Joe O’Reilly
I like the way he thought he was being really clever.
I like the way he lied and tried to make alibis.
I like the way he contaminated the forensic evidence.
I like the part that something as simple as his mobile phone played in unwrapping his untruths.
I like the way he was actually a thick cunt who must have thought everyone else was stupid.
I like the way nobody believed him for a second.
I like the way they kept after him and after him.
I like the way they found him guilty.
I like the way he got life in prison.
I really, really hope he has the most unimaginably horrible time in there. He deserves it.
July 22nd, 2007 at 10:26 am
Amen to that Twenty. I hope the sisters take a liking to him.
July 22nd, 2007 at 10:34 am
Couldn’t have said it better myself. The man is a complete bastard. Hope he forgets his soap on a rope!
July 22nd, 2007 at 11:40 am
It’s the balls on these people that gets me. How the fuck do they think they can get away with it. And it’s always the cunt that cries the loudest. Fuck him….
dun drop yor soap n d showR as one might say by text message..
July 22nd, 2007 at 12:45 pm
I hope they put him in the female prison and the scissors sisters carve him up .
that would be justice
July 22nd, 2007 at 12:54 pm
There is some justice in the universe!
July 22nd, 2007 at 2:32 pm
An evil cunt, to be sure. I particularly liked the bit about him being “devoted” to his kids. Funny fucking way of showing it. Talk about a life sentence, those two little lads don’t know what’s in store for them. And what about that muttony blonde bird he was having it away with? I bet she’s not feeling too clever. All in all, a horrow show. I’m away for a coffee.
July 22nd, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I wonder can she get done for obstruction or accomplice after the fact or something…
July 22nd, 2007 at 3:29 pm
May he be fist-fucked up the ass every single day in prison. Woo-hoo!
July 22nd, 2007 at 4:46 pm
yeah, the slaggy girlfriend should be next on the DPP list..the fucking murderous cunt.
July 22nd, 2007 at 4:57 pm
good i hope the cunt hangs himself ,as all the wife beaters in the country should , scum bags
July 22nd, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Softball was the reason he killed her,she was into the game in a big way, if you want proof just look at America, they play a lot of softball, and look at the murder rate in that shit hole!!!!
July 22nd, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Got texts from people the minute the jury came back even given the time of night. Have never before seen so many people who were so convinced of the guilt of someone so quickly.
Fair play to the cops in Balbriggan who dragged out every little shard of evidence to eventually make the case and for convincing the DPP to go ahead with it. It took them long enough but it was worth it in the end.
Saw the footage of her poor mother on the 9 O’Clock last night, the time she sat beside him on the sofa when he was appealing for information just a few days after the murder. The look on her face (stony, unmoving) and her body language at the time said it all. How they went through all the intervening time without cracking I’ll never know.
A horrible business.
July 22nd, 2007 at 8:27 pm
I like the way that it’s apparently legal to put him away with NO concrete forensic evidence, and no other evidence other than circumstantial: texts and emails saying he hated her etc, and being in roughly the same area as shown by mobile phone records at the time of her death.
I’m not saying that he didn’t do it. I’m not defending him. He more than likely did do it. And my heart goes out to that poor woman’s parents. No one should EVER have to outlive their kids.
But I am saying that the justice system is showing how dodgy it really is on this one. You CAN’T put someone away with no absolute hard evidence linking them to the crime. Going on the way this was handled, I could have a fight with my husband, get pissed and send a few bitchy texts about him to some friends, and he could fall down the stairs and break his neck just as I’m pulling up outside in the taxi on my way home from the pub or something, and I could rush in, fuck up the crime scene in shock, and get life for manslaughter for “pushing him down the stairs”. See what I mean? I know what everyone is going to say, and I’m about 90% sure he probably did it, but there is simply not enough hard scientific evidence to put him away, and no amount of circumstantial evidence can be substituted for this, or the whole justice system turns into a corrupt joke. Although it probably is anyway.
