'Brutal death' of Canty shattered family's lives - court

A sentencing hearing over the manslaughter of Paula Canty has heard how the "brutal death" of the mother of two shattered her family's lives.

Joseph Butler, aged 43, originally from Midleton, Co Cork, pleaded guilty in April to the manslaughter of Ms Canty in Mallow, Co Cork, on 3 January 2025, and is to be sentenced later this month.

Butler, who has more than 50 previous convictions, had previously been charged with the murder contrary to common law of Ms Canty, who died in a flat at the Belfry on Bridewell Lane, three days before her 32nd birthday.

Giving sentencing evidence to Ms Justice Eileen Creedon at the Central Criminal Court in Cork today, Detective Sergeant Mícheál O'Regan told the court that a post-mortem examination found that Ms Canty suffered a haemorrhage and shock after sustaining a single stab wound to the chest.

Butler, his brother, and Ms Canty were in the apartment in the early hours of 3 January, after drinking together earlier that evening.

The accused was seen on CCTV leaving the apartment at 4.07am carrying a knife.

Following his arrest, Butler told gardaí that he and Ms Canty had been arguing and that she pulled a knife, which he then took from her - adding that the fatal stabbing had happened during the struggle, and that Ms Canty was "grand" when he left the apartment.

However, Det Sgt O’Regan told the court that blood-spatter analysis from the scene supported Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster’s opinion that Ms Canty would have collapsed immediately after being wounded.

This, Det Sgt O’Regan said, was inconsistent with Butler’s account that Ms Canty was "grand" and moving when he left.

The court also heard that analysis of Butler’s phone had found a number of messages sent around the time of Ms Canty’s death had been deleted.

Once recovered following a technical examination of Mr Butler’s phone, gardaí found messages relevant to the investigation, including multiple messages sent to a female associate urging her to "delete everything, please".

In an interview with Detective Garda Aidan Long following his arrest, Butler said he did not feel guilty because her death "was an accident", adding that he and Ms Canty were "family".

He also gave gardaí the location where he had disposed of the knife, which was subsequentially recovered.

In a series of victim impact statements read aloud this afternoon, Paula Canty's mother Sinéad, wrote that her firstborn’s death has been "gut wrenching", and has affected her physically, mentally, and emotionally.

She described her daughter as having a soft and pleasant nature and a creative and artistic personality.

"Paula and I had a very close bond, and she was like a best friend to me. My heart breaks but I will never receive just one phone call from her again," her statement added.

Ms Canty’s younger brother Darragh wrote that her "brutal death" has shattered their lives forever.

"I never thought I would have to sit down and write a letter on how I feel about her being viciously snatched from us. I replay it in my mind constantly and I struggle with anger, grief, anxiety, and disbelief that someone would take her life this violently.

"Paula had a future. She had dreams, plans, relationships, years of life ahead of her that were stolen.

"There will always be an empty seat at every Christmas, every birthday, every important moment for the rest of our lives.

"My family will never recover from having Paula robbed from us."

Ms Canty’s younger sister Rianna wrote that she now mourns both the loss of a sibling and the moments they should have shared together.

"One of the hardest things for me was going through my pregnancy and becoming a mother without my sister beside me.

"I needed her support, advice and comfort during one of the biggest moments of my life and knowing she was not there has caused me immense pain.

"And when my son was born it broke my heart knowing my sister would never get to meet him or be part of his life.

"She was not there to encourage me or celebrate important milestones or support me through difficult times.

"There have been so many moments where I wanted to call her to talk to her or share something with her only to remember she was no longer there," she added.

Defence barrister Ray Boland told the court the stabbing was not a sustained assault and pointed to Butler’s guilty plea and "genuine remorse".

He added that the 43-year-old suffered from alcohol addiction and grew up in a home of violence.

Sentencing for Butler has been adjourned until 16 October.