Courts / Ireland / Report
21-year-old who failed to heed "mother's wise counsel" is jailed for killing
Summary
A 21‑year‑old man, Blake Sweeney, was sentenced to eight years and six months' imprisonment for the manslaughter of Robert Elston, 33, after Sweeney stabbed Elston twice in the abdomen. The incident occurred on 23 May 2018 when Elston set fire to a car in the Sweeney family driveway. Sweeney, who had been told by his mother to stay at home, pursued Elston into the house armed with a knife. The judge noted that Sweeney had no pre‑meditation, had offered to plead guilty, and had cooperated with Gardaí. The sentence was reduced from a headline of ten years to eight years and six months, with the last 18 months suspended, and was back‑dated to the date of the offence. The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court by Mr Justice Tony Hunt. Blake Sweeney was acquitted.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 21-year-old who failed to heed "mother's wise counsel" is jailed for killing. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Acquitted
When:
- May 23, 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2019-11-11 Publication
Why: Following this, he said he would suspend part of the sentence in order to incentivise rehabilitation. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Finding: Acquitted
Outcome: Acquitted; Before delivering the sentence this morning, Mr Justice Hunt noted that Sweeney had cooperated with gardai by giving immediate and accurate accounts of the incident. "He assisted gardai in the recovery of the knife, which was discovered in a back garden," he commented, adding that his cooperation with authorities had continued beyond this. Sweeney was sentenced to eight years and six months imprisonment with the last 18 months suspended, backdated to May 23, 2018 when he went into custody.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Fertha Drive
- Fertha Drive
Topics
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