'Please don't take my son away': Mother of Sandra Boyd begs judge not to jail son

Derek Boyd, 28, killed his 34-year-sister, Sandra Boyd, through an accidental discharge of a loaded semi-automatic pistol last March

Teresa Boyd, mother of both Sandra Boyd and Derek Boyd, leaving Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Monday after she read her victim impact statement at the sentence hearing for Derek Boyd. Picture: Collins Courts

The mother of a man who shot his sister in a tragic accident has begged a judge to let her son out of prison.

Derek Boyd, 28, told gardaí that by killing his 34-year-sister through an accidental discharge of a loaded semi-automatic pistol last March, he committed “an unpardonable sin” for which he will pay for the rest of his life.