Judge to rule on Pinder sentencing next week

A judge will rule next week on whether to take the gruesome disposal of a body into account in sentencing a 47-year-old man for killing his fiancée’s father.

Liverpool man Colin Pinder killed 43-year-old Bernard Brian McGrath 23 years ago in Co Westmeath.

He then buried his body, dug it up, burned it and reburied it in the victim’s back garden, where it lay undiscovered for several years.

A Central Criminal Court jury found Pinder guilty of manslaughter following a trial in July.

He had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter between March 10 and April 18, 1987 at the victim’s home in Lower Coole, Westmeath.

His co-accused and wife of the deceased, Vera McGrath, was found guilty of her husband’s murder and jailed for life.

At his sentencing hearing this morning, the prosecution argued that Pinder’s conduct after the killing should be seen as an aggravating factor and taken into consideration in sentencing him.

Dominic McGinn BL said the effect the cover-up had on the victim’s family should also be taken into account.

He also said that Pinder should not receive a reduction in sentence due to the delay in prosecution. This was a reasonable delay due to the difficulties in identifying the victim’s remains in 1993 before the discovery of DNA identification.

Cathal McGreal BL, defending, argued that DNA evidence was not needed to prosecute his client, who had admitted the killing and disposal when first confronted in 1993.

There had also been murder prosecutions without any body, he added.

Mr McGreal said it would be unfair to treat the cover-up as aggravating when Pinder’s co-participant in the aftermath was not facing any charges.

He was referring to Pinder’s then fiancée Veronica McGrath, who was the chief prosecution witness.

Mr Justice John Edwards pointed out that there was no evidence that Ms McGrath did any more than cover up blood, very different to the cutting up and incineration of the body.

Mr McGreal said there were questions about her credibility and it would never be known what the jury accepted.

Mr Justice Edwards will give his decision next week before passing sentence.