Michael Connolly jailed for manslaughter of Mark Lawlor

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Michael Connolly was sentenced on 27 October 2023 to 12 years’ imprisonment, with the final two years suspended for five years, for the manslaughter of Mark Lawlor. Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford said the suspension would give him an opportunity to reintegrate into society on his release.

Connolly had pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity. In August 2023, a jury at the Central Criminal Court found him not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

The proceedings were reported on 27 October 2023. The fatal attack took place in Cloverhill Prison on the night of 22 November 2019 into the early hours of 23 November. Connolly scalded Lawlor with hot water from a borrowed kettle before strangling him.

Both men had mental health issues and had been remanded to the prison on unconnected matters. The jury heard that Connolly had delusional beliefs, including that prisoners were in league with prison officers in a “homosexual conspiracy”. The jury was told that disagreement between two psychiatrists about whether he was sufficiently mentally ill to be found not guilty by reason of insanity was “the nub of the case”.

The judge reduced a headline sentence of 15 years to 12 years after taking account of Connolly’s mental health history, his admissions to gardaí that he killed Lawlor and his expressions of remorse.