Woman gets 'Get Out of Jail Free Card' after conviction for disposal of husband's body

A woman has been handed an 18-month prison sentence for helping to dispose of her husband's body in Co. Westmeath in 1987.

However, Vera McGrath of Fordstown in Navan, Co. Meath, will not serve any of it because of what was described in court as a "Get Out of Jail Free Card".

During today's sentence hearing, Mr Justice Paul Carney said he felt "physically ill" after hearing about Brian McGrath's gruesome death in 1987.

His was considered the first successful cold case murder conviction when his wife was found guilty over 20 years later.

However, that conviction was overturned on appeal and at the end of last month Vera McGrath pleaded guilty to a charge of helping to dispose of the body.

The court heard Mr McGrath was beaten to death at the family home in Coole, Co. Westmeath sometime between March 16, 1987 and April 18, 1987.

In July 2010, Vera's former son-in-law Colin Pinder was convicted of his manslaughter just days before she was found guilty of murder.

The court heard that Vera helped bury the body and dispose of his bones after setting them alight and crushing them.

Today, the 65-year-old was handed an 18-month sentence, but was given what was described in court as a "Get Out of Jail Free Card", because of the time spent behind bars for the overturned murder conviction.