Ireland Case No. 0818Attempted murder · Co. Limerick · 27 Sep 2022
Mother jailed for attempted murder of daughter in Limerick
A 49-year-old Russian woman was jailed for nine years on 15 June 2026 for the attempted murder of her daughter, who was eight at the time (some reports say 11), after being strangled with a phone cable and stabbed more than 70 times with a kitchen knife in temporary accommodation in the Mid-West on 27 September 2022. The mother, who fled Ukraine in March 2022, was arrested at the scene and pleaded not guilty to the charge. A jury at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick unanimously found her guilty on 23 January 2026, rejecting an insanity defence. Judge Kerida Naidoo reduced the headline sentence of 18 years and six months to 12 years due to her bipolar affective disorder, suspended the final three years, and backdated the custodial term to March 2023.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In court12 Jan
5 reports - Convicted23 Jan
2 reports - Sentenced15 Jun
3 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- The 49-year-old Russian woman allegedly strangled her daughter, who was eight at the time (some reports say 11), with a phone cable and stabbed her more than 70 times with a kitchen knife, leaving the child with life-threatening injuries.
- Where
- The attack took place in temporary shared accommodation in the Mid-West region.
- When
- The attack occurred on the morning of 27 September 2022.
- Weapon
- A kitchen knife and a phone-charging cable were used in the attack.
- Cause
- The defendant developed an irrational belief that her daughter would be taken from her, and had a history of anxiety, depression, and bipolar affective disorder.
- Investigation
- Gardaí forced entry after seeing blood through a window and found the girl gasping for breath; the mother was arrested at the scene.
- Charges
- The mother was charged with one count of attempted murder and pleaded not guilty.
- In court
- The trial was heard before Judge Kerida Naidoo at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick, with a jury of seven men and five women empanelled on 12 January 2026.
- The jury unanimously found the woman guilty of attempted murder on 23 January 2026, rejecting the insanity defence.
- Sentence
- On 15 June 2026, Judge Kerida Naidoo imposed a headline sentence of 18 years and six months, reduced to 12 years due to her bipolar affective disorder, with the final three years suspended, resulting in a nine-year custodial term backdated to March 2023.
- Other details
- The defendant and her daughter fled the war in Ukraine in March 2022; the girl is now in foster care.
- Neither party can be named to protect the child's identity.
127 statements extracted from the articles
- whatA woman pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of her daughter in a location in the Mid-West in 2022. (limerickleader.ie)
- whatThe child had life-threatening injuries. (limerickleader.ie)
- whatThe accused had no physical injuries but was taken to hospital for a suspected drug overdose. (limerickleader.ie)
- whatThe mother has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of the girl. (limerickleader.ie)
- whatThe girl was allegedly stabbed over 70 times. (limerickleader.ie)
- whatThe girl was left with more than 70 wounds. (limerickpost.ie)
- whatThe girl allegedly suffered 79 stab wounds but survived. (limerickpost.ie)
- whatThe girl had sustained multiple stab wounds. (limerickpost.ie)
- whatThe girl suffered a total of 79 stab wounds. (limerickpost.ie)
- whatThe girl sustained more than 70 stab wounds during the attack. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe mother also attempted to strangle the girl. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe defendant told gardaí she stabbed her daughter multiple times with a kitchen knife and tried to strangle her. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe girl was stabbed more than 70 times by her mother (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe mother locked the bedroom door before the attack (irishtimes.com)
- whatA mother was jailed for nine years for attempting to murder her eight-year-old daughter. (rte.ie)
- whatThe mother strangled the girl with a phone cable and stabbed her more than 70 times. (rte.ie)
- whatA woman stabbed her daughter more than 70 times. (gript.ie)
- whatThe daughter was strangled with a phone cable and stabbed more than 70 times. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe defendant developed an irrational belief before the attack that her daughter would be taken from her. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe mother locked the bedroom door and pushed a kitchen knife through the girl's chest. (irishtimes.com)
- whatNeighbours made frantic efforts to reach the girl during the attack. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe defendant denied the charge of attempted murder. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe defendant had four admissions to hospital between 2009 and 2017 where she was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe defendant attempted suicide after the attack and was not medically fit to be interviewed until six months later. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe jury rejected the insanity defence. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe daughter now lives in foster care. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe daughter said she no longer loves the defendant but does not hate her. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe defendant co-operated during the Garda investigation and made admissions of material assistance. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe defendant had no previous convictions. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe large number of less serious wounds pointed to hesitation on the part of the defendant. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe case is being heard at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick. (limerickleader.ie)
- whereThe incident took place in temporary accommodation in the Mid-West. (limerickleader.ie)
- whereThe trial is taking place at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick. (limerickpost.ie)
