Partner of murdered woman claims ‘miscarriage of justice’

The partner of a woman stabbed to death by her teenage son told an inquest into her death on Monday she should still be alive but for “a miscarriage of justice”.

Michael Kelly told the coroner for Mayo, Patrick O'Connor and a jury that Noreen Kelly (46) pleaded for help for her son at a district court hearing three weeks before her death on March 9th, 2011 on the grounds that he was "sick".

Mr Kelly said his partner, a single mother from Islandeady, Castlebar, accompanied her son, Celyn Eadon, to the court where he faced a charge of not turning up in court.

He added that the judge sentenced Mr Eadon to 10 days in prison and ordered that a pyschiatric evaluation be carried out. After the killing, it emerged the warrant had been lost.

He had wanted to put this to the jury at Mr Eadon's subsequent trial in the Central Criminal Court, but both the prosecution and defence thought the matter was not relevant.

“It’s a miscarriage of justice,” Mr Kelly said. “She (Noreen) should still be here”.

Celyn Eadon, who was 19 at the time he murdered his mother, stabbing her 19 times, is serving a life sentence. Last May his appeal against his conviction was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

The eight-day trial at the Central Criminal Court heard Eadon had begun taking drugs at an early age and by the time of his mother’s death he was taking amphetamines, methamphetamines and cannabis along with prescription medication.

The court was told that Ms Kelly had taken drugs from her son’s bedroom and burnt them on the evening before she died.

The coroner told Mr Kelly that the powers of an inquest were very limited. Mr O’Connor explained that the court could not make any determination in relation to liabillity, culpability or responsibility.

A seven-person inquest jury returned a verdict of murder.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Mr O’Connor said words could not express the horror of what had happened.

“To die suddenly is always a great tragedy but to die as a result of someone’s actions is the greatest tragedy of all.”