Judge jails Cork man for 10 years for callous killing of Paula Canty

The sentencing judge said: 'Paula Canty was a vulnerable person, and was much smaller and physically weaker than Joseph Butler.'

The judge said that although some of Joseph Butler's previous convictions were historical, they nonetheless demonstrated that he had a history of violence. File picture: Larry Cummins

The callous killing of a young and vulnerable mother-of-two by a much bigger, stronger man who plunged a knife more than 11 centimetres into her chest resulted in a 12-year sentence being imposed on Friday on her killer, with the last two years of the sentence suspended.

43-year-old Joseph Butler of the Belfry, Bridewell Lane, Mallow, was originally charged with murder but the DPP accepted his plea of guilty to manslaughter whereby he unlawfully killed 31-year-old Paula Canty at the Belfry, Bridewell Lane, Mallow, County Cork, on January 3, 2025.

Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said the appropriate headline sentence was one of 14 years but this was mitigated to 12 years because of his background, his apology and most significantly because of his plea of guilty. 

The judge then imposed the sentence of 12 years but with the last two years of that sentence suspended on condition that he keeps the peace and is of good behaviour for two years after his release from serving the 10 years.

The judge said that the accounts given to gardaí by the accused man of the killing occurring accidentally in a tussle where he claimed that he took the knife from her, were not credible in the context of the evidence, particularly the evidence of the pathologist.

“His account was that he grabbed a knife from her during a struggle and that it was an accident. He indicated that he didn’t feel guilty because it was an accident and he didn’t know she was dead until later when he got a phone call from his niece.

“The accused’s versions of events were inconsistent with the post-mortem and the blood-spatter analysis by forensic scientists. The blood pooling indicates that the deceased bled heavily at that location.

“Paula Canty was a vulnerable person, and was much smaller and physically weaker than Joseph Butler. 

It is not credible that she posed a danger to him that required him to plunge a knife 11.5 centimetres into her chest. 

"He left the apartment and there was no call to the emergency services. This demonstrates a callousness,” Ms Justice Creedon said.

The judge referred to the powerful victim impact evidence from family members and said she could only imagine their grief and the hole left in their lives by the absence of their loved one.

The judge said that although some of the defendant’s previous convictions were historical, they nonetheless demonstrated that he had a history of violence.

Detective Sergeant Mícheál O’Regan testified that assistant state pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster found one single stab wound to the chest which was 11.5 cm deep and concluded that Ms Canty died as a result of haemorrhage and shock. The weapon was a long sharply pointed kitchen knife which was found discarded in a laneway in the town.

The deceased was in a relationship with Joseph Butler’s brother and they had all been drinking together earlier with another woman. The defendant claimed that the stabbing occurred during a scuffle and that Ms Canty was still alive when he left the apartment. 

However, Det. Sgt O’Regan said this claim was inconsistent with the evidence, including the blood patterning found at the scene, which indicated that she would have fallen forward on her face in the instant that she was stabbed.

The detective said Joseph Butler was texting a female friend in the moments afterwards about what happened. Hours later he was texting the same woman to say: “Delete everything. Something bad is after happening”. Detectives were able to recover the deleted communications from both phones.

Joseph Butler's testimony

When questioned by gardaí, he said it was an accident and that he didn’t even know she was dead when he left the apartment. He also said at interview with Detective Garda Aidan Long: “If I did it, it was an accident. She was a friend, family… 

"Back at the house, myself and Michael were fighting, throwing boxes, missing more than we hit. I was calling Paula bad words, bringing up her past. Paula pulled a knife, there was a struggle. I pushed Paula away and grabbed the knife. There was an accident over the struggle… 

"I left with the knife. Paula was grand when I left. I went up Chinese Lane and threw the knife away on the grass. It had to happen in the struggle.” 

The defendant asked Det. Garda Long: “Would you feel guilty if you murdered someone?” Det. Garda Long replied that he would. Joseph Butler then said after this exchange: “I don’t feel guilty. It was an accident, she’s family. I didn’t know she was dead until I got a phone call at 10.30am from my niece.” 

The knife was found on Jones Lane in Mallow when gardaí searched for it. Joseph Butler told them roughly where he had thrown it away.

Mr Butler had over 50 previous convictions, including three for assault, two for assault causing harm, one for having a knife or other article, one for aggravated burglary, two for making threats to kill, eight for theft and 20 public order convictions.

Paula Canty's mother heartbroken mother, Sinéad Canty, said she was 'snatched from us in the prime of her youth'.

Prosecution senior counsel, Donal O’Sullivan, said the DPP put sentencing in the range of 10 to 15 years for this manslaughter.

Ray Boland, defence senior counsel, said the fatality came from a single wound and the main mitigating factor was the plea of guilty to manslaughter. 

“He is a man with many difficulties in his past. He grew up in an environment of violence and addiction. He has genuine remorse for the tragic death of Ms Canty, backed up by his plea of guilty,” Mr Boland said.

Victim impact

Detective Garda Anne Flynn read victim impact statements on behalf of members of Paula Canty’s family.

The late Paul Canty’s sister, Rianna Thorpe, described how the family were left in January 2025 to organise her funeral on days when they should have been organising her 32nd birthday.

Her heartbroken mother, Sinéad Canty, said she was “snatched from us in the prime of her youth”. Her brother, Darragh Canty, said a monster of a man had brutally stabbed her and left her to die alone.