‘We felt we were the criminals, say couple after jury accepts former All Star was acting in self-defence at his vacant property in Sixmilebridge

Some of the injuries suffered by the 12-year-old boy

Some of the injuries suffered by the 12-year-old boy

On the edge of the vill­age of Sixmilebridge in Co Clare, a couple sit in their kitchen, scrolling through pictures on their phone of their then 12-year-old son. The family dog is at their feet, their younger children playing happily as they look out on rolling green fields.

But as with many things in this story, all is not as it seems.