Viva L'Espana :p

TommyT

He wont be singing in Bettys tonight.

Dundalk man Michael Dermot McArdle has been found guilty of the manslaughter of his wife Kelly-Anne Corcoran while on holiday in Marbella in 2000.

The nine jurors at Malaga’s Criminal Court returned their verdict this morning after more than eight hours of deliberations.

McArdle (39), who had insisted throughout the trial that his wife tripped and plunged to her death as she rushed to stop one of their two young children from falling over the rail, now faces a prison sentence of between one to four years.

State prosecutor Carlos Yañez opted on Friday to amend his initial request for a murder verdict to the lesser manslaughter charge, saying he believed that the accused pushed Ms Corcoran during a heated argument on the balcony of their Costa del Sol hotel room on February 11th, 2000 and then tried to save her from falling to her death.

However, a parallel prosecution brought by the Corcoran family, many of whom were present once again in court today, had sought a murder conviction and a 15-year sentence for McArdle.

In court it emerged that Mr McArdle had twice rejected an offer from the State prosecutor to admit guilt in return for a downgrading of the murder charge. The second rejection came just hours before the trial began last week.

Mr Magnolia

Source?

Edit/ found it: http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1007/corcorank.html

bettedavis

look forward to tomorrows papers when all the truth really comes out, the things about him we weren't allowed know before the trial. all the betty types will have their eyes opened then. 4 years (prob less) is hardly justice though is it. he'd have got more for criminal damage if he'd just vandalised the hotel ! betty is probably preparing her 'free the malaga one' campaign posters as we speak!

Ann22

Who is Betty? Not your one from the phoenix?

TommyT

Ann22 wrote: »

Who is Betty? Not your one from the phoenix?

The very one. Sweaty Betty.
I was in the phoenix the night McArdle was singing Viva L`Espana and wearing his sombrero. He wont be singing tonight. This will be of little comfort to his late wifes family, but at least they got a some sort of a conviction. If this trial had taken place in Ireland, I feel he would have got what he deserved. A life sentence.
Hopefully now the insurance companies will coming looking for their pound of flesh.

Ann22

F*ck! What an a**hole. When was he singing that? Was that since she died? How could you even think about a country such a terrible thing happened never mind sing about it.

Wertz

As far as I'm aware, McArdle isn't being sentenced for a few weeks yet and hasn't been remanded, so if the man really wants to, he is free to return to Ireland and sing to his heart's content...

BTW what makes anyone think that had this happened in the Irish jurisdiction, that the prosecution, sentence or any other aspect of the case would have been different? In my estimation the guy would probably have got about the same, and would probably have been out of jail faster than he'll be out of a Spanish one...our justice system and sentencing in particular isn't exactly anything to write home about...

TommyT

He will be sentenced on Friday. The courts over there seem very relaxed. He should have been remanded in custody until sentence is passed.
It doesnt really matter what sentence he gets, he is the only one who knows what happened on that night and he has to live with his conscience. Anyone can act the wag in public, but in private I would say it is a different story. When he comes home he does so as a man convicted of killing his wife. In my book that puts him on a par with paedophiles and rapists. I wonder will Betty kepp a seat for him now

TheBigFella

TommyT wrote: »

he has to live with his conscience.

Yeah, like he has one!!

He had plenty of oppertunities to put the record straight instead of his mulitiple accounts of what happened, suicide, slip, fall, accident ....
Manslaughter because he changed his mind for a minute and held on to her briefly, a joke !!!

Ann22

I don't believe he has a conscience either. The stories that came out about his attitude after the event would clearly indicate he hasn't. He sounds like a sociopath ....like someone who cannot empathise with anyone else.

bettedavis

theres a chance that he'll be hme here by the weekend and now they say he's free until any appeal he chooses to lodge comes before the court. the arrogance that he was reknowned for around town before the trial will increase ten fold if his sentence is indeed suspended, so i believe it's only a matter of time before he says the wrong thing to the wrong person and gets his comeuppance. i truely believe in karma and in what goes around comes around. look at O.J. this week. it may take time, but fate has a funny way of working itself out in the end.

greatgoal

he will get whats coming to him,in time,and most of this time will be spent looking over his shoulder because theres always one headcase ready to take revenge,in fact when hes freed,id say theyll be queing up to take a pop at his fat,smirking,evil head.

