Ireland Woman's sentence for fatal Kingswood stabbing upheld on appeal
On February 25th, 2020, Gareth Kelly (38), a man, was stabbed five times outside Christina Anderson's (41), a woman's, home in Kingswood, Dublin 22, during what the State accepted was a psychotic episode, and the two had never met. The prosecution said Anderson walked away after the first stabbing, then came back and stabbed him again. Anderson was initially charged with murder, and in January 2023 the DPP accepted her guilty plea to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility due to a mental disorder. Reports differ on the sentence, with one saying 11 years with the final three suspended and another describing an eight-year sentence. In February 2024 the Court of Appeal dismissed all grounds of appeal against the sentence and held it proportionate.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced13 Feb
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Christina Anderson stabbed Gareth Kelly to death outside her home during a psychotic episode.
- Gareth Kelly was stabbed five times in total.
- The prosecution said Anderson walked away after stabbing Kelly, then came back and stabbed him again.
- Where
- The stabbing happened outside Anderson's home in Brownsbarn Wood, Kingswood, Dublin 22.
- When
- The attack happened on February 25th, 2020.
- Cause
- Anderson had an ongoing aggravation about people using the parking space where Kelly had left his car overnight.
- The State accepted Anderson was experiencing a psychotic episode due to bipolar affective disorder.
- Other details
- Anderson had never met Kelly and had no previous convictions.
- Charges
- Anderson was initially charged with murder and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
- In court
- In January 2023, more than a month into her trial, the DPP accepted her guilty plea to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility due to a mental disorder.
- In February 2024 the Court of Appeal dismissed all grounds of appeal and held the sentence proportionate.
- Sentence
- The headline sentence for manslaughter without the mental disorder would have been 20 years, reduced to 13 years.
- Sources differ: one says the sentence was reduced to 11 years with the final three suspended for four years, while the Irish Times lead describes an eight-year sentence.
14 statements extracted from the articles
- whatThe woman stabbed a man to death outside her home during a psychotic episode. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe victim was stabbed five times in total. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe prosecution said the woman walked away after stabbing the victim, then came back and stabbed him again. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe stabbing happened outside the woman's home in Kingswood, Dublin 22. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe attack happened on February 25th, 2020. (irishtimes.com)
- causeThe woman had an ongoing aggravation about people using the parking space where the victim had left his car overnight. (irishtimes.com)
- causeThe State accepted the woman was experiencing a psychotic episode due to bipolar affective disorder. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe woman was initially charged with murder. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe DPP accepted a guilty plea to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility due to a mental disorder. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe Court of Appeal dismissed all grounds of appeal and held the sentence was proportionate. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe headline sentence for manslaughter without the mental disorder would have been 20 years, reduced to 13 years. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe sentencing judge reduced the sentence to 11 years and suspended the final three for four years. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe woman had never met the victim. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe woman had no previous convictions. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 13 Feb2024Woman jailed for fatally stabbing stranger who parked outside her home fails in sentence appeal
Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal against sentence. The article says the sentence was reduced to 11 years with the final three suspended for four years, although its lead describes an eight-year sentence.
victim, Gareth Kelly, 38, male, irish (judged from name)Gareth Kellyconvicted, Christina Anderson, 41, female, named, irish (judged from name)Christina Anderson