Alan Hawe feared his porn problem would be revealed after accessing sexually explicit material in the school where he worked.
The County Cavan father who murdered his wife and three young boys before killing himself in their family home committed the heinous act after he was caught pleasuring himself and accessing pornography at the school where he worked.
According to The Sun, Hawe had feared the backlash on his family after he was caught watching porn in his school workplace. He believed it would ruin his reputation.
On August 29, 2016, Alan Hawe (40), a deputy principal, used knives, a hatchet and his bare hands to kill his wife, Clodagh, and their three sons – Liam, Niall, and Ryan. He then killed himself by hanging.
In December 2017, an inquest heard how Hawe killed his wife in the family living room and slit his three sons’ throats while they lay in their beds. Pathologist Michael Curtis stated he believed Clodagh and the eldest son Liam to have been targeted first for fear they would fight back.
The bodies of Alan Hawe (40) and Clodagh Hawe (39) were discovered in two separate rooms in their home in Ballyjamesduff, while the bodies of their three sons Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) were discovered in two separate bedrooms.
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The coffins arriving at the Hawe family funeral. Image: Rolling News.
Hawe, who taught at Castlerahan National School, an elementary school also attended by his two youngest sons Niall and Ryan, is reported to have planned the murders, which occurred in the early hours of Monday morning.
Gardaí immediately began to investigate the mental health of the father in the lead up to the deaths – talking to friends and family members about the days before the new school year which could have shown him to be under stress.
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He had attended counseling sessions before he committed the crime and had told his psychotherapist: “People think of me as a pillar of the community. If only they knew.”
“We are aware that he was concerned at his imminent fall from that position and the breakdown of his marriage,” Clodagh Hawe’s family had said after the inquest gave the verdict of unlawful killings and suicide, without revealing more information as to why he was anxious about a future fall from grace.
The coffin of Clodagh Hawe. Image: Rolling News.
Sources claim that Hawe’s porn obsession had previously caused problems in his marriage and that he had resumed his habit even in a school setting.
Clodagh’s mother, Mary Coll, who visited the house on that Monday morning, found a note attached to the backdoor advising any visitors to contact the Gardaí and not to enter the house themselves. Arriving at the house, Gardaí discovered the five bodies along with a possible second confession note left by Alan Hawe. The letter was sealed and addressed to family relatives.
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The coffin of Liam Hawe. Image: Rolling News.
Coll spoke to the inquest, revealing the details of the last few hours of the family’s life.
Also fighting back tears, she said “I was just about to put the key in the door when I saw the note
“I told them, I think Alan has done something terrible, that Alan had killed them all. I knew it was Alan's handwriting.
“I stood on the road for the guards and the rest you know.”
Women's Aid, a leading national organisation that has been working in Ireland to stop domestic violence against women and children since 1974. If you or anybody you know needs help, call 1800 341 900.
If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1‑800‑273‑TALK (8255). Trained crisis workers are available to talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your confidential and toll-free call goes to the nearest crisis center in the Lifeline national network. These centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals.
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