This article is from page 7 of the 2011-03-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 7 JPG
THE circumstances surrounding the murder of mother-of-two Sylvia Roche-Kelly in Limerick in 2007 is featured in a new book which will hit the bookshelves later this week.
The case is included in a book written by The Cla re People journalist Emer Connolly. Out On Ba il focuses on crimes committed by people who are on bail, early release or temporary release. It features the human impact of crimes committed by those who are out on bail and contains particular emphasis on a number of specific cases.
Sylvia Roche-Kelly (33) was murdered by Jerry McGrath in a Limerick hotel bedroom in December 2007. McGrath, then aged 23, of Ballywalter, Cashel, County Tipperary, was on bail at the time, for assaulting a female taxi driver in Cavan earlier that year.
Another Clare case to feature in the book is the tragic deaths of teenage girls Lorna Mahoney (13) and Stacey Haugh (16) in a road accident near Carrigaholt in October 2003. David Naughton, who was then a teenager, was later jailed for six years for dangerous driving causing the deaths. However, after he was initially charged in connection with the accident, he was granted bail and disappeared. He was later tracked down in the UK. His decision to flee while on bail had a profound effect on the families of the two young girls, who waited every day for justice.
Among the other cases featured in the book is the vicious rape of a 75year-old widow in Nenagh by a man who was on bail at the time; and the murder of teacher Noel Carmody in Limerick in 2003 by two men – one who was on bail and the other who was unlawfully at large at the time. The murder of Swiss teenager Manuela Riedo in Galway in October 2007 by Gerald Barry is also featured. Barry, of Rosán Glas, Rahoon, Galway, was on bail at the time, having been charged with assaulting his ex-partner. Out On Ba il looks at the bail laws in Ireland and gives a voice to families who speak of the pain and suffering they have experienced, while gardaí involved in investigating such crimes express their frustrations at the system. Out On Ba il is Emer Connolly’s second book. Her first book, Lying Eyes a nd the Hitma n for Hire , was published in 2008. It was based on the story of Sharon Collins from Ennis, who solicited a ‘hitman’ to murder her partner, millionaire businessman PJ Howard, and his sons Robert and Niall. Both books are published by Gill & Macmillan. Out On Ba il will be available in bookshops from Friday.