Nigel Canavan sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his mother

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

Nigel Canavan was sentenced to life imprisonment after a jury convicted him of murdering his mother, Angela Canavan. He had pleaded not guilty to the murder at her home in Sligo on May 1st, 2023.

The jury rejected his claims that he acted in self-defence and that provocation could reduce the offence to manslaughter. The sentencing report says Ms Canavan was strangled and smothered; a pathologist also found other injuries, including three broken ribs.

At sentencing, the judge described Ms Canavan as well-loved and accomplished. Her son Keith Canavan told the court in a victim impact statement that his brother had taken her life in a “most cruel, violent and sadistic way possible”.