Robert Corbet given mandatory life sentence for murder

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

Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan imposed a mandatory life sentence on Robert Corbet for the murder of Aoife Phelan. The jury convicted him of murder by a majority of ten to two. The proceedings were reported on 23 May 2014.

Corbet admitted that he killed Ms Phelan but denied that it was murder. The killing occurred in October 2012. He claimed her threats to ruin his life and business had provoked him into losing control, after she had told him she was pregnant. Ms Phelan was not pregnant when she died. During cross-examination, he said he did not know how she would ruin his business.

In his account, Corbet put a black bag around Ms Phelan’s head, placed cable ties around her neck and put her body inside a barrel. He subsequently placed the barrel in a pit on his land, which he had dug a few weeks earlier. He arranged to have the pit filled the following day.

Conor Devalley, his lawyer, said Corbet had asked to receive psychiatric help in prison.