Courts / Ireland / Report
'I do not want my boy to only be remembered for how his life was ended': mother of murdered child to justice Minister
Summary
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, the 28‑year‑old defendant pleaded guilty to murdering an 11‑year‑old boy in the south‑west on 3 November 2019. The boy was struck with a hammer and stabbed 27 times in the torso, arms and neck. The court heard that the boy's mother believed the uncle was "obsessed" with her son and that the uncle had been "trapped" by voices that told him to kill. The mother called on the Minister for Justice to change Section 252 of the Children Act so that child murder victims could be identified in court. Mr Justice Michael White described the crime as a "horrific breach of trust" and an "unspeakably violent crime" before sentencing the defendant to the mandatory term of life imprisonment.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'I do not want my boy to only be remembered for how his life was ended': mother of murdered child to justice Minister. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 3 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
- November 3, 2019 Other
- 2021-02-01 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: A sentence hearing for the 28-year-old, who pleaded guilty last month to murdering the 11-year-old in the south-west of the country on November 3 2019, heard that the boy was struck with a hammer and stabbed 27 times in the torso, arms and neck.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
Help us improve this report
Your request is saved for the newsroom's next review. It does not immediately change the published report.
Prefer email? Send a correction request.