July 22nd, 2007 at 9:58 pm
Is one hard piece of evidence, like a murder weapon with no fingerprints, much more valuable than the weight of lots of pieces of circumstantial evidence?
It’s surely easier to explain away one thing than lots of things.
July 22nd, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Let’s just hope someone shivs him in the showers, and that he doesn’t end up with a fan club and getting love letters like Scott Peterson.
July 22nd, 2007 at 11:33 pm
I say fair play to our justice system, for once they got it right.I can honestly say I have never been so relieved and pleased about the outcome of a trial,and that includes the trial of a cunt who was pestering my sister.I do hope he’s hooked on smack within the month.
July 23rd, 2007 at 3:50 am
The “system” didn’t find him guilty; a jury did. The system gave him every chance and pointed out to the jury at every turn what was required for a verdict.
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:56 am
Do these killers and would-be killers not watch CSI? Or The Wire? All telephones record numbers called, times and dates, and mobile phones record where you are.
“Murder will out” indeed!
July 23rd, 2007 at 9:52 am
I agree with StupidPeopleShouldn’tBreed. Sure, this may be an example of Justice actually being done, but it’s not an example of the Justice system working. Everyone here has opinions on this case, and this is completely due to the media coverage of it. I will stop short of saying trial by media, cos that’s a big claim but in the instance where the media only replayed HALF of the message he sent his wife ONE MONTH after she died, and not the crucial second part, the media I feel neglected it’s role. Now, since the decision on Saturday, the Papers have had more freedom to print what they always wanted to and it’s quite clear that nobody else commited this murder. I’m glad he’s gone to jail. I’m glad a family can now mourn with a little less of a heavy heart and I’m glad that the whole thing is over. But I’m wary of the Justice system now, and especially after what ‘StupidPeopleShouldn’tBreed’ says, I’m glad I live in a bungalow.
July 23rd, 2007 at 9:54 am
What was the second part?
“I’d just like to make very clear that I did not batter your head in with a free weight.”
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:17 am
It’s a terrible crime, but don’t you all feel like asking questions of a culture that promotes women’s servitude and blind loyalty to such abusers?
It’s astonishing that her family are publicly comforting themselves with what a loyal wife the victim was.
July 23rd, 2007 at 1:33 pm
StupidPeople, it’s not quite the same thing. It’s if you said you stayed out with your friends, but actually came home in a taxi, found your husband lying there, and then went back out with all your friends and acted like nothing was wrong. And hung around outside the bar afterwards for ages so that his mother would arrive at your house first and find him. And then denied ever having done any of those things when it could be proved otherwise.
There WAS evidence. Definitely no miscarriage of justice, and its hard to fault a jury that spent a very long time deliberating their decision – it wasn’t trial by Late Late Show.
July 23rd, 2007 at 7:54 pm
The Judge asked the jury to convict only if they would be happy to be convicted on the same evidence.
They did.The swine is in the midlands prison, hopefully shortly to make the aquaintance of Bubba.
July 23rd, 2007 at 8:00 pm
I’d love to know what type of washing machine he had that does a wash cycle in a couple of minutes.
July 23rd, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Do you think he came into the house, took off all his clothes and left them in a bag near the door, went down to the bedroom and waited, naked, for her to arrive and then pounced? Unlikely.. because more chance that he would get scratches. How did he manage not to get blood on his suit? Even if he had a shower, he would have had to change his clothes. He must have changed into a tracksuit beforehand.
July 24th, 2007 at 2:23 am
Littlesapling wrote “The swine is in the midlands prison, hopefully shortly to make the aquaintance of Bubba.”
Ireland now has Bubbas?
I hope that’s not a racist comment about our poor Nigerian incarcerated asylum-seeker rapists.
If it is, dead on.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:51 am
He’ll appeal, he’ll win the appeal, he’ll appear on celebrity Jigs and Reels in a few years time, write a book a lá OJ, and eventually end up presenting the Late Late show.
July 24th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
It sounded to me like he was guilty, and Irish Law does stipulate a person can be convicted on cirmstantial evidence (based on several criteria).
I was also happy about the mandatory life sentence.
