A GALWAY woman who is eight months pregnant will be sentenced tomorrow for the manslaughter of a neighbour who she stabbed to death two years ago in a drunken row over a puppy.
Una Black (26), Walter Macken Flats, Mervue, Galway, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the manslaughter of John Malone (42) at the flats on December 3rd, 2006.
Mr Justice Paul Carney heard that Mr Malone had been looking after a puppy for Black and had become annoyed that she had not been to his flat for a week to assist in looking after it.
Mr Malone told Black that he had sold the dog so she went to his flat to retrieve it. The pair struggled and Black armed herself with a knife so Mr Malone would keep away from her.
She returned to get her dog a second time and they fought again. During the struggle, Mr Malone was fatally stabbed.
Det Garda Tony Reidy told Aileen Donnelly SC, prosecuting, that Mr Malone received a single fatal stab wound to the upper chest at about 5.30am. Black called the emergency services and said a man was lying on the ground following a fight between two men.
Black later admitted to gardaí that she had inflicted the fatal wound during a row but said she did not know how it had happened and did not intend to kill Mr Malone. She had been drinking alcohol and taking anti-depressants on the night and morning in question.
Mr Malone was found by medics face down in a pool of blood and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead at 6.43am. He had suffered a punctured lung but no defensive wounds.
Mr Justice Carney heard that Mr Malone was a single man living on disability benefit and had a 17 year-old son. He was originally from Tullamore.
Black has no previous convictions and Det Garda Reidy agreed that he was aware that she had a history of psychiatric difficulty. She had suffered sexual abuse as a girl and had an alcohol problem.
She was due to be tried for murder in the Central Criminal Court sitting in Galway on April 8th, 2008, but failed to show up. She had gone to Wales and a European arrest warrant was issued for her. She returned to the jurisdiction voluntarily and has been in custody since April 11th.
Diarmaid McGuinness SC, defending, said the Director of Public Prosecutions then accepted a plea of guilty to the offence of manslaughter.
Upon her arrest, Black had a scrape to her forearm and her clothes were badly stained, which Det Garda Reidy agreed was consistent with a struggle.
He said Black deeply regretted her actions. He read a letter from her in which she said she was truly sorry and ashamed and “wished to God she could take it back”.
She is expecting her first child and said it hurt her that the baby would be taken from her after 18 months.
A medical report detailed a history of depression, psychiatric disorder, alcoholism and incidents of self-harm.
Mr McGuinness said Black had believed for medical reasons that she was unable to have children and was deeply attached to her puppy. She had fled the country before her trial date as she could not face it while pregnant.
Mr Justice Carney remanded her in custody until tomorrow morning when he will impose sentence.