ONE of the real tragedies about the murder of Aaron Buron is its inevitability.

Haydan O’Callaghan has long been a dangerous young man with an obvious disregard and disrespect for anyone.

His behaviour in the dock — a finger and a gun signal towards the grieving family of Mr Buron — wipes away the last pretence that there is anything of worth about him.

We hope Judge John Eccles saw this little insight into O’Callaghan’s true feelings and takes it into account when barrister Michael Bromley-Martin inevitably makes his pleas about remorse and the potential for rehabilitation at the sentencing on Monday.

We have followed O’Callaghan for many years, since he received an Asbo at just 14. He has a history of using knives — there was his ‘two-year’ sentence when his gang held a knife to a man’s throat during an aggravated burglary.

This was committed while he was on licence for another stabbing. So Recorder Peter Lodder talked tough in May 2010 and then gave O’Callaghan this alleged two-year sentence, saying it was his “last chance”.

In reality it was Aaron Buron’s last chance. O’Callaghan served a fraction of that and, predictably, seized a knife and struck those fatal blows that night when Mr Buron attempted to stop him battering his girlfriend.

Would any proper jail term at any point in O’Callaghan’s life have turned this teenager from his inevitable fate of killing someone? Probably not, but too many judges forget jail sentences are there to protect the public.

And it might have meant Aaron Buron was not confronted by a drunk, homicidal lunatic on March 31.