What is really depressing is the number of comments posted glorifying and revelling in male rape.
What is wrong with you? How much venom have you got for someone you never met. Sexual assault is repugnant in all circumstances – even when someone is guilty of murder. The fact that we are all convinced its a common feature of our penal system is a dire criticism of our society. I really hope if you ever go to prison on any grounds that it will have already been stamped out.
July 26th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Late Late Show clips if anyone has yet to see them http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0723/oreilly.html
July 27th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
From my blog:
Joe O’Reilly. Like OJ Simpson? Like Hitler? Not getting the full picture. Trail by Media, fair trail, oh the injustice of it all…yadda, yadda, yadda.
But strip away the Myers-isms of the habitually malcontent and what have we?
We have a man who abused the media to present a host of lies regarding the murder of his wife. We have a man, who used the pulpit of the popular media including the Late Late Show to present himself as a victim while his wife’s parents sat beside him.
This is a man who tried to mislead not only the Gardai but the entire nation. As a former journalist, he was setting himself us for a hell of a shafting.
That some people spring to his defense by waving the platitude of ‘trail by media’ without really understanding what that phrase actually means underscores a wider problem within such a stance – that the media, itself manipulated by a patently guilty man should some how cow down as details of this persons personal-life emerge that is wholly at odds with the image of a grieving devoted husband and father in the immediate aftermath of the murder.
The question should be how did the media not cross the line, how did it restrain itself and not brand this man a murderer.
Above all the media has a duty to unearth hypocracy and hold it up to the bright light of public opinion – be that the actions of a dodgey politician whose private life is at odds with his public utterances, or the actions of a now convicted murderer whose attempt to present himself as a victim, as a loyal spouse, as a devoted father and unwavering son in law. It was in fact a lie perpetrated not only on the media but the public at large.
You report the facts. You editorialize the details.That’s what’s known as a free-press. That’s the way it’s always been. To cry wolf on one case is in fact to disagree with every story where hypocracy and skullduggery has been uncovered.
It’s worth remembering that guilt is conferred by the system not the media. The media doesn’t create society – it just reflects it.
And if you suddenly don’t like that reflection then it’s so much easier to blame the media, rather than analyze the actions of the real perp – a wife killer who tried to mislead all of us.
The rationale that the media dehumanized Joe O’Reilly is spurious nonsense and a ‘hail Mary’ option utilized by a section of people who always think ‘there’s more to this then meets the eye’.
But the facts remain as so: Joe O’Reilly, played his hand in the full glare of the media in the days after he ended his wife’s life. He dehumanized himself by his actions, his tangled web of lies and pantomime gestures.
He got what he deserved.
But, they’ll say, having an affair isn’t illegal. However, when you present yourself as a grieving loyal husband who denied he had an affair, then when the media upon finding evidence of that such an affair happened such an affair is fair game to be reported and editorialized. Leaving your dead wife a voice message isn’t illegal, but when you’ve attempted to present yourself as wholly un-involved in the murder and if some of content of the voice mail asserts a sense of guilt – all of this is fair game to a media that was mislead.
‘Trail by Media’ is always a morally bankrupt cop out – especially since in this case it wasn’t used as a first line of defense tactic by those it court – the defense team who know infinitely more than we on the legalities of media coverage .
It’s an empty phrase , itself a media generated buzz word, rolled out if and when habitual malcontents and arm chair sociologists smell something ‘fishy’.
And it’s always the first step to burning books.
July 28th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
“The “system” didn’t find him guilty; a jury did. The system gave him every chance and pointed out to the jury at every turn what was required for a verdict.”
Ben, a jury is just a bunch of people. They don’t have any special qualifications. Most of them, in all likelihood, are not terrifically intelligent. They have no ethical obligation to try to make a decision independent of their prejudices, biases and emotions. Ok, in a sense, we all have that ethical obligation, but since when do people ever act responsibly? Who’s to say there weren’t 6 pissed off housewives who had just read The Female Eunuch on that jury who couldn’t believe a man could be anything other than guilty, ever? Especially a piece of work like Joe O’ Reilly who was riding rings round himself while still married?
