A DUBLIN woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison with three years suspended for the manslaughter of taxi driver Mark Smyth who she stabbed in the face before her former partner Carlos Byrne stabbed him to death 40 times in March 2008.
Lindsey Fahy (26) originally from Fortlawn Drive, Blanchardstown was convicted last March by a Central Criminal Court jury of the manslaughter of Mark Smyth (31) at the Fortlawn Estate in Blanchardstown on March 18th, 2008.
Carlos Byrne (23) the former partner of Fahy was convicted of Mr Smyth's murder and jailed for life in March 2009.
The court heard during the 13-day trial that Mr Smyth drove to Byrne and Fahy's address at Linnetsfield Square, Clonee, Co. Meath with his partner Emma Shaw and their two-year-old son in the passenger seat. Byrne alleged that he owed Mr Smyth money for cocaine and Mr Smyth wanted to collect it, Byrne and Fahy entered Mr Smyth's taxi armed with kitchen knives and asked to be driven to Fortlawn Estate, Blanchardstown.
Fahy told gardaí that she was the first to produce a knife saying she "nicked him in the face". Byrne then reached around and stabbed Mr Smyth in the neck.Antoinette Fahy mother of Lindsey told the court that her daughter had been a good child and had worked as a carer in a nursing home after she left school. She said her daughter had become pregnant at a young age and had two children aged eight and seven.
Mr Justice Paul Butler described the case as very tragic and said he was very conscious of the family of the deceased and appreciated what a terrible act was committed.
The judge disagreed with the view put forward by the DPP that the offence was on the higher end of the scale of manslaughter.
He said: "Of course there were aggravating circumstances such as the knife and the fact that the attack took place in the presence of Mr Smyth's partner and his young son but Ms Fahy did not play a very great part in this - the prime mover was Mr Byrne."
Mr Justice Butler felt a sentence of seven years would be appropriate and suspended the last three years, backdating the sentence to August 2nd, 2008 when Ms Fahy first entered prison.
The family of Mark Smyth said the sentence was too lenient.