Pair get life for Dublin murder

A man and a woman were jailed for life tonight after being convicted of the murder of the woman's former partner in Dublin in May 2000.

Ms Jacqui Noble (aged 38), Knowth Court and Mr Paul Hopkins (aged 24) Sillogue Road, Ballymun, Dublin had denied murdering Derek Benson (aged 33) at his flat at Sandy Hill Avenue, Ballymun on May 13, 2000.

After seven hours of deliberations at the Central Criminal Court, the jury of seven men and five women returned a unanimous verdict of guilty of murder. Mr Justice Henry Abbott imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.

Two female jurors were in tears and two males jurors visibly upset as the verdict was read out. Jacqui Noble also cried while her sisters, relatives and neighbours and Mr Hopkins family sobbed at the back of the court.

During the 30-day trial, the jury heard evidence of extreme physical, sexual and emotional abuse by the deceased against Jacqui Noble over a 14-year period.

However, after lenghty legal argument, trial judge Mr Justice Henry Abbott refused to allow the jury consider the defence of provocation.

After the verdict, Ms Mary Ellen Ring, SC for Jacqui Noble, asked the trial judge Mr Justice Henry Abbott to hear sworn evidence "on the background to this case" for the purpose of sending it to the Executive. "Clearly there are matters I would be anxious that others would have available to them." The judge agreed and set the date for next Thursday.

During the trial, Jacqui Noble took the stand and told the jury how her former partner used his fists, feet and objects to beat her. She turned her face from the court as she outlined in graphic detail, acts of depravity carried out by Benson after he tied her to a chair or a bed.

The court also heard allegations of sexual abuse on her young daughter by Mr Benson, the child's father. In 1993, the girl was assessed in St Claire's Unit, Temple Street, which deals with suspected child abuse victims. She was five or six when the alleged abuse took place. The court heard subsequently the gardaí were called in but the child withdrew the complaint, allegedly after Derek Benson "got at her".

The jury heard medical evidence showing that Jacqui Noble has been treated in hospital for injuries consistent with beatings, including fractured ribs and extensive bruising. In 1997, she secured a barring order against him but he breached it. Ms Noble’s sister Wendy Dalton and neighbour Claie Kealy also gave evidence of having witnessed severe assaults by Benson on Jacqui Noble.

In evidence, Garda Sinead Magee said that Derek Benson attempted to knock her down the stairs of the Bridewell after she arrested him for breaching the barring order taken out by Ms Noble.

Psychiatric and psychological evidence in Ms Noble’s defence was ruled inadmissible by the trial judge. After lenghty legal argument the judge also ruled out the defence of provocation.

The prosecution case was that Jacqui Noble asked Paul Hopkins to kill Derek Benson and agreed a sum of between €3,000 and €5,000. Both accused rejected this.

In his evidnce, Paul Hopkins told the court that he had been bullied, threatened and assaulted by Derek Benson on a number of occasions over four years. When Benson threatened his girlfriend, Lisa Moorehouse, and their baby daughter that he would burn them after he "was finished with them" he took as a threat that he intended to rape them.

The prosecution contended that Mr Benson’s violence was not a justification for murder.

In releasing the jury, Mr Justice Abbott exempted them from further service for five years. He refused leave for a certificate to appeal on behalf of both accused.