Courts / Clare / Report
Sharon Bennett's father tells court of never-ending nightmare as her murderer is jailed for life
Summary
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 7 October 2022, PJ Bennett, father of 29‑year‑old Sharon Bennett, delivered a victim‑impact statement after Patrick Ballard was sentenced to a mandatory life term for murdering his girlfriend. Bennett described the murder as a "nightmare" that has devastated his family, noting that Sharon was a loving daughter and mother of two girls. He expressed remorse for not protecting her and stated he does not blame the Ballard family, only Patrick. Bennett recounted the difficulties caused by Covid‑19 restrictions, which prevented him from seeing Sharon in intensive care for five days and from holding a proper funeral. The judge, Mr Justice Paul Burns, highlighted the brutality of the attack, the victim's blamelessness, and the impact on her children. Ballard, 35, had pleaded guilty to murder and had a history of 140 convictions, including assault and theft. The sentencing was back‑dated to 28 January 2021, when Ballard entered custody. Sharon Bennett pleaded not guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Sharon Bennett's father tells court of never-ending nightmare as her murderer is jailed for life. Charges or matters: murdering Ms Bennett in the Market area of Ennis on January 28, 2021. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- January 28 2021 Incident
- October 2018 Incident
- January 28, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
- February 10, 2021 Incident
- January 28 Incident
- February 10 Incident
- January 25 Incident
- March 24 Incident
- 2022-10-07 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: murdering Ms Bennett in the Market area of Ennis on January 28, 2021 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: Speaking outside the Criminal Courts of Justice Building today, Mr Bennett said: "I'd like to say that I came here for justice for my daughter, we got justice, he got a mandatory life sentence for the brutal murder he committed on my girl.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
Stage Sentence Theft Violent Crime
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