Teenager jailed for stabbing mother's partner

A teenager convicted of stabbing his mother’s partner with a boning knife was jailed for five and a half years at the Central Criminal Court this morning.

Andre Bastos (aged 18), was found guilty last week of the manslaughter of Claudio Fernandes (aged 33), on the main street in Duleek, Co Meath, on July 29 last year. He was found not guilty of murder.

Mr Justice Paul Carney said that a “highly aggravating factor” was that Bastos went to the scene of a row (with Mr Fernandes) “armed with a knife, and used it in such a fashion that it remained protruding from the dead man’s skull.”

“This would ordinarily place the crime in the higher end of the scale.”

Mr Justice Carney then went on to list the mitigating factors - Bastos’ youth and previous good behaviour, his co-operative attitude and an obligation to afford him the opportunity to reconstruct his life.

During the trial the court heard that Bastos arrived in Ireland from Brazil in January 2007, was living in a mobile-home in Bettystown, Co Meath, with his mother, and worked in a local meat factory.

His mother, Maura, and Mr Fernandes also worked there.

On the night of the killing Bastos and Mr Fernandes were in a pub in Duleek where Bastos was verbally abused by his mother’s partner. Bastos left the pub and went to a nearby house where other Brazilians were living.

He had disconnected a lead to the battery of Mr Fernandes’ car so he would not drive home without him.

Mr Fernandes arrived at the house and a row began with Bastos over the car not starting.

Bastos returned to the house and got a knife from the kitchen, concealed it in his pocket and returned outside.

He told gardaí his stepfather started chasing him again, was calling him names and then approached him and stood close to him.

For a couple of minutes the two were approximately two feet apart. Then he said Mr Fernandes went to punch him, he was scared and he stabbed him.

He told gardaí that he regretted what he did.

At the time of the stabbing he was thinking about how the dead man would beat his mother, he said.

The court heard that there was a history of domestic violence by Mr Fernandes against Bastos and particularly his mother. It was suggested that Mr Fernandes was prone to violent temper when drinking.

Bastos’ sentence will run from July 30, 2007.