First Conviction: 02 - Waiting & Hoping
Pirate Predator
RTÉ Documentary on One
4.4 • 778 Ratings
🗓️ 8 October 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It’s only after four days in hospital that Sayeed and Halawa begin to understand they’re in real difficulty. No one appears to believe them. Within a week of arriving to hospital with their injured daughter, they’re sitting in a police station, answering questions about what happened. It’s beginning to feel like the entire system is closing in around them… If you have any information or knowledge about this story please email us documentaries@rte.ie or investigations@rte.ie or you can give us an anonymous tip via rte.ie/firstconviction
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Credits: First Conviction is hosted by Ruth Negga. It's written and produced by Tim Desmond and Liam O’Brien working together with the RTÉ Investigates team of reporter Pam Fraher, producer Philip Gallagher, assistant editor Aoife Hegarty and Editor David Doran. Sound design by Ciarán Cullen. Sayeed’s words are given voice by Steve Hartland and Halawa’s by Esosa Ighodaro. Legal advice from Deirdre Ann Kelly & Eleanor Bleahene. Original music written by Mel Mercier & performed by Karl Nesbitt, Paul O’Donnell, Niwel Tsumbu, Clara Sanabras with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra conducted by Gavin Maloney. Orchestral String Arrangements by Áine Delaney. Music recording engineers, Donncha Moynihan and Ciarán Cullen. Studio voiceover recordings by Ronan Kelly. Production assistance from Shauna McGreevy and Nicoline Greer. Audio product support by Nigel Wheatley. Promo Producer, Fiona Savage. Marketing by Christopher Hayes and Maria Buckley. Design and creatives by Michael McKeon, Sean Malone, Scott Bryan, John Kilkenny and Darragh Treacy. Publicity by Laura Fitzgerald. Socials by James Hartigan & Kate Smyth. London recording engineer, Luke Nagy. Additional online editorial content by Anna Joyce. Publishing weekly.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | At the end of episode one, Gardi arrived at the home of Saeed and Halawa, just as the family were having their evening meal, and Halawa was caring for their new seven-week-old daughter. |
| 0:14.0 | My brother-in-law was there, and I had my little girl and my husband and me, and we were eating. |
| 0:20.6 | It was six days since they'd brought |
| 0:22.4 | their older daughter, Aisha, to Crumlin Hospital in Dublin with an injury. I remember one woman |
| 0:28.1 | and maybe five men and they came in. I was sitting in the room. Said had earlier left Aisha |
| 0:34.7 | with relatives in the hospital and came home to wash and change. |
| 0:39.2 | They came with detectives, many cars, for only two people. |
| 0:43.3 | His wife Halawa is caught completely by surprise when Gardi walk into her home. |
| 0:48.0 | They came in and they said, who is Halawa? |
| 0:50.7 | I said me. |
| 0:52.4 | And they said, who is Saeed? I said him. |
| 0:56.1 | Gardiz suspect Saeed and Alawa injured their daughter by being involved in an act of female |
| 1:01.8 | genital mutilation on her. They came into the sitting room. They were talking about the law, |
| 1:07.9 | the FGM something. I don't know what they said. One guard of woman came to me and said, |
| 1:13.8 | can you tell me anything you're hiding? I said I'm not hiding anything. I was breastfeeding my |
| 1:19.9 | youngest girl. The guard was standing there and she said, tell me if you're hiding anything. Tell |
| 1:26.0 | the truth. I said, I'm not hiding anything. |
| 1:29.6 | And she said, come with me. Take the baby. Come to the Garda station. |
| 1:34.7 | As Halawa is being spoken to, Gardi take a different approach with her husband, Said. |
| 1:40.2 | They warned me that. Whatever you say will be used against you, you are arrested under the act. |
| 1:46.5 | Subsequent Garda statements will outline these moments, including a statement from Guarda A. |
| 1:53.0 | At 8.16pm, I arrested for the offence of female genital mutilation, contrary to Section 2 of the criminal law, |
... |
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