Raymond Donovan (44) tried to get out of prison on a technicality, taking an unsuccessful case before the High Court in Dublin today to be released
Family of Ann Walsh at court today- (L-R) Sister Mary, brother Stephen and his partner Emma(Image: )
Brazen killer Raymond Donovan has had his desperate bid at release thrown out – as his victim’s brother says “he put us through hell.”
Chancer Donovan (44) tried to get out of prison on a technicality, taking an unsuccessful case before the High Court in Dublin today to be released under a Habeas Corpus motion.
But the presiding Judge threw out the nonsensical case – and vented his frustration in court that Ann Walsh’s family, who were present in court, even had to be put through the whole ordeal in the first place.
Donovan has been in prison for the past 20 years for the brutal murder of Ms Walsh beside St Senan’s Church in Kilrush, Co Clare in 2005.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror today, her brother Stephen spoke of the pain of having to once again face Donovan in court this week – after the killer was taken out of prison and allowed to have his case heard about being “falsely imprisoned.”
Donovan made the ridiculous argument on the basis that the prison system logged him as having a 20-year sentence – despite the fact that he had actually been sentenced to life.
Raymond Donovan(Image: Collins Court)
“We are relieved of course. The judge said it was a disgrace and should never have even been brought before the courts. He was only chancing his arm,” Stephen told the Irish Mirror in an exclusive interview.
“The judge said it was a disgrace that he was dragged up to Dublin and that our family was put through it again.
“He was given a life sentence but their system only put in 20 years. We were given very little notice about this case and we had to go to Dublin to even find out what it was about,” Stephen revealed.
“We were told nothing. He has more rights than we have and he gets away with everything.”
But Stephen, who travelled to court with his sister Mary and partner Emma, said they were delighted that the Judge saw through Donovan’s senseless arguments – and told how the depraved killer has been torturing the family with these cases since the beginning.
“He has us tortured since day one. He did it again in 2009 saying he got too much time.
“Then he appealed again after he had robbed Ann of all her belongings after he murdered her. But the Judge today saw straight through him thankfully. He could see from day one that this murderer was just wasting time and putting our family through hell.”
Speaking of his anger towards Donovan, who is currently seeking parole, Stephen added: “He’s still alive and still breathing. My sister isn’t here anymore. And now he’s applied for parole six months ago and we have to wait for a decision on that too.
“He’s just using the system and wasting everyone’s time. That’s all today was – a day out for him. He has nothing to lose. But we’ve sacrificed everything and are going through hell, losing days of work and the cost of driving up here to court to face him again.”
Ann Walsh with her younger brother Stephen in younger days(Image: )
Heartbroken Stephen said the family lost Ann’s mother last year – a death he blames squarely on her killer.
“We lost our mother last year and he’s to blame. All this kind of stress and she ended up getting cancer.
“What he has put us through, he has put us through hell. We are the only ones serving a life sentence and he’s still breathing in there at the taxpayer’s expense.”
Speaking of his anger towards Donovan’s continued bids at release he added: “Life should mean that you’re in there until the day you die. I wouldn’t call him a man – he’s scum.
“It was good at least to see him being led away in handcuffs again today. Please God, he serves a lot more time.
“At the end of the day we are her voice. We want Ann to be remembered for the lovely, bubbly 23-year-old she was. She was robbed of everything by that evil yoke.
“It wasn’t an accident. He went out to kill her and now all we have left is a headstone to visit,” he said.
Donovan, who infamously gave the middle finger outside the courthouse to photographers at his sentencing, is being housed in Dublin’s Wheatfield Prison.
At the 2006 trial, the court heard that on the night of the murder, Donovan rang his brother telling him that he had “done something terrible”.
In statements to gardaÃ, the killer claimed he loved Ann and did not mean to kill her.
He admitted holding her throat for one-and-half to two minutes. “When she went quiet, I thought that she was messing. I didn’t mean to choke her,” he told gardaÃ.
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