Inquest into death of Laytown stab victim

THE sister of Laytown stab victim Emma McLoughlin told an inquest last week that she tried to warn her sister about the knife but was too late.

The 19-year-old mother of two, from Alverno Heights, Laytown, died on 2nd June last year after she was stabbed once following a row outside Pat's Supermarket in the village.

The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter last Thursday on the direction of Louth County Coroner Ronan Maguire, who told them, by law, they must not return one at variance with the verdict of the criminal courts.

Kelly Noble (21), from Sea View, Laytown, was convicted in March of manslaughter arising out of the stabbing and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, with the final two years suspended.

The inquest heard from Emma McLoughlin's sister, Shona, who said, in a deposition, that Emma had spotted Kelly Noble going into the supermarket with her son. She went in after her and an argument broke out. They hit each other and were both asked to leave.

Another row erupted outside. Shona McLoughlin said: “I was told Kelly had a knife and went to tell Emma but, as I did, I saw Kelly's hand coming towards her. Emma fell on top of me bleeding. I caught her and tried to clean the blood off.”

Shona McLoughlin added: “She was staring ahead but I knew she'd been stabbed. I stayed with her until the ambulance came and took her away.”

The inquest heard from Eimear O'Reilly Gilna, a nurse at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, who helped an ambulance crew administer CPR and tried to keep the public back from the scene. She said Emma McLoughlin's pupils were fixed and dilated and she saw the stab would on the left side of Emma's chest.

Sgt Seamus Burke of Laytown Garda station told the jury that a large kitchen knife had been used in the stabbing.

Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Michael Curtis, who performed a post mortem examination, said the knife caused a single 19.5cm long stab wound to the left chest and the cause of death was this penetrating chest wound. He explained that it had damaged the victim's airway and aorta.

The coroner said that he normally left the verdict open to the jury but, in this case, he had to direct them to bring in a verdict of manslaughter in line with the findings of the trial jury.

He added that, in such a case, the verdict could not be at variance with the findings of a criminal court.

Meanwhile, the young woman who gave killer Kelly Noble the knife used to fatally stab Emma McLoughlin was last week given a 12-month suspended sentence.

Niamh Cullen (19) of The Walk, Inse Bay, Laytown, admitted possession of the knife at Pat's Supermarket, Laytown, on 2nd June last year.

Judge Flann Brennan at Drogheda Court said he believed the defendant had no idea the knife would be used to inflict a fatal wound on Emma McLoughlin. The court had previously heard Cullen was babysitting for Kelly Noble when Noble rang her and asked her to bring a knife to the supermarket.

The defendant brought the knife there in a schoolbag, having been told by Noble that she had been assaulted by a group of young people outside the premises. She believed the knife would simply be waved around and she would get her friend away from the danger.

Cullen had apologised to the McLoughlin family at a previous sitting and said she had learned a salutary lesson. The events had a profound effect on her, just like all those involved.