A woman has been sentenced to five years in prison for the fatal stabbing of her partner in Dublin.
Ann Phelan, of Aylward Green, Finglas, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 46-year-old David Ennis at an apartment in Ballyfermot in the early hours of November 8, 2022. While initially charged with murder, her plea to the lesser charge was accepted on the basis that she was acting in self-defence but had used excessive force.
During the trial, the court heard that Phelan claimed she feared for her life on the night of the incident. She told gardaí that Mr Ennis had been behaving aggressively in the days leading up to his death, following a fall from a balcony that resulted in a head injury. She said he "wasn’t in his right mind" and that she believed he was going to kill her that night.
When officers arrived at the scene, Phelan had blood on her hands and clothes. Ennis was found lying dead on the bedroom floor, with a small kitchen knife wrapped in bedding nearby.
In a letter of apology to his family, Phelan expressed deep remorse, saying she was heartbroken and "tortured" by what had happened, describing the fatal altercation as a "tragic accident."
Today, the 51-year-old was sentenced to five years in prison, with the judge acknowledging the circumstances of the case but concluding that excessive force had been used against an unarmed man.
