"I love my kids more than my life," Hassan Hassan told the court, his eyes trained on the judge to his right. "I never saw it coming to this . . . All I was trying to do was protect my children."
Though the evidence had been heard last Friday and it remained only for a sentence to be passed yesterday, Judge Michael White acceded to Hassan's late request to take the witness stand and explain his reasons for having his children brought to Syria two years ago this month.
Hassan, whose former partner Baiba Saulite was shot dead at her home in Swords, Dublin, in November, had pleaded guilty to two counts of abducting their two boys, then aged 2½ and 17 months, in December 2004. They were taken from Ireland to Syria, where they were cared for by Hassan's mother until returned to Ireland in September 2005.
Composed, fluent and dressed neatly in black trousers and a white jumper, Hassan told Judge White he was "really sorry" about what had happened. He feared Ms Saulite would take their children to her native Latvia while he was in custody and if she did, then he would never see them again. Although the couple had visited Latvia once, in 2001, he did not have an address for her there and did not know where her family lived.
"I was under a lot of pressure, afraid to lose my kids," he told the judge. "I know I committed that when I was on bail, but I had no choice. I had to protect my children. I didn't know it was going to get that far."
Hassan said comments he made to Ms Saulite and overheard in court in December 2004 had not been related in full.
"I said, 'Baiba, look where we've got. I'm in handcuffs going into court' . . . "I said, 'Let's sort this out between the two of us.' I asked her, 'You don't want this to happen'. She wouldn't answer."
"I didn't want my kids to lose me; I didn't want to lose my kids . . . They're my life. If I lose my kids, I lose my life."
As he returned to his seat, Hassan hesitated, then turned once more and faced the courtroom. "I'm really sorry," he repeated. "I didn't mean this to happen. I didn't mean any harm."
After a short adjournment, Judge White handed down a sentence of two years in prison, to be served after Hassan has served a four-year sentence he received in March 2006 for handling stolen vehicles.
Ms Saulite was unable to give evidence because she had been murdered since Hassan had pleaded guilty, Judge White said, but there was no evidence she had been about to remove the children from Ireland.
He said Hassan's actions had been premeditated and well planned and that the children's removal from their mother must have been traumatic for them.
Judge White said Hassan had made clear efforts to intimidate Ms Saulite, though in mitigation, he had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and there was no issue of cruelty or neglect of the children while they were in Syria.
Hassan stood inscrutable as Judge White delivered his sentence. Then the court rose, the handcuffs clasped his wrists, and a group of plain-clothed gardaí led him to the door.
