This article is from page 14 of the 2007-12-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
VERBAL exchanges broke out in a courtroom this week between two west Clare families, after a sentence for buggery was adjourned.
Graham Haugh, 19, of Drumina, Dysart, Ennis, was due to be sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday for buggering a young boy
in 2004.
However two defence witnesses failed to attend and an application for an adjournemnt was made.
Haugh was extradited last August from England where he had joined the British Army under a false name, having failed to appear on bail for sen- tence in November 2005.
In court this week, the victim’s
mother said she couldn’t “see any rea- son why Haugh shouldn’t be sentenced today” because he “has had every chance with psychologists”. She said she wanted the case finalised.
“My son’s life is wrecked. He couldn’t even come to court today to look that scumbag in the eye,” she said.
Haugh’s family and friends turned to the woman with inaudible protests
while she continued to say: “Either he goes down or I go down.”
Some further low-voiced exchanges and stares, including an invitation to fisticuffs, took place and the comment “faggot” was clearly heard when the victim’s family members were ushered out of the courtroom.
Haugh was found guilty by a jury on March 31, 2004 following a 10-day
trial before Judge Yvonne Murphy of buggering and sexually assaulting a young boy three years earlier.
Judge Murphy had placed him under the care of the Probation Services for assessment and adjourned his sentence but issued a bench warrant for his ar- rest after he failed to appear in Novem- ber 2005. The sentence is now due to take place next March.