Mandatory life for man who murdered partner

A Dublin man who stabbed his partner to death and then placed a photograph of himself and their baby in her hands was convicted…

A Dublin man who stabbed his partner to death and then placed a photograph of himself and their baby in her hands was convicted of murder at the Central Criminal Court yesterday.

As the jury returned a unanimous verdict against Liam Wells (37), relatives of Linda Dunne clapped and cheered and shouted "yes".

Wells, Coultry Road, Ballymun, stabbed Ms Dunne (24) to death 16 or 17 times at a flat at Sillogue Road, Ballymun, in September 2001. He admitted two further charges of assaulting her mother, Ms Kathleen Dunne, and Ms Dunne's partner, Mr Joseph White, at Shangan Avenue, Ballymun, on the same date.

Wells now faces a mandatory life sentence. He had admitted stabbing Ms Dunne to death but said he had "flipped" and lost control after she ordered him to leave the flat. He also claimed she had threatened to prevent him from seeing their baby daughter.

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Wells had told the jury he was concerned about the child's safety. He claimed that Ms Dunne hit the baby and was "pawning her off" on friends while she went out. He did not want Ms Kathleen Dunne to get custody. The court heard that Wells and Ms Dunne were both heroin addicts.

After killing Ms Dunne in a frenzied attack, Wells placed a framed photograph of himself and the baby in her hands. He left her lying on a blood-soaked couch and went to her mother's house with a knife intending to kill her. He believed she was alone but was confronted in the hallway by Mr White. The jury heard evidence that Wells slashed them with a large kitchen-type knife before he left.

After the verdict, Ms Dunne said "justice has been done" and added that she now had custody of the baby.

Mr Justice Carney remanded Wells in custody until 11th April.