Mr Magnolia

Please try and steer away from speculation pertaining to affairs not proven as it could put boards.ie in a troublesome spot. Thanks folks.

Posts deleted.

TommyT

Sunday October 12 2008

MICHAEL Dermot McArdle bought up all "the red roses he could find" in Dundalk to scatter in front of his wife's coffin as it was carried across the apron of Dublin Airport from the private jet lent by his sympathetic employer, beef baron Larry Goodman.

McArdle played the part of the bereft young father and husband whose wife, he said at first, committed suicide. But, two weeks later he was spotted at a disco in the town as he appeared to have quickly shaken off his grief and returned to his bachelor ways.

Last week, McArdle scuttled back to Ireland on board a late night flight to England with a transfer to Belfast Airport after being found guilty of his wife's manslaughter. The case now finished, sentencing is expected in the next two weeks and McArdle may have to return to Spain to carry out a jail sentence up to a likely maximum of four years.

Attention in Dundalk turned last week to the fate of the couple's two boys who have been in McArdle's care since, the Spanish court found last week, he threw his wife Kelly-Ann off a fourth floor balcony in Marbella's Melia Don Pepe Hotel in February 2000. Although her family, the Corcorans were making no comment, it is understood they will not be seeking custody of the two boys but regular access that had, effectively, been denied to them in recent years.

The issue of the boys and their father's "care" of them came to the fore during last week's proceedings when the Spanish judge Fernando Gonzalez expressed concern that McArdle had brought his clearly confused and distressed younger son, Paul, 10, into the courtroom for the hearing. Mark, 11, collapsed while giving evidence on Tuesday and was very clearly distressed for some time after. The psychological effect on the children caused clear disquiet among the Spanish officials and police, according to those present. Judge Gonzalez, when he spotted the younger boy in the court, asked was it necessary for him to be present and suggested he be freed from the proceedings.

McArdle called his son Mark as a defence witness even though, the court heard, that as an infant he had told relatives that his father had "pushed" his mother. The court heard from Kelly-Ann's brother-in-law, Peter Moran, that he had first become suspicious about what happened when then three-year-old Mark told him on his return to Dundalk: "Daddy bold, Daddy pushed Mammy". Mr Moran said he was confused and did not report it because McArdle had told him it was suicide.

"I couldn't believe what I was hearing because Dermot had told me at the hospital that Kelly-Ann had not meant to do it and that she threw herself off the balcony," he said.

The court further heard that around three months after Mark had spoken to Mr Moran, Kelly-Ann's sister Caroline was out shopping with a friend, Niamh Hegarty, when they picked up Mark in the car.

Mark said in conversation: "Daddy is a bold boy, Daddy hit Mammy and pushed Mammy down." Ms Hegarty said: "Caroline asked me if I'd heard what Mark said and I told her I hadn't. Caroline said 'It's OK Mark, Niamh won't tell anyone and then he said, 'Daddy hit Mummy and pushed Mummy down.'"

Ken McKevitt, another witness for the prosecution and close personal friend of Kelly-Ann told the court that on her wedding day she had asked him to support her "if things got bad".

Mr McKevitt said he told her he would always be there for her -- a promise he kept even after her death. Mr McKevitt flew to Spain to be at Kelly-Ann's hospital bedside as soon as he heard the news of her fall. Mr McKevitt's testimony challenged the attempt to portray Kelly-Ann as a bad mother. He described her as a "brilliant mother", saying McArdle "disrespected" her after her funeral.

Although not referred to in the trial, local people said that there had been an ugly scene at anniversary prayers at Kelly-Ann's grave in 2004 when McArdle assaulted Peter Moran in front of a couple of dozen witnesses. Charges were not pressed, it is understood, because the whole extradition issue was still in abeyance.

McArdle was convicted of assaulting a taxi-driver, who had picked him up at a north Dublin nightclub in September 1998. The taxi driver told the Irish Independent last week that McArdle punched him twice in the face after paying his fare. He was convicted for the assault at Dublin District Court a year later and fined IR£250. McArdle claimed it was an accident.

