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'No mother should be questioned by the man who murdered her son'; victim's mum to double killer Penrose

Summary

Stephen Penrose was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for the murder of Philip Finnegan at the Central Criminal Court. The sentence was backdated to May 17, 2017, when Penrose entered custody. Penrose, who had pleaded not guilty, was found guilty by a unanimous jury verdict. He represented himself during the trial after dismissing his legal teams, an action the judge described as a serious abuse of the legal system. In a victim impact statement, Angela Finnegan, the victim's mother, condemned Penrose for cross-examining her in the witness box, stating no mother should be questioned by the man who murdered her son. She described the trauma of finding her son's decapitated remains in Rahin Woods, Co Kildare, three weeks after he went missing. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster testified that Finnegan died from multiple stab wounds, including fatal injuries to his liver and aorta. Superintendent Brian O'Keeffe informed the court of Penrose's previous convictions, including the manslaughter of David Sharkey in 2010, for which Sharkey was sentenced to nine years in prison. Penrose's other prior offenses included possession of firearms, a hit-and-run, and assaults on prison officers. The judge noted that Penrose had been continually in custody since May 2017. The court rejected Penrose's defense that he was attacked by others, accepting the prosecution's case that he inflicted a gruesome death on Finnegan.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'No mother should be questioned by the man who murdered her son'; victim's mum to double killer Penrose. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• August 10, 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
• August 10 2016 Other
• October 13 Hearing Or Sentence
• February 2017 Other
• August 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
• May 17 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
• February 5, 2016 Incident
• May 17, 2017 Incident
• September 2, 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
• August 10 Other
• August 31, 2016 Incident
• November 16, 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
• August 12 Other
• September 6 Other
• 2021-12-13 Publication

Why: Philly's coffin had to remain closed because his body was so badly decomposed. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report