Galway Advertiser - 06/03/2008 digital edition

A Galway city man was
jailed for life on Monday
at the Central Criminal
Court after pleading
guilty to murdering his
girlfriend in the city two
years ago.
Patrick Hogan, Fr
Griffin Avenue, Galway,
admitted murdering
Karen Guinee (23), a
newly-qualified doctor, at
that address between
June 11 and June 12 2006.
Supt Tom Hurley told
Brendan Grehan SC,
prosecuting, that Hogan
rang his parents at about
6.30am on June 12. He told
them something terrible
had happened and the
downstairs door was
locked. He asked his
father to call garda237 to
break down the door.
Hogan8217s father and
mother went to the flat
the couple shared, which
was over the Hogan
family pharmacy. Mrs
Hogan had a spare key to
the flat and let them in.
They went straight
upstairs to the bedroom
where they found Hogan
and Dr Guinee lying on
the bed apparently
unconscious. Their arms
were linked. Dr Guinee
was cold to the touch, but
Hogan was still breathing.
Supt Hurley said a post-
mortem conducted by
State Pathologist Marie
Cassidy confirmed that Dr
Guinee had died from
compression of the neck,
consistent with manual
strangulation.
She had also received
blows to the side of her
head using a blunt object
identified as a hammer
found at the scene.
Bruising to her mouth
would have been
consistent with a blow to
the mouth, or with
someone forcibly covering
the mouth with a hand.
Supt Hurley said that
Hogan was brought to
Galway University
College Hospital where he
received stitches for self-
inflicted slashes to his
arms.
He told nurses at the
hospital that he had 8220just
killed my girlfriend8221.
Referring to suicide, he
said: 8220It didn8217t work for
me.8221 When one of the
hospital staff told him
they would sort things
out, he replied: 8220I don8217t
think this can be sorted
out. I have killed my
girlfriend. I think you
know her. Her name was
Karen.8221 Asked if his
girlfriend was a doctor, he
replied: 8220Not any more.8221
When he was charged
with Dr Guinee8217s murder,
he told garda237: 8220I can8217t
bring her back. I would if I
could.8221
He did not tell garda237
what had happened to
lead to the murder, saying
that he could not
remember, but the Garda
investigation confirmed
the couple had spent the
day before together. Supt
Hurley agreed with
Martin Giblin SC,
defending, that Hogan
had been going out with
Dr Guinee for about two
years.
Michael Guinee,
Karen8217s uncle and
godfather, speaking in a
victim impact statement,
said his niece 8220was a
victim of her own caring
and loving nature8221. She
had decided to become a
doctor at a young age and
was one week away from
her formal graduation.
She would have started
an internship at
University College
Hospital on July 1 and
was only a week away
from her 24th birthday
when she died. 8220She
would have made an
excellent doctor.8221
He said that for the six
years she had been away
from her native Cork
while studying in Galway
she had phoned home
every single day. Her two
younger sisters had lost
8220an idol and a role model8221.
Mr Guinee said Karen8217s
parents were so proud of
having a doctor in the
family and had been
looking forward to
attending her conferral on
June 20, a week after her
death. Instead they spent
the day by her graveside.
He said Karen8217s youngest
sister still wrote notes to
her sister to leave by her
grave and her father often
spent whole Sundays
there.
Laura Guinee told the
court she had been
speaking to her sister the
night before her death.
She had never imagined it
would be the last time she
spoke to her. She said she
was 8220my big sister, my
inspiration, my best
friend8221.
Mr Giblin said Hogan
took full responsibility for
Dr Guinee's death. 8220He
would never ask for her
family to forgive him
because he cannot forgive
himself.8221
Mr Justice Paul Carney
handed down the
mandatory life sentence.
Outside the Four
Courts after the sentence,
Laura Guinee said: 8220We
got justice which we
wanted. Nothing will
bring Karen back. It has
been very tough for all of
us. She would have made
an amazing doctor. It8217s a
great loss for the world.822110
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12.30 p.m. Josie Conneely8217s, The
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andmuchmore.City man gets life sentence
for killing his girlfriendPatrick Hogan, (27yrs) of Fr Griffin Avenue, Galway,
arriving at court on Monday where he was jailed for
life for the murder of his girlfriend, Karen Guinee.
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