‘My son died trying to protect his comrades' – Private Rooney's mum slams ‘sham' Lebanon trial & makes new justice vow
Distraught Natasha Rooney was speaking days after a
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Natasha Rooney was speaking after a man was sentenced to death for the murder
Credit: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
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Pvt Rooney was killed in Lebanon in 2022
Credit: Defence Forces/PA Wire
Peacekeeper Rooney was driving colleagues from the military camp in
Earlier this week, Mohammad Ayyad, who has links to the Hezbollah militant group,
The killer was controversially released on bail due to medical grounds in 2023, and has repeatedly refused to attend any subsequent court cases.
He was sentenced in absentia this week, while other men linked to the killing were handed short prison sentences and hit with fines.
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Speaking for the first time since the judgement, Natasha Rooney slammed the 'hysteria' surrounding her son's murder.
She said: 'What happened in Lebanon was not justice. What happened in Lebanon is unreflective of what we regard as a trial process.
'The trial into the murder of my son was heard and determined in less than half a day.
'Not only was justice not done, it was not seen to be done, with little to no information being disclosed or challenged in open court.
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'Instead, we are forced to believe the answers provided by a Lebanese justice system which from the outset has failed to hold those responsible to account.'
Natasha continued: 'The factual reality here is that the perpetrator who has been convicted for my son's murder has been untraceable and untraced for many years.
'SHAM TRIAL PROCESS'
'Not only did he not appear for his trial, but it is clear that he might never appear.
'The verdict in reality is nothing more than a headline to the Lebanese authorities who masquerade this sham trial process as a semblance of justice for my son.'
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Natasha Rooney concluded by
She added: 'My son died trying to protect his three comrades as he made all efforts to escape an armed gang who had surrounded their vehicle and fired their shots.
'UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS'
'In his name, I will dedicate every bone in my body to ensure justice for Seán, and to highlight the uncomfortable truths about the systematic failings by the
'That is the very least I owe my son Sean. It is the very least I owe Sean's comrades.
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'And it is the very least the Irish justice system owe us all.'
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The mum of Sean Rooney insists court ruling in Lebanon was 'not justice' for her son
Credit: Family Handout/PA Wire
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