- whereAt the time, the mother and daughter were living in shared accommodation in the Mid West region. (limerickpost.ie)
- whereThe trial is being held at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick. (limerickpost.ie)
- whereThe girl was allegedly stabbed in her bed and then dragged into a bathroom. (limerickpost.ie)
- whereThe accused and her family were staying in temporary accommodation in the Mid West region. (limerickpost.ie)
- whereThe alleged attack took place at a temporary accommodation centre in the Mid West. (limerickpost.ie)
- whereThe attack occurred in a shared accommodation in Limerick (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe woman dragged the child into an en suite bathroom and stabbed her again. (gript.ie)
- whenThe alarm was raised at around 7.40am on a date in 2022. (limerickleader.ie)
- whenThe alleged attack happened on the morning of 27 September 2022. (limerickpost.ie)
- whenThe knife was reported missing from the kitchen on the morning of 27 September 2022. (limerickpost.ie)
- whenThe attempted murder count is dated September 27, 2022. (limerickpost.ie)
- whenThe defendant and her daughter fled the war in Ukraine to Ireland in March 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe attack took place on the morning of 27 September 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe attempted murder took place on 27 September 2022. (rte.ie)
- whenThe attack happened on 27 September 2022. (gript.ie)
- whenThe attack took place on 27 September 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- causeA phone-charging cable may have been used by the accused as a ligature on the girl's neck. (limerickpost.ie)
- causeThe mother feared people were going to take her daughter away from her. (irishtimes.com)
- causeThe defendant became paranoid that Tusla would come and take her daughter. (irishtimes.com)
- causeThe accused had a long history of anxiety and depression. (gript.ie)
- weaponThe child was found to have more than 70 knife wounds. (limerickleader.ie)
- weaponThe child described being hit with a regular kitchen knife. (limerickleader.ie)
- weaponThe mother allegedly attacked the girl with a big kitchen knife. (limerickpost.ie)
- weaponThe girl told Gardaí her mother used a big kitchen knife. (limerickpost.ie)
- weaponThe girl said her mother used a big kitchen knife. (limerickpost.ie)
- weaponThe attack involved a knife and a cable ligature. (rte.ie)
- weaponThe woman stabbed the child with a kitchen knife as the child lay in bed. (gript.ie)
- investigationA DVD of a garda interview with the child, who was eight at the time, was played in court. (limerickleader.ie)
- investigationA Garda interview with the girl, conducted through a translator, was played to the court. (limerickpost.ie)
- investigationA DVD interview between Gardaí and the girl, recorded on 4 November 2022, was shown to the jury. (limerickpost.ie)
- investigationThe Garda arrested the accused at the scene. (limerickpost.ie)
- investigationThe mother told gardaí after her arrest that she was out of her mind when she attacked her daughter. (rte.ie)
- investigationGardaí forced entry after seeing blood through a window. (gript.ie)
- chargeThe mother is being tried on a charge of attempted murder. (limerickpost.ie)
- chargeThe accused has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of her child. (limerickpost.ie)
- chargeThe mother pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted murder. (limerickpost.ie)
- chargeA jury unanimously found the mother guilty of the attempted murder of her daughter. (rte.ie)
- chargeA jury found the woman guilty of attempted murder. (gript.ie)
- courtA jury of seven men and five women was empanelled on 12 January 2026. (limerickleader.ie)
- courtThe case is presided over by Judge Kerida Naidoo. (limerickleader.ie)
- courtThe trial continues at the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday 13 January 2026. (limerickleader.ie)
- courtThe garda interview recording was played for the jury at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick. (limerickleader.ie)
- courtThe trial is expected to sit for five or six more days. (limerickleader.ie)
- courtThe mother is pleading not guilty. (limerickpost.ie)
- courtThe jury of five women and seven men watched the interview. (limerickpost.ie)
- courtJudge Kerida Naidoo ordered a brief break to let the mother compose herself. (limerickpost.ie)
- courtA neighbour gave evidence at the trial that she heard the girl screaming. (limerickpost.ie)
- courtThe trial continues. (limerickpost.ie)
- courtThe trial continues before a jury and Judge Kerida Naidoo. (limerickpost.ie)
- courtA jury found the woman guilty of attempted murder of her eight-year-old daughter. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe trial was held at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury consisted of seven men and five women. (irishtimes.com)
- courtJudge Kerida Naidoo presided over the trial. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe woman will be sentenced on 2 March 2026. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury took just more than eight hours to deliver its unanimous guilty verdict. (irishtimes.com)
- courtJudge Kerida Naidoo remanded the defendant until 5 May for sentencing submissions (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe trial was heard at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe sentence was passed at the Central Criminal Court. (rte.ie)
- courtMr Justice Kerida Naidoo said the woman's mental health had significantly contributed to her wrongdoing. (rte.ie)
- courtThe sentence was imposed at the Central Criminal Court. (gript.ie)
- sentenceThe headline sentence was set at 18 years and six months without regard to her mental condition. (rte.ie)
- sentenceThe 12-year sentence had its final three years suspended, leaving a custodial term of nine years. (rte.ie)
- sentenceThe nine-year custodial sentence is backdated to March 2023. (rte.ie)
- sentenceA sentence of 12 years was imposed with the final three years suspended, resulting in an actual sentence of nine years. (gript.ie)
- sentenceThe sentence was reduced to 12 years due to the defendant's mental health. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe final three years were suspended for three years, resulting in a nine-year custodial sentence backdated to March 2023. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe girl was 8 years old at the time of the alleged stabbing. (limerickleader.ie)
