A judge has noted how the "appalling", disruptive behaviour of a violent criminal who murdered his partner's father has persisted right up to his sentencing hearing, after the defendant "simply upped and left court" before the mandatory term of life imprisonment was handed down.
Mr Justice Patrick McGrath on Monday said the behaviour of defendant Wayne Roche contrasted with the "patience and dignity" shown by the family of the victim John O'Connor (58). "I can only commend the family for the manner they dealt with these provocations," he said.
Last month, a jury sitting at the Central Criminal Court in Waterford unanimously convicted Roche of murder. The trial had heard how the deceased John O'Connor was discovered in a pool of his own blood, having suffered extensive blunt force injuries all over his body after spending the night drinking with the defendant.
Roche (36), previously of Dominic's Place in Waterford city, had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of O'Connor (58) at Cluain Fada, Morrissysland, New Ross, Co Wexford on December 30th, 2024.
Roche had been in a relationship with O'Connor's daughter Chloe O'Connor for some years prior to the murder, and the trial heard that the couple had just learned they were expecting a child.
Handing down the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murder to Roche on Monday, Mr Justice McGrath said the deceased had over 100 injuries to his body. "Effectively, he bled to death and died from a savage beating at the hands of the accused Wayne Roche."
The judge said Roche had repeatedly lied in the immediate aftermath of these events and tried to lay the blame on a "wholly innocent man and friend" of the deceased, Michael Bancewicz. He said Roche had known the deceased well and was about to become a father to O'Connor's daughter's child.
Mr Justice McGrath said Roche had given evidence in his own defence, stating that he couldn't remember what had happened that night due to taking a substantial amount of drugs. The judge said the jury panel had entirely rejected the defendant's evidence.
The judge added: "The appalling behaviour of the accused during the trial persisted to today's date, which included repeated interruptions of prosecution witnesses, repeated threats to discharge the services of his lawyers and continued to include several disruptions to the closing speech by the prosecution lawyer."
Mr Justice McGrath said the defendant had interrupted today's sentence hearing, indicating he didn't want to sit through it, "then deciding he wanted to stay, then wanted to leave and simply upped and left court; that is in keeping with a pattern of behaviour I have observed since the very outset of dealing with this case".
The judge said the defendant's behaviour contrasted with the patience and dignity shown by John O'Connor's family. "I can only commend the family for the manner they dealt with these provocations on the part of Wayne Roche".
Criminal history
The judge pointed out that Roche has a very significant criminal history and has served various periods of time in custody for robbery and violence.
The court heard today that Roche has 83 previous convictions, which include those for assault, threats to kill, theft, robbery, burglary and false imprisonment.
Mr Justice McGrath went on to say he was in no doubt that O'Connor was a "much-loved and very kind" man who was "sorely and sadly missed" by his family and hadn't deserved to die in the manner he did. "I can only offer my condolences to the deceased's family and can only hope they take some small comfort from the finding of the jury and the conclusion of this process today."
In one of today's victim impact statements, the family of the deceased man told the Central Criminal Court that "a vicious, inhumane attack" had been carried out on O'Connor inside his home and that the deceased had been robbed of his future. They said Roche had shown no remorse for what he had done, and "we as a family feel we have been handed the life sentence."
O'Connor's daughter Chloe said her ex-partner had taken her "whole life" by taking her father away from her. She said Roche had also taken her son's future with his grandfather.
Another victim impact statement was by O'Connor's son, Aaron O'Connor, who said that his father's life was taken in the most cruel way possible in his own home. He referenced the "lasting trauma and haunting images" caused by "one selfish lowlife, Wayne Roche".
Earlier during today's sentence hearing Roche, who was sitting in the dock, announced that he didn't think he needed to be present in court, proclaiming: "Take me out, or I'll forcibly remove myself."
The hearing was adjourned until after lunchtime, when the judge said he wanted Roche to be given the opportunity to show "some respect to the court and more importantly to the deceased man's family".
When the court reconvened, Mr Justice McGrath told the defendant he had a constitutional right to be present "at all parts of your trial" and that it was "very important" he understood this. "I would certainly urge you to be here but I cannot force you to be here".
Roche told the judge that he had not wanted to be in court, but "after what you said I do want to be here".
Mr Justice McGrath then explained to the defendant how the detective would continue to set out the evidence, which the jurors had accepted when they convicted him of murder. Roche decided he would stay to hear the evidence but during the remainder of the hearing, he stood up and walked into the custody area as matters proceeded in his absence.
Sentencing hearing
At today's sentencing hearing, Detective Garda Bob Byrne, of Wexford Garda Station, told Dean Kelly SC alongside Maddie Grant BL, prosecuting, that Chloe O'Connor contacted emergency services when she discovered her father's body at his home after 11am on December 30th, 2024.
The officer said O'Connor was found lying on his back in a pool of blood and was cold to the touch.
The detective said O'Connor had suffered extensive blunt force injuries to the head, trunk and limbs, which had been caused by impact with a firm object. The officer agreed that the deceased had sustained rib fractures to both sides when he had been alive. He also had three lacerations to the spleen.
The pathologist found there was potential for survival from the majority of the injuries, except for the blunt force trauma to the abdomen, which was also contributed to by active, chronic liver disease.
Mr Kelly said Chloe O'Connor had met her father in New Ross on the morning of December 30th before she took a bus to Waterford City. O'Connor had got the bus with Roche and they both collected their social welfare before buying heroin and Benzodiazepines, which they both consumed.
The detective agreed that Roche had also smoked "crack cocaine".
Det Gda Byrne went on to say that the couple had purchased a pregnancy test in Waterford, which confirmed that Chloe O'Connor was pregnant.
Roche then purchased alcohol and joined O'Connor and a third man, Michael Bancewicz, who had been staying at the deceased's flat at the time. The three men spent the evening drinking in the deceased's flat.
Evidence
The officer agreed that Bancewicz, who gave evidence at the trial, said Roche had become aggressive that night and had stripped down to his waist and stabbed himself in the leg. He said the defendant had also smeared blood from the wound all over his face "like in the Braveheart movie".
Bancewicz also testified that he had taken his phone out to show Roche the wound but that the defendant had become angry and punched him a number of times in the face. The detective agreed that Bancewicz left the flat at 8.45pm that night and was the last person to see O'Conor alive other than Roche.
The next morning Roche told a neighbour he was attacked. He also told a woman that he had been stabbed three times and needed a taxi to "get out of town". Another woman said Roche was pacing up and down on the quay and that he had blood on his face.
When gardaí spoke to Roche, they observed he had a slash wound to the face and was limping. Detectives were made aware from O'Connor that Roche and Bancewicz were likely to have been the last persons to see her father alive.
Roche told gardaí that when he woke up that morning, he saw that O'Connor was asleep and that his stomach was moving up and down, indicating he was breathing.
Roche was arrested and transferred to Waterford Hospital for his injuries. Det Gda Byrne said the jury had heard evidence of his conduct in the hospital that day, which included slashing his own neck with a broken glass bottle, making threats to gardai, being abusive and refusing treatment for most of the day.
When Roche got his neck wound sutured, he tore out the stitches and had to get staples to seal the wound, the officer said.
Roche was later interviewed on five occasions, where he said he would never have been in a fight with O'Connor, hadn't hurt the deceased and tried to do chest compressions on him.
John Byrne SC, defending, told the court that his client wished him to apologise to Chloe and all of the O'Connor family. He said Roche does not accept the jury's verdict.
