Man and woman jailed for murdering ''defenceless'' disabled man

Stephen Thomas Hughes and Shaunean Boyle have been handed minimum sentences totalling 29-years for murdering Owen Creaney in Craigavon

A man and woman who subjected a defenceless disabled man to a "savage and merciless attack" before dumping his remains into a wheelie bin were handed minimum sentences totalling 29-years.

Stephen Thomas Hughes (30) and 25-year old Shaunean Boyle were found guilty by a jury of murdering Owen Creaney following a five-week trial earlier this year, and were handed life sentences by Mr Justice Treacy.

Whilst Hughes was informed today that he will serve a minimum of 15 years before being considered eligible for release, co-accused Boyle was handed a minimum 14-year term. Hughes showed no emotion as sentence was passed, while Boyle wept.

Mr Justice Treacy told the pair that the sentences would not be subject to remission, and that they will both serve the full minimum terms before they can apply to the Paroles Commission for release.

Branding the attack on Mr Creaney as "savage and merciless", Mr Justice Treacy spoke of the devastating impact the murder has had on the victim's family.

The pair were branded "cowardly bullies" by Mr Creaney's mother Teresa, who said her heart had been ripped apart by not just the loss of "our wee Owen" but also the circumstances in which her son died.

Mr Creaney was brutally beaten in the hallway of Hughes's Moyraverty Court home in Craigavon in the early hours of Thursday July 3rd, 2014.

Following the savage beating, Hughes and Boyle carried their blood and urine-soaked victim up the stairs where he was showered and changed into fresh clothes before being placed on a sofa in an upstairs bedroom.

Mr Creaney - known to his friends as Fonzie - never regained consciousness but lived for around two days before passing away from his injuries. His body was then dumped into a green wheelie bin, with waste items placed on top of his remains.

During today's sentencing, Mr Justice Treacy said that due to the nature of his injuries and without medical attention, Mr Creaney "must have been in very considerable pain and suffering" prior to passing away. He also spoke of the degradation he endured after being attacked whilst defenceless.

In a victim impact statement made by Teresa Creaney that was read in court, the grieving mother said she will never get over her son's murder. She also revealed that Owen's twin sister Shirley died a year after her brother's murder of a "broken heart."

Mrs Creaney said that on July 4, 2014 the lives of Owen's family "changed forever, and she also described as "horrendous" the five-week trial she and her family attending, where she heard about "the exact suffering" inflicted on her son.

She said her and other family members heard "what they did to Owen, how they did it, and how he lay for two days without any form of medical attention before being callously thrown in to a wheelie bin, like a piece of rubbish.

"That was our son, who we loved. Our lives will never be the same again."

Hughes, whose address was given as HMP Maghaberry, and co-accused Boyle, from Edenderry Park in Banbridge, both admitted being present when Mr Creaney was viciously attacked. However, both initially blamed each other for the violence in a classic 'cut throat' defence.

Mr Creaney's injuries included a total of 15 fractured ribs and a broken breastbone, as well as bleeding of and tearing to the brain.

The pair were due to be sentenced last week - but in a shock move Hughes's barrister said that despite denying he attacked Mr Creaney since the murder in July 2014, he was now admitting his guilt. Barrister Peter Irvine said the last-minute confession should indicate remorse for what Hughes described as a "moment of madness" which resulted in his friend losing his life.

During the five-week trial, which was attended every day by Mr Creaney's family, both Hughes and Boyle took to the witness stand from there they blamed each other for the attack. Boyle also claimed that whilst Hughes was beating Mr Creaney, she took both a dumbell and a knife off her co-accused.

The jury also heard from several witnesses who visited Hughes's home whilst Mr Creaney lay dying in the upstairs bedroom. When one neighbour questioned the pair about the man lying in the bedroom, they were told he was a "wee alco" who was sleeping off a hangover.

One friend who saw Mr Creaney told Boyle that he needed medical attention. She later informed a relative about what she had seen, who in turn contacted the PSNI.

When police arrived at Hughes's home, they noticed all the windows in the property were open. The walls under the stairs had been painted to cover Mr Creaney's splattered blood, whilst other areas of the house had been bleached and cleaned.

When the pair were arrested, it was Boyle who told police to "look in the bin", which is where Mr Creaney's remains were found.

At today's sentencing, the court heard how the Creaney family is trying to come to terms with the untimely death of a much loved son, brother and uncle.

Teresa Creaney said her son celebrated his 40th birthday just six days before he was killed. Describing her son as a "victim with no voice", in her statement she said "wee Owen ... didn't have a bad bone in his body."

She she still doesn't know why her son was killed, Mrs Creaney said Hughes and Boyle had no right to act as "judge, jury and executioner". She said her son was "kind, thoughtful and wouldn't hurt anyone ... unlike his killers. Even when he was being attacked, he didn't fight back."

Describing her seven-stone, disabled son as "easy prey" for Hughes and Boyle, Mrs Creaney said the lies told by the pair have added to the family's heartache and pain.

She said: "I hope that every day, they live with the consequences of their actions."

The Lurgan woman also revealed in her victim impact statement that after coming home every night from the trial, her heart was ripped in two after hearing details about how her son died.

She said: "After the verdict, I went to his grave and said 'son, you have some justice now.' He will never be forgotten and may he now rest in peace."