‘Colm got the justice he deserved’

VERDICT Family and friends have given reaction to the fact that Stephen Silver has been found guilty of the capital murder of Garda and former Charlestown footballer Colm Horkan.

Relief in Charlestown asStephen Silver is found guilty of Garda Colm Horkan’s murder

Michael Gallagher

It was mid-afternoon last Wednesday when news spread around the Central Criminal Court in Dublin that the jury were ready to return with a verdict in the capital murder case of Stephen Silver. He had been on trial for the murder of Garda Colm Horkan and after deliberating for eight hours and 39 minutes the verdict was about to be revealed.
In a corridor close by, Brendan Horkan was sitting chatting with friends when a text message told him to gather the family and head for the courtroom.
“I was sitting downstairs talking to some of the guards involved in another case. A few lads had gone down the street to watch some of the races from Cheltenham when the call came that there was a verdict. We all went back and set there for about 15 minutes. It was very tense. The judge came and then they brought in the jury. We didn’t know what we were going to hear, especially after the first trial collapsed. No matter how many times I played it out in my head it still came down to that moment and those words,” the brother of the dead garda told The Mayo News.
“It was very tense,” Brendan’s cousin, Liam Brehony added.
“I’m used to being in court as part of my job, but it’s different when it’s personal,” family friend and garda inspector, David Tiernan explained. “To be honest, we never expected to be there listening about Colm being killed. It’s hard to get your head around it,” he added.

Guilty verdict
The jury found Silver guilty of murder and a wave of emotion washed across the courtroom. There was very little noise, just a communal exhalation of breath and tears fell silently to the floor.
“There was no sense of elation when the result came. We just felt relief that it was over. It was very emotional. I’ve never seen so many grown men cry. It was highly charged and very dignified.
“It was vindication too. Twelve ordinary citizens sat there for seven weeks and felt exactly as we did. Colm didn’t go out that night to start a row and anyone who knew him would agree,” Liam explained before Colm’s brother described his initial thoughts.
“It doesn’t change the fact that we’ve lost him but it’s a great relief that it’s behind us and not hanging over our head anymore, especially after going through two trials. It’s not that we can just close the book now and get on with out lives - that won’t ever happen, but Colm got the justice he believed in and he deserved.
We wanted the process to come to an end. Of course we wanted the verdict which was delivered because Colm deserved that, but we would have accepted whatever the jury decided. That’s the way it is and we just have to move on now.”

MORE
See more reaction to this story on pages 20 and 21 of this week’s Mayo News printed edition.