TWO men have been jailed after being found guilty of the manslaughter of a beloved grandmother who died following a terrifying attempted robbery at her home.
Nhi Muoi Wai, 64, collapsed from shock, suffered a massive stroke and passed away following the ordeal, part of which was captured on CCTV.
At Leeds Crown Court on Friday, Samuel Hanrahan, 20, and Jerry Hanrahan, 18, were jailed for nine years and nine-and-a-half years respectively for manslaughter.
"The family of Mrs Wai have been left completely devastated by her death, which was totally unnecessary and was a direct result of the selfish criminal actions of this pair," said Detective Inspector Suzanne Hall of West Yorkshire Police.
Demands
The two men called at the property in Millside Walk, Morley, West Yorkshire, on March 28 this year while Mrs Wai was at home with her son and daughter.
The pair asked if the family needed any work doing and left after being told no.
However, they returned a short time later, making threats and demanding the keys to a performance car parked on the driveway.
Jerry Hanrahan, who was armed with a large screwdriver, smashed a front window of the house as the pair continued to make demands for the keys.
The two men fled empty-handed when they were told the police had been called.
Mrs Wai, who was a mother of six and a grandmother, collapsed from the shock of the ordeal in front of her son and daughter.
She was treated at the scene by ambulance staff before being rushed to hospital, where it was confirmed that she had suffered a massive stroke.
Her condition continued to deteriorate and she was pronounced dead later that day.
Detailed forensic pathology showed a direct causal link between the stroke and the extreme anxiety and distress Mrs Wai experienced during the attack on her home.
Jerry Hanrahan was arrested when stopped in a vehicle in North Yorkshire on April 4, while Samuel Hanrahan was arrested at his home address in Manchester on April 14.
Both gave no replies in their police interviews.
Samuel Hanrahan and Jerry Hanrahan both pleaded guilty to manslaughter (Images: West Yorkshire Police)They were both initially charged with attempted robbery before manslaughter charges were added to the indictment for both at Leeds Crown Court on July 21.
Jerry Hanrahan had previously pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and Samuel Hanrahan entered a guilty plea to that offence at the hearing in July.
On September 7, both entered guilty pleas to the manslaughter charges.
As well as his sentence for manslaughter, Jerry Hanrahan, of Cottingley Springs, Leeds, was handed a concurrent term of seven years and six months for attempted robbery.
Likewise, Samuel Hanrahan, of Oakley Close, Manchester, received an additional concurrent sentence of five years and seven months for attempted robbery.
'Terrifying situation'
DI Hall said expert medical advice showed the pair's actions directly resulted in Mrs Wai's death.
"They created an absolutely terrifying situation when they targeted the family's home that afternoon," she said.
"The level of fear their threatening behaviour produced was just too much for Mrs Wai to take, with utterly tragic consequences.
"A thorough and comprehensive investigation of the incident resulted in these men being identified and arrested.
"We were determined to see them held fully responsible, not just for the attempted robbery but for their involvement in Mrs Wai's death that would not otherwise have occurred had they not been there acting the way they did."
In a victim statement on behalf of Mrs Wai's children, her daughter Emmie Wai said her life and those of her siblings ended the day their mother died.
"Our mum was taken too soon," she told the court.
"The day her life ended was the day ours ended too.
"We can never get our lives back to normal and we have to deal with this overwhelming sadness and loss for the rest of our lives.
"This has left the deepest hole in our hearts and we all miss our beautiful and kind mother so much."
