Courts / Louth / Report
Woman who stabbed boyfriend to death guilty of murder for second time
Summary
Paula Farrell, 47, was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for the murder of Wayne McQuillan, 30, at her Drogheda home on New Year's Day 2014. This marks her second conviction for the offence following an appeal that quashed her initial 2015 conviction due to the exclusion of the partial defence of provocation. A subsequent retrial in 2019 resulted in a hung jury. In this final trial, Farrell pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The Central Criminal Court jury unanimously rejected her defence of provocation, finding her guilty of murder. Mr Justice Paul McDermott sentenced Farrell to life imprisonment, backdating the sentence to July 1, 2015, to account for time already served in custody. The judge excused the jurors from future service. The court heard a victim impact statement from the deceased's sister, Audrey McQuillan, who described the family's enduring pain. Farrell's legal team had argued she acted under provocation and suffered from PTSD and alcohol dependency, while the prosecution contended she intended to cause serious injury. The matter was concluded with the imposition of the mandatory life sentence.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Woman who stabbed boyfriend to death guilty of murder for second time. Charges or matters: the murder of Wayne McQuillan (30) at her home on New Year's Day 2014 by unanimous verdict; murder but guilty to manslaughter; murder. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- July 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- June 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
- July 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
- January 1 2014 Other
- July 1 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- New Year's Day 2014 Incident
- Christmas Other
- New Year Other
- 2020-03-30 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: the murder of Wayne McQuillan (30) at her home on New Year's Day 2014 by unanimous verdict; murder but guilty to manslaughter; murder (Proven)
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; Finally, Ms McQuillan said they heard Farrell use the words "hurt" and "numb" during the trial but the hurt she had inflicted upon their family was "unbearable" and some days they wished they could feel numb. "She has imposed on us a life sentence of living without Wayne. After hearing the statement from Ms McQuillan, Mr Justice McDermott sentenced Farrell to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murder.
Places mentioned
- Rathmullen Park
- Central Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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