A mother of six has been jailed for four years for killing a 20-year-old man outside her home in Limerick city two and half years ago.
Sarah Craig (34), from Cregan Avenue, Kileely, Limerick, denied the manslaughter of Brian Hanley (20), Beechcourt House, Meelick, Co Clare, on August 26th, 2001.
The woman also pleaded not guilty to producing a knife in the course of a dispute at Cregan Avenue, Kileely, on the same date.
Last month Mrs Craig was convicted of unlawfully killing 20-year-old Brian Hanley after a jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict. Yesterday, Judge Carroll Moran sentenced her to four years in prison.
During the four-day trial, the court heard that Mrs Craig stabbed Mr Hanley with a steak knife after he had bitten her husband Eamon on the side of the face during a row outside their home.
The court heard that Mr Craig's bite marks are "still visible to this day" and that his brother Frankie Craig had also been assaulted during the row.
The jury was told that, during the row outside the Craigs' home, there were six children inside the house aged from 3 months to 13 years and also an 84-year-old woman, a mother-in-law of the accused.
In the witness box Mrs Craig admitted stabbing Mr Hanley but said she had done it to protect her family. "My kids were screaming in the house and I was very, very scared and frightened."
Last week Limerick Circuit Court heard that Mrs Craig had moved her children to England because the family had been subjected to a number of threats and violent attacks since she was charged with manslaughter.
The court heard that Mrs Craig was of "humble means" but took "excellent" care of her family.
Before imposing sentence yesterday, Judge Carroll Moran said he accepted Mrs Craig was a dedicated mother but added that he had to respect the verdict of the jury.
Judge Moran said it was not a case of self defence and Mrs Craig had time to go to the kitchen to get the knife which "she must have thrust into the chest of the deceased with force", given the depth of the fatal stab wound.She was undoubtedly infuriated by what had happened to her husband, Judge Moran said, but added: "Life cannot be taken in these circumstances."