- otherThe prosecution says the accused intended to kill her daughter. (limerickleader.ie)
- otherThe accused, when pleading not guilty, said she was out of her mind. (limerickleader.ie)
- otherThe accused is a Russian national who fled when Russia invaded Ukraine. (limerickleader.ie)
- otherThe girl gave her testimony in Russian through an interpreter. (limerickleader.ie)
- otherThe girl said she has a large scar from her injuries. (limerickleader.ie)
- otherNeither party can be named to protect the child's identity. (limerickleader.ie)
- otherThe girl told gardaí her mother said she was going to kill her and then kill herself. (limerickpost.ie)
- otherThe mother had fled the war in Ukraine. (limerickpost.ie)
- otherThe accused told a neighbour she was suffering from mental health issues. (limerickpost.ie)
- otherThe girl was found gasping for breath. (limerickpost.ie)
- otherThe girl survived her injuries. (limerickpost.ie)
- otherThe mother is a Russian national. (irishtimes.com)
- otherUK consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Richard Church said the defendant could not rely on a defence of insanity. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe defendant had been diagnosed with bipolar active disorder in Russia. (irishtimes.com)
- otherDefence witness Dr Paul O'Connell believed the defendant was in the throes of a mental disorder at the time. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe defendant is a 49-year-old Russian national with no previous convictions (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe defendant was suffering from depression, had lost weight and had been taken to hospital (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe family fled the war in Ukraine in March 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe girl is now in foster care (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe defendant told officers she had awoken in an acute anxious state with a fixation that her daughter would not be returned to her (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe child said her mother told her she was scared someone was going to take her daughter away (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe jury rejected an insanity defence, but found her mental state was an important factor in sentencing. (rte.ie)
- otherThe mother had no previous convictions and had cooperated with the garda investigation. (rte.ie)
- otherThe daughter is now in foster care. (rte.ie)
- otherThe child was placed with a foster family. (gript.ie)
- otherThe accused had accepted that she intended to kill her daughter and herself. (gript.ie)
- otherThe defence relied on a special verdict due to the accused's mental state. (gript.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 15 Jun2026Mother jailed for nine years over attempted murder of daughter
Sentencing report. The judge set a headline sentence of 18½ years, reduced it to 12 years due to the defendant's bipolar affective disorder, and suspended the final three years, resulting in a nine-year custodial sentence backdated to March 2023.
convicted, 49, female, Russian, non-irishvictim, 8, female - 15 Jun2026Mother who stabbed daughter 70 times jailed for 9 years - Gript
Sentencing report for an attempted murder trial. The incident happened in September 2022, and the article does not name the town or county where it occurred.
victim, 11, femaleconvicted, female - 15 Jun2026Mother jailed for stabbing daughter more than 70 times
Sentencing report: nine-year custodial term backdated to March 2023, headline sentence of 18 years and six months reduced to 12 years, final three years suspended, and mitigating factors including mental health and cooperation with gardaí.
convicted, 49, female, Russian, non-irishvictim, 8, female - 27 Apr2026Mother who stabbed daughter (8) more than 70 times said ‘we will die together’
Sentencing-phase article: the court heard the victim impact statement from the girl (now in foster care), detailed trial evidence of the attack, and the judge remanded the convicted mother until 5 May 2026 for sentencing submissions.
victim, 8, femaleconvicted, 49, female, Russian, non-irish - 23 Jan2026Woman found guilty of attempted murder of her daughter (8) in stabbing attack
Reports the unanimous guilty verdict delivered by the jury at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick, with sentencing set for 2 March 2026.
victim, 8, femaleconvicted, female, Russian, non-irish - 14 Jan2026Court hears Garda found girl 'gasping for breath' after alleged knife attack by mother
Garda evidence from the ongoing trial: he found the girl gasping for breath and bleeding, the girl's injuries and the Garda's actions at the scene, and the mother's not guilty plea to one count of attempted murder.
victim, 8, femaleaccused, female - 14 Jan20268-year-old girl’s screams could be heard by neighbours during mother’s alleged knife attack
First report of the trial: the accused pleaded not guilty, a neighbour gave evidence, and a DVD interview of the girl with Gardaí was shown to the jury.
victim, 8, femaleaccused, female - 13 Jan2026Mother told daughter 'I'm going to kill you': Court hears harrowing interview of girl wounded in alleged knife attack by mother
Reports the trial evidence, including the girl's Garda interview played in court, the alleged weapon and wounds, and the accused's not guilty plea.
accused, femalevictim, 8, female - 13 Jan2026'She was going to kill me': Child, 8, gives evidence of alleged stabbing by mother
Trial report from the Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick. No existing case matches this mother and child. The article gives only the year 2022 and the region Mid-West for the incident, so the county is taken from the court location.
accused, femalevictim, 8, female - 12 Jan2026BREAKING: Mother allegedly stabbed daughter, aged 8, more than 70 times, Limerick court hears
Reports the start of the trial: the not guilty plea, the empanelling of the jury, the prosecution's opening account and the trial's continuation on 13 January 2026.
accused, female, Russian, non-irishvictim, 8, female