A 21-year-old engineering student from Co Cork will be sentenced today by Mr Justice Paul Carney for the manslaughter of his 11-year-old neighbour when he appears at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Ennis in Co Clare.
Wayne O'Donoghue, Ballyedmond, Midleton was acquitted on December 14th last of the murder of his near neighbour Robert Holohan at Ballyedmond, Midleton on January 4th, 2005 following a 10 day trial.
The jury of five men and seven women took four hours and 24 minutes to find O'Donoghue not guilty of the murder charge after considering evidence from more than 60 witnesses.
O'Donoghue had denied the murder charge but had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Robert Holohan when he was first arraigned on the charge on November 29th last.
During the trial, the jury heard evidence from Robert's parents, Mark and Majella Holohan, how their son used to idolise O'Donoghue who built a treehouse for him, played soccer with him and used to take him in his car into Midleton town for ice creams and DVDs.
The jury also heard how O'Donoghue had assured them that Robert would be found safe and well after he disappeared on last year and how he had participated in searches for the missing boy which drew thousands of volunteers to east Cork to assist gardaí.
O'Donoghue did not take the stand during the trial but the jury heard statements he made to gardaí and videotapes of interviews they conducted with him while in custody in which he admitted killing the young boy.
The trial heard that O'Donoghue told gardaí that he accidentally strangled Robert when he grabbed him around the neck during a row after the youngster began throwing stones at his car outside the O'Donoghue family home at Ballyedmond some time after 3.30pm on January 4th, 2005.