In addition, who makes up a jury? I recently read something about how juries could not accurately represent a true cross section of the general public, as the only people that can ever seem to attend jury duty are students, the unemployed, and pensioners. Nobody else can get off work. Apparently steps are going to be taken to address this as it has previously created significant problems for the justice system. With all due respect to the above sections of society, I would like to be tried by people who are required to use their critical faculties on a daily basis in the workplace, preferably at least one doctor, one scientist, and one lawyer, people who are used to weighing up evidence and using logic and a basic understanding of science to come to a conclusion.
The justice system is all we have. It’s all that keeps us from killing, raping, robbing and generally running amok. Hence its powers should not be abused, or then we have a dictatorship, where anyone can be wrongly put away for life based on circumstantial evidence, of which there will always be some. It could happen to any one of us. We’re just lucky that we don’t have capital punishment here like in the States, or even worse consequences of lack of sufficient evidence could occur.
“Irish Law does stipulate a person can be convicted on cirmstantial evidence (based on several criteria).”
Sounds to me like Irish Law might be a wee bit fucked up then. I don’t want to be convicted because I said I didn’t like somebody and dropped a fucking Laser card receipt at the scene where they were later murdered. As citizens, we have a responsibility to campaign for more stringent legal protocols for conviction if we want a justice system we can trust in.
January 7th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Ignore alien orders.
May 15th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
[...] anything, for I am the dread pirate, Major Twenty”, he replied. “I also hate people who murder their wives” “Bad parents are also not good!” said another, to a huge roar of approval, and [...]
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Joe O’Reilly is innocent, the evedence against him was worth nothing. Purely circumstantial and most of it not worthy of been heard in court. He should be home loooking after his boys, they have lost their mum already and shouldn’t have lost their dad too
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Joe O’Reilly is innocent. He should never have been convicted on the evidence that the prosecuction had. It was all circumstantial and they had nothing concrete to nail him with. He should be home with his boys, they have lost their mum and should not have to lose their dad too. Hate to say it but the Irish judicial system sucks and I hope to god that no member of my family has to go through the Irish court system and leave with a verdict like that one! Some say justice has been done, I think otherwise
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Hopefully no member of your family has to be beaten to death with a dumbbell ‘Nemo’.
And if he was really concerned about his kids losing their mum maybe, you know, he shouldn’t have fucking killed her.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Here is one to throw the cat among the pigeons…Rachel Callaly’s (as they want her to be remembered as) family have fought tooth and nail to have her maiden name on her headstone and have had a long battle that seems to be coming to an end. That really makes me wonder why on the front of the book her mother has written about her memories of Rachel has ‘the life and brutal death of Rachel O’Reilly’..why is it not Rachel Callaly?
November 4th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
How is that throwing the cat among the pigeons?
November 5th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
All I was doing ‘twenty major’ was expressing my opinion which is what I thought these forums were about..and on the evidence that was given through out that trial I don’t think the verdict was the right one. As for your comment about the dumbbell, and my family not suffering the same way which I hope they never have to, did that actually come up in court or is that your perception from the papers? From my recollection there was nothing in the trial about a dumbbell therefore you have based your opinion on the fucking rags…where as I have based my opinion on the trial.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Whereas you have based your opinion on sucking Joe O’Reilly’s cock while he was still married to the woman he killed.
Do me a favour.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:12 am
Hey Nemo you are FUCKED UP and the whole country thinks you’re a cunt. Your murdering scumbag of a fella is rotting in jail ha ha
December 14th, 2009 at 1:09 am
To “Stupidpeopleshould’nt breed” you cannot have a lawyer on a jury or anyone who has any legal training as they would be completely prejudiced to matters of law and I dont think thats the idea! Also I have to assume that “Nemo” is either related to that toe rag Joe O’Reilly or is a wannabe!! I think Joe O’Reilly’s sister should have been charged with incitement to hatered sounds like she looks, a complete weapon.