The mother of Daragh Conroy (14), who was hammered to death for his mobile phone, has told a court that "life was unbearable without" her son.
Mrs Conroy was delivering a victim-impact statement to the court on the day her son's killer, Darren Goodwin (16), of Graigue, Mountmellick, Co Laois, was due to be sentenced for his death.
Mr Conroy's mother broke down in court as she read out her victim-impact report to the packed court. "Trying to write this report was the most difficult thing I've had to do in all my life", she said. "I had to do it, I had to do it for Daragh.
"I will always remember that night, searching Mountmellick for hours, ringing your phone", she said. "Then worse still, I found out Daragh was dead, I couldn't hold him. He lay in a cold field all night until the next day, I couldn't hold him."
She said she could remember the "terror" of seeing her only child lying in the coffin. "He should not be dead, he's only 14 years old", she said.
Mrs Patricia Conroy told Dublin's Central Criminal Court this morning that Daragh should have celebrated his 15th birthday yesterday with friends at McDonalds "but instead I went to his grave with flowers and a card".
"It kills me that I couldn't hold or kiss him as he lay in that cold field all night. I will never know if he suffered or if he called out for me," said a distressed Mrs Conway.
She then referred to convicted youth's indifferent attitude at the eight-day trial in July, during which he slouched in court and refused to speak to his parents or members of his family.
"His lack of remorse and respect chilled me to the bone. There is so much pain, hurt and anger locked up inside me."
In her emotional three-page statement, Mrs Conroy said she had searched everywhere for her only son and repeatedly rang his mobile phone on the night he failed to return home, but it was turned off.
Trial evidence found that Goodwin had tried to sell on his victim's phone after he was killed.
Mrs Conroy told the court she moved away from Mountmellick after the death and went to live with her sister. She said that "reminders are everywhere" of her son and she attends regular bereavement counselling. She said the night she found out Daragh died was the most difficult in her life.
"The loss of my one and only child is indescribable. To think I will never hear his voice or see his smile again is more than I can bear."
She said he loved music, art, skateboarding. She said she wanted to see Daragh grow up, have a girlfriend, a career, a family and children.
She also thanked Mountmellick and Portlaoise gardai for their "unfailing dedication and respect" during the investigation and trial.
Goodwin's mother Olive, said she was sorry for the families involved. "My family is devastated. He [Goodwin] never showed any violence in all his life to anybody."
She told the court that Goodwin refused to see his family while in detention at St Patrick's Institution but had now "come around" and had re-established a good relationship with them.
Goodwin had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Conroy of Briar Lane Moutmellick on November 11th, 2003. Mr Conroy's body was found on waste ground in Smithsfield, Mountmellick, shortly before midnight of the same date.
He had suffered "six separate blows to his head", five of which were "inflicted in rapid succession" . . . "with considerable force" while he was lying on the ground, the State Pathologist told the court during the eight-day trial.
After deliberating for over two-and-a-half hours, the jury of five men and seven women found the youth guilty by a majority of 11-1 last July.
Mr Justice Barry White told the court he needed extra time to consider matters and would sentence Goodwin on Friday.