The daughter of a taxi driver who was stabbed and left to die on the side of the road has said he was “brutally, viciously and inhumanely killed for no fault of his own”.
The Central Criminal Court heard impact statements from the mother, wife, daughters and siblings of 53-year-old Martin Mulligan who died from stab wounds at Carnmore, Balriggan, Dundalk, Co Louth on September 28th, 2015.
A jury found Joseph Hillen (24) of Glendasha Road, Forkhill, Co Armagh guilty of his manslaughter by a 10 to two majority in October. He will be sentenced on January 28th.
At a sentence hearing on Monday in front of Justice Eileen Creedon the deceased’s youngest daughter Shauna said she had the “privilege and honour of having my dad in my life for 25 years until he was brutally, viciously and inhumanely killed for no fault of his own.”
She remembered her father as “hardworking, caring, loving, beautiful, patient, intelligent, amusing and affectionate.”
In five separate impact statements Martin Mulligan was described as the family bond and the kind of person who would light up a room with his good humour, warmth and laughter. Shauna said his happiest times were those spent with his family and he was her role model. “He supported me in so many ways and motivated me with his kind encouraging words like “you just do your best” or “I am very proud of you Shauna’”
His death had done ever-lasting damage that can never be described, she said. The circumstances of his death have left her “vulnerable and afraid to face life without him”.
Mr Mulligan’s eldest daughter Sharon remembered his “kindness and selflessness” and recounted how when their next-door neighbour’s father died Martin took care of their youngest boy Cian, picking him up from school, taking him to football on Sundays and having him over to stay at weekends.
“Cian, who has just turned 18, told me that he was looking forward to having his first legal pint with my Dad.”
Every moment in her life will be tinged with sadness, she said.
The dead man’s wife Grainne said they met when they were teenagers and they were about to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary when he died. “We had so many wonderful years together,” she said, “but not enough. Martin was and still is the love of my life.”
Before he left that Sunday evening he told her: “I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
They both had Mondays off, she explained, and would spend them together. “That was the last intimate moment I had with Martin.”
She described him as a “talker” who was admired by “so many people”. He had a “wonderful sense of humour. Being funny was one of his greatest assets.”
His proudest achievement was his two girls. Mrs Mulligan said she would always be haunted by the way her husband died: “On the side of the road, alone without me or his family around him. I always wonder, did he cry out for me?”
She added: “I always thought we would grow old together, looking after each other and enjoying our grandchildren like my parents and Martin’s parents. The way it should be.”
Detective Garda James Doherty told Patrick Treacy SC for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that Hillen had previous convictions for road traffic offences, one for handling stolen property and another for evasion of customs on chargeable goods.
He agreed with defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC that Hillen had no previous convictions relating to violence.
Justice Creedon said she wanted to “consider all matters” and adjourned sentencing until January 28th.