A MEATH man who bludgeoned a mother of three to death at her Cork home on Easter Sunday last year has been jailed for 10 years at the Central Criminal Court.
Derrick Daly (48), originally of Enfield, Co Meath, but with an address at St Vincent’s Hostel in Cork city, was convicted last June of the manslaughter of Catherine Smart (58) at Bailick Court, Midleton, on April 4th, 2010.
He had been tried for her murder, which he denied.
Daly, an alcoholic, first met Ms Smart when he came to Midleton to drink in pubs. She was separated from her husband, and Daly moved in with her about a year and a half before the killing.
On April 4th, 2010, gardaí responding to a call from Daly found her face down in the living room. He had said he was locked out of the house and thought there was someone dead inside.
Gardaí believed Daly used a bloodstained hurley, which they found broken in two pieces, and a microwave to inflict the injuries.
He had been drinking for days beforehand. He initially denied he had been in the house but eventually admitted the killing, although he could not recall the events.
In her victim impact statement, Ms Smart’s daughter Mary Kaey described her as “kind, caring, loving and supportive” and “a great mother and grandmother”.
Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan said the appropriate sentence was 13 years, but he suspended three years in light of the mitigating factors.