Asked about it during the Spainish trial, both McArdle's father denied knowledge of the prosecution. A friend of McArdle's, Marco Fornaciai, said he had heard of it.

It also emerged last week that McArdle's violent nature had come close to landing him with another serious charge after a man he attacked and punched viciously in a Dundalk pub later died from an aneurism.

A year after lifting his wife over the balcony and letting her fall to her death, McArdle attacked Philip McGowan at a pub in Dundalk after first taunting and blowing kisses at him. Mr McGowan, who left a widow Deirdre and three children, was related by marriage to McArdle's family. Mr McGowan died three months later from the burst blood vessel in his head. Doctors were unable to prove that it was linked to McArdle repeatedly punching him in the face and head.

In his testimony last week, Ken McKevitt went on to described McArdle's horrible thuggish behaviour in Dundalk. He said McArdle even punched his own father in a row over the seating plan at his wedding to Kelly-Ann.

"After Kelly-Ann's death he treated the funeral like a wedding. He enjoyed the attention from everybody," Mr McKevitt told the court. "He would go out nearly every night with different girlfriends. He thought this was great fun."

He described Kelly-Ann as a "lovely, bubbly girl, always". He added: "She was happy, she would make you laugh even when you didn't want to laugh. She was just always upbeat. I had never seen her really depressed. She lived for her children. She was a brilliant mother."

McArdle's claim that he and his wife were rushing to the balcony to stop their son Mark from falling from the balustrade -- the story he made up after the suicide claim -- was debunked by the elderly British tourist, Roy Haines, who had been in the room next to theirs in the hotel.

Mr Haines, from Bristol, said he heard loud noises from the room next door and looked out to see McArdle lifting Kelly-Ann. He said: "It was such a horrifying incident and I've tried my best to put it out of my mind. What I heard was a lot of arguing from the next-door bedroom or balcony." Rather than become involved the pensioner went back into his room and did not see what happened next. Shortly afterwards, Mr Haines said: "Mr McArdle came to my room asking for help afterwards and had a child with him. He was very upset emotionally. The little boy didn't talk about what had happened. He just said, 'My mummy is dead'."

Mr Haines told state prosecutor Carlos Yanez there had been no child on the balcony. However, it was the words uttered by the couple's young son that rocked the court.

Kelly-Ann's family, the Corcorans said after the trial: "There are no winners in this terrible situation." Peter Moran thanked the Irish and Spanish police who had determinedly pursued the case despite McArdle's efforts to thwart his extradition back to Spain, which he challenged up to the Supreme Court.

The court in Malaga found McArdle guilty of pushing his wife from the balcony, having decided it was McArdle's use of force during a row that sent her plummeting to her death from their fourth floor hotel room in Marbella.

The jury at Malaga Provincial Court reached its verdict of manslaughter by a majority of seven to two.

In the court McArdle stared straight ahead then lowered his head as the interpreter explained the verdict.

His parents, Dermot and Brid, and sister Therese, sat in silence at the back of the court then walked out minutes later without speaking to anybody. McArdle's new partner, Claire Dollard, was not present at the court. Kelly-Ann's father, Ted Corcoran, sat with his arms folded and stared straight ahead while beside him, her mother Bridie held her face in her hands as the chairman of jurors concluded "her death did not happen in the manner put forward by the defence".

In convicting him of manslaughter, the jury has agreed with the Spanish State's case against McArdle -- that he did not intend to kill his wife but did so through "grave carelessness".

The jury did not accept witness claims that Mr McArdle was possessive and domineering as a husband because those allegations were made by relatives of Kelly-Ann.

They found that rather than deliberately throwing his wife off the balcony, they had had a heated argument. That argument continued onto the balcony where he used some force against her that caused her to fall over the edge. She was left holding the handrail and McArdle did try to save his wife but she fell and he was left holding her coat.

She died from her injuries in hospital the following day.

McArdle walked from the court showing no expression until a Spanish photographer waiting in the street outside, trying to take a picture off him, dropped one of his camera lenses. McArdle broke into a sneer and rhymed, like a spoilt bully of a child: "Nah, nah, nah, nah-nah."

