Sean Nolan sentenced to life for Amanda Carroll’s murder

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

Sean Nolan was sentenced to life in prison on 4 November 2020 for the murder of his partner Amanda Carroll. She was strangled at her apartment in Cabra, Dublin, on 21 October 2018.

Nolan admitted manslaughter, but a jury found him guilty of murder by a majority verdict. Mr Justice Michael McGrath imposed the mandatory life sentence after hearing statements from Carroll’s family.

Nolan admitted to gardaí that he had put a hand over Carroll’s mouth while they were in bed. He claimed she had called him by her ex-boyfriend’s name, tried to hit him and said she had never loved him. He insisted he had not intended to kill or cause serious harm. The prosecution pointed out that he had put his hand around her neck for 20 seconds and that there was no suggestion she had died by accident.

Carroll’s son Denis Carroll, then 16, found her dead after returning from football. In a victim impact statement, he said the sight of his mother would never leave him. Her sister Antoinette Carroll addressed Nolan in court about the absence of an apology; he replied that he was sorry.