Verdict is greeted with silence after a week of frantic courtroom activity
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HANDS clasped tightly together, Charlotte and Michael Nolan looked worriedly ahead as the jury foreman's issue paper was handed to the registrar.
The parents of slain teenager Sean Nolan were flanked by a supportive row of family members, all of whom linked hands as they awaited the jury's verdict on the fate of their son's killer Finn Colclough.
The sudden silence was at odds with the frantic flurry of activity that had enveloped the room at the sound of the quiet knock on the heavy oak door. The word quickly spread that the jury of eight men and four women had reached a unanimous verdict.
The verdict, when it was finally delivered just after 2.30pm yesterday, was greeted with silence from the packed courtroom. Killer Finn Colclough, convicted of the manslaughter of Sean Nolan, did not react.
tears
Nearby, the strain of the previous six days was all too evident on the faces of the victim's parents. However, there were no tears, no sighs, no cries.
In the public gallery, friends of the victim stood up as they gazed down at the events unfolding in the chamber.
After refusing the defence counsel's bail application, Judge Paul Carney then excused the jury members from further service for the rest of their lives.
The convicted teenager was then surrounded in a tight huddle by his legal team for several minutes while the courtroom slowly emptied. Eventually, all that remained was a tight knot of youngsters, all friends of Colclough.
Some looked close to tears, others merely gazed on mutely as a pair of handcuffs were snapped onto Colclough's wrists. There were no hugs or formal goodbyes, merely a nod of his head as he was led off to the waiting prison van.
It will be seven weeks before he learns of his sentence. Having watched their son walking away in handcuffs, Colclough's sombre-faced parents moved quietly out of a side door.
By now, the family of Sean Nolan had moved outside, keen for a few moments of privacy. Heads bowed, Charlotte and Michael slipped into a waiting car, shielded by a defensive wall of relatives.
The actions of all spoke volumes. This was truly a case in which there were no winners.
- Aoife Finneran
