A judge has noted how the “appalling”, disruptive behaviour of a violent criminal who murdered his partner’s father has persisted right up to his sentencing hearing, after the defendant “simply upped and left court” before the mandatory term of life imprisonment was handed down.On Monday Mr Justice Patrick McGrath said the behaviour of defendant Wayne Roche contrasted with the “patience and dignity” shown by the family of the victim John O’Connor (58). “I can only commend the family for the manner they dealt with these
provocations,” he said.Last month, a jury sitting at the Central Criminal Court in Waterford unanimously convicted Roche of murder. The trial had heard how the deceased John O’Connor was discovered in a pool of his own blood, having suffered extensive blunt force injuries all over his body after spending the night drinking with the defendant.Roche (36), previously of Dominic’s Place in Waterford city, had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Mr O’Connor (58) at Cluain Fada, Morrissysland, New Ross, Co
Wexford on December 30, 2024.Roche had been in a relationship with Mr O’Connor’s daughter Chloe O’Connor for some years prior to the murder and the trial heard that the couple had just learned they were expecting a child.Handing down the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murder to Roche on Monday, Mr Justice McGrath said the deceased had over 100 injuries to his body. “Effectively he bled to death and died from a savage beating at the hands of the accused Wayne Roche”.The judge said
Roche had repeatedly lied in the immediate aftermath of these events and tried to lay the blame on a “wholly innocent man and friend” of the deceased, Michael Bancewicz. He said Roche had known the deceased well and was about to become a father to Mr O’Connor’s daughter’s child.Mr Justice McGrath said Roche had given evidence in his own defence, stating that he couldn’t remember what had happened that night due to taking a substantial amount of drugs. The judge said the jury panel had
entirely rejected the defendant’s evidence.The judge added: “The appalling behaviour of the accused during the trial persisted to today’s date, which included repeated interruptions of prosecution witnesses, repeated threats to discharge the services of his lawyers and continued to include several disruptions to the closing speech by the prosecution lawyer”.
Wayne Roche, Patrick McGrath, John O’Connor, Central Criminal Court Waterford, murder conviction, life imprisonment, Chloe O’Connor, Dominic’s Place Waterford, Michael Bancewicz, Cluain Fada Morrissysland New Ross