The seven men and five women who have unanimously convicted Graham Dwyer of the murder of Elaine O'Hara will be offered counselling.
During the seven-week murder trial the jurors listened to graphic evidence relating to bloodletting, murder and extreme sexual violence. They also viewed videos of Dwyer stabbing Ms O'Hara and having sex with other women while holding knives up to them. The images were regarded as too graphic to show in open court, even on those occasions when the public were cleared from the Central Criminal Court trial room.
The Courts Service has said it would be wrong to comment on any one particular trial or set of jurors. However, in response to queries from The Irish Times about what counselling and other forms of support can be made available to jurors, it said it was very mindful those men and woman played a vital role.
“Such service can exact a major toll on jurors in terms of the time dedicated to the task, attention to detail and legal argument, and also in terms of the seriousness of crimes and the nature of evidence presented,” it said in a statement.
“There is no doubt jurors play a vital and demanding role in the administration of justice. The judiciary and the courts service are very cognisant of this service and the effort of jurors in performing same.” It added the facilities for jurors had been modernised and made more secure in recent years.
On the issue of counselling or support for jurors after trials, the court service said it was mindful that jurors’ deliberations were confidential and must remain so. “However, as the need occasionally arises, on a case-by-case basis we can organise debriefing support with the aid of a confidential professional, for jurors who may feel the need for same.
“This is not a usual occurrence but we can facilitate such supports, with guidance from the judiciary. “It would be wrong to identify or comment on which or any cases this might happen in except to say that it is not a commonplace occurrence.”
In advance of the jury being sworn in for the Dwyer murder trial in January, Mr Justice Paul Carney told potential jurors the trial would last between six and eight weeks. He said the case would be difficult for anyone who was particularly squeamish and potential jurors should indicate if they were.