Ann22

I knew Kelly Ann, not very well though, she was at St Vincent's when I was in it. She wasn't in my class but she was friendly with girls that were. Hard to believe she's gone. Very pretty girl, confident and popular. Amazing the control that a**hole had over her. Lord have mercy on her.

europerson

Not only is this thread highly esoteric, but surely it's potentially troublesome from Boards' perspective.

TheSpoon

europerson wrote: »

highly esoteric,

Excuse my ignorance but could you please explain? do you mean anything untrue was said?
we shouldn't even be lowering ourselves to be talking about the murdering scumbag!!

bettedavis

europerson wrote: »

Not only is this thread highly esoteric, but surely it's potentially troublesome from Boards' perspective.

Betty, is it yourself?! Where would you like me to put my coat? cause i have a suggestion !

Are you for real? Facts are what they are, he is a convicted killer. He threw his wife off a balcony and then had the nerve to try and get his son to back up his story. As a result he should be done for child abuse too in my opinion. you're probably one of those types who when an old woman is beaten to a pulp by scumbag you defend him by saying, 'oh he had a hard life, his da left his ma and his ma was an alco'. things are what they are, when you commit a crime you deserve no right to complain when reporters show up at your door. i wonder if i had rang the guards at the same time to say my house had been burgled would they have rushed to my door. The man has some neck. only a matter of time before he crosses the wrong person. Until them we'll have to suffer looking at him taking the p**s of justice with arrogance of a man who has no conscience.

europerson

TheSpoon wrote: »

we shouldn't even be lowering ourselves to be talking about the murdering scumbag!!

Well, if you say so.

bettedavis wrote: »

Betty, is it yourself?!

Clearly not, should you wish to refer to my posting history.

Are you for real?

you're probably one of those types who when an old woman is beaten to a pulp by scumbag you defend him by saying, 'oh he had a hard life, his da left his ma and his ma was an alco'.

No, I'm not. I'm actually in favour of tougher sentences for most crimes. One thing I shall say is that I would feel bad for any defendant to be tried with you on a jury, for you have the most astonishing manner of arriving at incorrect partial conclusions from statements, an example of which is the above response to my post, which I'll quote here for your reference:

europerson wrote: »

Not only is this thread highly esoteric, but surely it's potentially troublesome from Boards' perspective.

As far as I'm concerned, not an iota of that post points to my having a disrespect for the law, for social norms, or for good manners.

bettedavis

europerson wrote: »

Not only is this thread highly esoteric, but surely it's potentially troublesome from Boards' perspective.

esoteric is knowledge which is privy only to a small number of people. Is it now now a proven fact that he is a killer? That he was an abusive husband, both verbally and physically? That he has a volatile nature? Far from being esoteric i suggest previous comments of this thread to be exoteric, in that the world and his dog knows it. to encounter the man would prove that fact. he has a fatalistic aura about him, death and tragedy seems to follow him.

When i refered to you as 'Betty' i was speaking methaphorically, i could have as easily called you Lord Longford! It seems to me that entering a forum such as this and the only comment you profer is to criticise the critics of mc ardle rather than to voice an opinion on the topic. Particularly since you are not a moderator. As regard having me on a jury? The fact is he did it! Do you suggest he didn't ?

europerson

Don't let me stand in the way of such beauteous logic.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Are these lynch-mob comments really adding anything to a situation which has deeply affected 2 families? What purpose do they serve? These's nothing to discuss and only trouble for the Boards if they keep on like this. Already comments have been deleted because they were pure lible. Let's just let it rest!

santosubito

He just got a suspended sentence.

TommyT

Not much justice in Spain. Throw your wife of a balcony and you dont do a day in Jail. What sort of a message does that send out? Is it ok to kill your wife in Spain? Or does that law just apply to little fat Irish men.

Ann22

Total injustice, my heart breaks for her family. To those who defend him just put yourselves in their shoes. How would you feel if it was your daughter, sister or mother that came to such an end....then having to look at her killer free as a bird to rear her sons.

greatgoal

he would have been safer in jail,now hes in real trouble.

Mr Magnolia

...and we're done.


Closed.