A man accused of the murder of Irish pensioner John Mackey in London has been found guilty.
In a unanimous verdict, the 12-person jury found Peter Augustine guilty of murder and robbery.
Mr Mackey was originally from Callan, Co Kilkenny, but had lived in London for most of his life.
Over the course of nine gruelling days, several of John Mackey's nieces and nephews attended the Old Bailey in London.
Each day, as the most graphic evidence was detailed to the court, they sat mostly in silence.
When the defendant burst into outrage and prolonged rants from the witness box, they again remained still. Their only sign of emotion was the tears in their eyes. Their dignity and composure was unshakeable.
No matter how dramatic the courtroom events were each day, when the family members gathered outside the room, the conversation inevitably turned to 'Uncle John'.
The Old Bailey was unfamiliar territory to the Mackey family. They never thought that they would end up there. They never thought that their "charming" uncle would meet such a brutal end.
"This cannot define him", his niece Pat once said.
An 'unforgettable' trial
In her closing arguments, defence barrister Jenni Dempster KC acknowledged that this was an "unforgettable" trial.
She accepted that jurors probably never "warmed" to her client, Peter Augustine. However, she appealed to them not to allow emotion affect their decision-making.
The 59-year-old defendant, who always denied the charges of murder and robbery, often did not come to court.
He claimed his back was hurt by the prison van that transported him to the Old Bailey.
When he was present, everyone felt his presence.
He was highly disruptive, often shouting loudly and swearing from the dock. His time in the witness box was particularly fraught. A legal professional in the courtroom was once left in tears. All agreed, that in their entire careers, they had never seen the like of it.
Peter Augustine went on numerous rants, getting more expressive and agitated as the questioning continued.
He often stood up, leaning over the witness box, pointing and swearing at the prosecution barrister, Jane Bickerstaff KC.
At times he would restrain himself, saying that he was sorry or acknowledging: "You're at the top of your game."
However, he was mostly quite hostile during her questioning.
Shouting "you are stupid!"
"You're long gone. Your ways are ancient!" he once said.
A number of times, he turned to the Mackey family, insisting he never harmed "the gentleman".
"I took the bag and I ran," he shouted.
The Mackeys
The Mackey family hails from Callan, Co Kilkenny.
They speak about it with pride.
As a teenager, following the death of his mother and father, John Mackey moved to London. It was a journey brought about by necessity rather than choice.
Like many of his time, he soon got to grips with his new reality.
John Mackey initially lived beside Highbury, the Arsenal Stadium. It sparked a lifelong devotion to the club.
He worked at Pye Electrics. He was a bachelor most of his life, always seen with his trilby hat. He was a charmer, with many girlfriends throughout his life.
A number of his siblings also made the journey to England. And so 'Uncle John' had an extended family around him throughout his life.
Some of his family lived near him at Finsbury Park, London.
One of them, his nephew Stephen, was somebody he was particularly close with.
Stephen attended most days of the trial. He, at times, found evidence very upsetting. Often sitting quietly, there were tears streaming down his face.
Stephen had also been innocently, brutally attacked when he was younger. He sustained lifelong injuries and disabilities.
The similarities between Stephen's attack, decades ago, and his uncle John's were striking. So, the evidence was all too personal. His heartbreak still raw.
Stephen recently walked past the crime scene and found that a drawing of his uncle, seemingly drawn by a local child, had been left at the flower memorial.
It showed the pensioner with his signature long grey coat, trilby hat and grocery bag.
Uncle John
On her 50th birthday, John Mackey's niece Margaret recalled how he quietly handed her a ten pound, warning her "don't tell your father". This was something he did since they were small.
That, along with trips to Arsenal games and visits to the pub when they got older, were all part and parcel of what made him the "perfect uncle".
Upon hearing the unanimous verdict of the 12-person jury, that Peter Augustine was guilty of John Mackey's murder and robbery, the family became very emotional.
Mr Mackey's nephew Adrian delivered a statement outside the Old Bailey, describing his uncle as "funny, charming, mysterious and very definitely mischievous".
Never seen without his trilby hat, he was always immaculately dressed as he was on the day he was attacked. He always had a twinkle in his eye full of tall tales, doing a bit of business or seeing a man about a dog.
"He was an ally and a friend to his 22 nieces and nephews," Adrian Kennedy told reporters.
Fighting back her emotion, Mr Mackey's niece, Pat, also told the media "that he was so much more than the end of his life.
"I didn't want him defined by that man's actions - that man whose name will never be mentioned in this family again."
John Mackey was an innocent man, walking home after a visit to his local shop.
In a horrendous twist of fate, he walked into Peter Augustine's line of sight.
The past two weeks have seen graphic and upsetting details discussed in Court 15 at the Old Bailey.
'His loss will always be felt ... he will be missed forever'
For his family, it was an excruciating experience to hear their uncle's final moments and injuries discussed so publicly. But what was also on display in Court 15 was that unshakeable composure and dignity of the Mackey family.
Perhaps it showed better than words ever could what their family and dear old 'Uncle John' was all about.
A beloved uncle, brother and friend, John Mackey was a "gentleman" who can now be remembered for the man he was.
