Carlow man gets 14 years for manslaughter

A 22-year-old Carlow man has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for the manslaughter of a teenage father-of-one he stabbed to death in a row in Carlow town in 2001.

Passing sentence on John Dillon at the Central Criminal Court today Mr Justice Barry White said a “loud and clear message must go forth” that the use of knives for violence will not be tolerated.

“As a result of your actions a young infant girl is left bereft of the support, companionship and affection of her father,” he told Dillon.

Dillon of Granby Row, Carlow was convicted of the manslaughter of Warren Slater (17) at Granby Row, Carlow on May 13, 2001 by a unanimous jury verdict one month ago.

Dillon stood sombrely in court as sentence was imposed. Mr Justice White continued to say that while the minimum sentence he sought to impose was 20 years, he took into account Dillon’s “relative youth”, his low intellect and the remorse he had shown.

Det Sgt James Ryan told the court that Dillon, who was originally from Drogheda, moved to Carlow when he was released from a short term in prison for larceny and burglary.

Dillon admitted attacking Slater but claimed he acted in self-defense and was provoked by Mr Slater, who had allegedly tried to rape his mother some weeks before the fatal incident.

Mr Slater choked on his own blood after being stabbed three times by Dillon in a row outside his home. When arrested by the gardai, Dillon said he thought Mr Slater had a knife behind his back and that he was going to stab him or his mother.

"He came at me, I thought he was going to stab me. I didn't mean to stab him...I will go to jail, I did not mean to kill him," he said.

During the nine-day trial the court heard evidence from Ms Louise Heary, the deceased’s girlfriend that Dillon got involved in a row with her boyfriend in the early hours of May 13 after she'd asked him to accompany her across the road where Mr Slater was at a party.

At this time of Mr Slater's death Ms Heary lived with him and their six-month old baby girl in a downstairs bedsit of the same house in which Mr Dillon lived with his mother Noeleen and his sister, Cathy.

The couple had a row earlier in the evening and although Dillon was hesitant in going with her, he told the court that he agreed to because she "insisted".

In his evidence to the court Dillon said that when Warren Slater emerged from the house a "shouting match" developed between the couple. Then, when Warren saw him "he kind of started with me straight away then, because of what happened with my mother", he said.

Ms Noeleen Dillon, the mother of John Dillon told the trial that she was "nearly being raped" by Warren Slater a couple of weeks before the stabbing.

She said that Warren Slater mentioned the alleged attempted rape during the row with her son on the street on the night of May 13, 2001.