Joe O'Reilly found guilty of wife's murder

Joe O'Reilly has been found guilty of the murder of his wife Rachel at the Central Criminal Court this evening.

Joe O'Reilly has been found guilty of the murder of his wife Rachel at the Central Criminal Court this evening.

He was given a mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Barry White and is tonight spending his first night in Mountjoy prison.

He was also refused leave to appeal.

There were loud cheers in the packed court room shortly before 7pm when the foreman of the jury announced the unanimous verdict after just over nine hours of deliberations.

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Earlier today Mr Justice Barry White had told the jury that he would accept a majority verdict after early directing them that they should attempt to reach a unanimous decision.

They had been sent to a hotel last night after failing to reach a verdict but returned with their verdict at 6.40pm this evening.

Mr Justice White thanked the jury and exempted them from jury duty for the rest of their lives.

He told the court that the case had attracted extraordinary media attention and said that throughout the trial he had been unable to turn on the television or to open a newspaper without seeing news of the case.

After the verdict was announced, the mother of Rachel O'Reilly Rose Callely made an emotional impact statement and was applauded after addressing the court.

In her statement she said: "If I could have given my life for you that awful day I would have" adding that the grief and distress "would never diminish".

Speaking outside the Four Courts Ms Callely said: "My daughter has got justice today and we are so happy". She said that while the family would be able to get their lives back "in some shape" it would "never be the life we knew. But we have justice for our dear Rachel."