Queen v Sean Hackett
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland |
| Judge | Coghlin LJJ,Morgan LCJ,Girvan |
| Judgment Date | 14 September 2015 |
| Neutral Citation | 2015 NICA 57,[2015] NICA 57 |
| Date | 14 September 2015 |
| Docket Number | MOR9743 |
| Year | 2015 |
| Court | Court of Appeal (Northern Ireland) |
1
Neutral Citation No. [2015] NICA 57
Ref:
MOR9743
Judgment: approved by the Court for handing down
Delivered:
14/09/2015
(subject to editorial corrections)*
IN HER MAJESTY'S COURT OF APPEAL IN NORTHERN IRELAND
___________
THE QUEEN
-v-
SEAN HACKETT
_________
Before: Morgan LCJ, Girvan LJ and Coghlin LJ
_________
MORGAN LCJ (giving the judgment of the court)
[1] This is an appeal by Sean Hackett against concurrent life sentences with a minimum
tariff of 10 years imposed on 29 April 2014 by Stephens J at Dungannon Crown Court. The
appellant was tried for the murder of Aloysius Hackett on 4 January 2013 but on 6 March
2014 was convicted by unanimous jury verdict of manslaughter on the ground of
diminished responsibility. He was also found guilty of two counts of possession of a firearm
and ammunition with intent. Mr Gallagher QC and Mr Fahy appeared for the appellant and
Mr Murphy QC and Mr Reid for the prosecution. We are grateful to all counsel for their
helpful oral and written submissions.
Background
[2] The appellant is now a 21 year old man and was 18 years old at the time of the
offences. In the summer of 2012 he developed emotional difficulties as a result of his
exclusion from the Tyrone minor football team and the break-up of his relationship with his
girlfriend. In or about September 2012 he started having thoughts that he should kill one of
his parents. He explained that the thoughts just arrived in his mind one day all of a sudden
and out of the blue. As a result on Sunday 28 October 2012 he attempted to strangle his
mother. He got a cable off the TV in his brother’s room and took it out to the garage. He left
the cable there and then persuaded his mother to go to the garage. At this stage he put the
cable around her neck, she screamed and he then desisted. He told his mother that he was
not happy with his life and that he wanted her up in heaven. She kept asking why and he
said “If you were up there things would be better for me down here”.
[3] After this incident his parents insisted that he seek medical advice and, accompanied
by his mother, he saw his General Practitioner on 29 October 2012. After that GP’s
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