
Ms Patterson's murder had consequences reaching far into the future - "particularly for Rose's son who will one day have to come to terms with the fact that his mother's life was cut short in his presence and at the hands of his father".
During the trial the court heard details of the couple's relationship and its devastating end on April 11th and 12th last when Kedik stabbed her eight times leaving her to bleed to death in front of their son while he cut his own throat and wrists.
There was blood on nearly every surface in the kitchen, the court heard, and it pooled beneath Ms Patterson's body as it lay against the apartment door where she died with a broken cell phone beside her.
Kedik lay nearby and their son who had witnessed the whole thing was asleep near his body.
Rose Patterson and Hadim Kedik met and moved in together in 2004. Their son was born in July 2005.
With the €320 a week he earned as a barber Kedik bought a car and furniture for his family, also taking on Ms Patterson's daughters, aged five and nine, from a previous relationship.
The relationship started to unravel, however, soon after the birth of their son. Kedik started going out with his friends when Ms Patterson wanted him at home, the court heard.
There was an argument, he pushed Ms Patterson and she slapped him. Kedik moved into the apartment above the barbershop, eventually getting a court order to gain twice weekly access to his son. On April 11th just after 1.30pm Ms Patterson had dropped their son off for his visit.
She left her girls locked in her home at Parkview promising to return to celebrate the oldest girl's birthday. The girls were still waiting for their mother when gardaí discovered them about 1pm on April 12th.
While Kedik told gardaí that he never planned to kill Ms Patterson and was not upset that she had refused his attempts to get back together, the truth was he had started drinking heavily and had not turned up for work for a week before he killed her.
The court also heard Kedik was inconsolable about his child's congenital defect in his finger, claiming Ms Patterson was neglecting it and vowing "she was going to pay".
He was due to meet a solicitor the day he killed Ms Patterson.
Three bloody knives were found in the flat and two letters Kedik had written detailing his thoughts about killing her.
"I will only kill Rose and then myself," read one where he also said he would spare their son because he was a clever boy. In another he said he loved Rose but she could give their son nothing.
"I wrote them when I was drunk and anyway I didn't make a plan. Even if I had plans I could not kill the mother of my son," he told gardaí.
Kedik's workmate Romazan Cansu told the court he had heard the couple arguing at about 2pm, Ms Patterson was telling Kedik to "go to hell".
In video interviews gardaí asked Kedik why he did it. Rose had pushed him to the ground in her anger and he picked up the black-handled knife off the table as she went for it, he said.
Had he lost his temper? "I just grabbed the knife before she could, but I didn't intend or think that I should kill her," he said through an interpreter. When he saw her bleed he cut his own throat then drank vodka and beer.