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'This is a joke': mother's grief as husband and daughter's killer gets 6.5 years
Summary
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Philip Griffin, aged 37, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment with the final six months suspended, after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the basis of gross negligence for his role in a house fire that killed Anthony O'Brien, 30, and his five‑year‑old daughter Nadine. Griffin, who had 41 prior convictions, did not start the fire but saw it lit and left without raising the alarm or attempting to extinguish it, despite knowing people were inside. He admitted his involvement ten years after the incident, when he was already in prison for another offence. The judge noted that the fire had been treated as accidental until Griffin's statement, and that the sentence reflected mitigating factors including his remorse. The O'Brien family, led by mother Kelly O'Brien, expressed shock and grief, describing the sentence as a "joke" and demanding justice for the loss of her husband and child.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'This is a joke': mother's grief as husband and daughter's killer gets 6.5 years. Charges or matters: manslaughter on the basis of gross negligence, the judge imposed a headline sentence of 11 years; the manslaughter of Anthony O'Brien (30) and Nadine O'Brien (5) at Killeen Heights in Tralee on May 12, 2012. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- May 2022 Incident
- May 12, 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2024-12-19 Publication
Why: " She said Griffin will serve no more than four years and seven months and that the fire was "all because of him, he involved the other man, he brought the other man to our home, he didn't alert anyone, he didn't try and quench the fire, he didn't do anything. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: manslaughter on the basis of gross negligence, the judge imposed a headline sentence of 11 years; the manslaughter of Anthony O'Brien (30) and Nadine O'Brien (5) at Killeen Heights in Tralee on May 12, 2012 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Defendant
Charges: manslaughter on the basis of gross negligence, the judge imposed a headline sentence of 11 years; the manslaughter of Anthony O'Brien (30) and Nadine O'Brien (5) at Killeen Heights in Tralee on May 12, 2012 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Noting that Griffin pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the basis of gross negligence, the judge imposed a headline sentence of 11 years. Considering all mitigating factors, including Griffin's expressions of remorse, the judge reduced the sentence to one of seven years with the final six months suspended.
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