A 24-YEAR-OLD Tipperary man who beat a woman to death in a Limerick hotel room just over a year ago has been jailed for life by the Central Criminal Court.
Gerard McGrath, Ballywalter, Cashel, pleaded guilty to murdering Sylvia Roche Kelly at The Clarion Hotel, Steamboat Quay, Limerick on December 8th, 2007.
Mr Justice Barry White imposed the mandatory life sentence and said McGrath had taken the life of an innocent woman.
The court heard that Mrs Roche Kelly was 34 at the time of her death. She had gone out with her sister and a friend in Limerick to celebrate her birthday and met the defendant in a nightclub.
She agreed to go back to his hotel room where he violently beat her and then choked her to death. Her naked body was found lying face down in the bath by hotel staff the next afternoon.
McGrath was listed for trial yesterday but pleaded guilty before a jury was sworn in. Mr Justice White heard that Mrs Roche Kelly was the mother of a 13-year-old son and four-year-old daughter and was separated from her husband when she was killed.
Det Sgt Kevin McHugh told Shane Murphy SC, prosecuting, that McGrath was unemployed and was drinking with a friend in Limerick on a Friday night. He had planned to go back to Cashel but decided to stay and checked into the Clarion Hotel.
Mrs Roche Kelly, who ran a picture framing business from her home in Clare, met McGrath in “Ted’s” night club. Det Sgt McHugh said they had a conversation and the deceased agreed to go back to McGrath’s hotel.
Gardaí viewed CCTV footage of the pair walking hand in hand through the streets. They arrived at the hotel at 3am. Staff became suspicious at 1pm the next day when McGrath failed to check out.
CCTV showed him leaving at about 11am. He left the country but returned three days later and was arrested. He told gardaí he had had sex with the victim and had a conversation during which he became enraged by comments.
He admitted he hit her in the face, pulled her hair, put his hands around her neck and throttled her in the bed. He also said he may have kicked her between the legs with some force. He then moved her body to the bath.
Mrs Roche Kelly was found face down in the bath with her arms by her side and her hands underneath her. Two bloodstained towels were found at her head and shoulders. Blood was also found on the bed and on the carpet.
A postmortem examination revealed extensive bruising to the deceased’s upper body, face and head. She suffered a broken nose, fingertip bruises to her arms and thighs, a severe laceration to her vagina and compression of her neck. The court heard Mrs Roche Kelly suffered a “vigorous and serious assault” and the cause of death was manual asphyxiation.
Gardaí found DNA evidence confirming a sexual encounter and McGrath’s fingerprints were found on the bath.
Det Sgt McHugh agreed with Mr Murphy that McGrath had one previous conviction for assaulting a female taxi driver causing her harm in April 2007 and was on bail for that offence when he killed Mrs Roche Kelly. He was sentenced to nine months in January 2008.
Sgt Ronan McDonagh read statements from the victim’s parents and husband. Esther and John Burke said they could not begin to explain their suffering and pain at the loss of their daughter. Mrs Burke said she wished she could hold her in her arms again and tell her she loved her. Mr Burke said his daughter used to call down to him for advice, and “every now and then” since her murder he would think she was at the door. He said it was hard to cope and he spent most days thinking of her.
Lorcan Roche Kelly said he had had to explain to their children that their mammy was dead and they would never see her again.
Defence counsel Patrick Gageby SC read a letter from his client in which McGrath said he was “truly sorry” and would never forgive himself. He said he “could only start to imagine” the pain and hurt he had caused.
Outside court, solicitor Gwen Bowen read a statement on behalf of Mrs Roche Kelly’s family in which she said the deceased was a “warm, caring and wonderful mother” who was “loving, enthusiastic and exuberant”. Her family and community had suffered a “profound loss” and the impact of the sudden loss on her children was “immeasurable”.
Ms Bowen said the immediate family wanted to acknowledge the support they had received from friends and family and extended their thanks to gardaí and the DPP. They asked that their privacy be respected as they “remember Sylvia with the love and dignity she deserves”.