DEFENCE SUBMISSION:CELINE CAWLEY was "neither a bully nor a tyrant," defence barrister Brendan Grehan SC told a packed Central Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday, reading out a statement by her husband Eamonn Lillis, who was found guilty of her manslaughter.
Mr Grehan told Mr Justice Barry White that his client still referred to his wife in the present tense, saying Lillis loved his wife very much “and will for the rest of his life”.
In his statement, Lillis described Ms Cawley as his partner in every sense of the word saying “she was a loving wife as well as a strong and talented businesswoman”.
The 52-year-old TV advertising director, originally from Terenure, Dublin, said he was “extremely sorry and regretful for what happened on that fateful day and for the lies” he told after, in particular to Celine’s family who took him in following his wife’s death.
He said he was fearful of the consequences of his actions for his daughter now and in the future. “His thoughts are for his daughter. They have a very close, loving relationship,” Mr Grehan said, adding “[She’s] the only part of Celine he has left in his life.”
Mr Grehan went on to ask Mr Justice Barry White to be mindful of a number of points when sentencing, including the media publicity surrounding the trial and the fact that Lillis is now the sole parent of his daughter.
He said the fact that the jury had returned a majority verdict of manslaughter without intent should be taken into account. He also reminded the court that his client had never come to Garda attention before the trial.
“He has a half century to the good up to that point,” he said, adding “this was out of character with his previous 50 years”.
Commenting on the media coverage of the trial, Mr Grehan said: “This trial has attracted enormous publicity and continues to and will continue to into the future. This has affected everybody across the board,” he added.
Reminding the judge that the Court of Criminal Appeal recognised that exposure to publicity could be considered when sentencing, Mr Grehan said: “In this case it’s unlikely to fade in the short-term or the long-term.”
The court was told that a number of photographers had “staked out” Lillis’s home since his conviction. Photographers had been on stepladders, up trees, following Lillis and his daughter to school and following Lillis and his sister to town.
“A large number of photographers followed him to Howth Garda station over the last six days to sign on.”
Mr Grehan also reminded Mr Justice Barry White: “[His daughter] is the centremost victim in this . . . I’m not going to seek to use her as a crutch.”
He also told the court that Jean Treacy, the masseuse who Lillis had been having an affair with, had described Lillis as a man who “wouldn’t hurt a fly”.