FOUR MEN have been sentenced to 10 years each in jail for trying to dispose of the body of murdered Wexford mother of two Rebecca French (30) by setting fire to her remains in the boot of her car after she was beaten to death.
Three of the men had a portion of their sentences suspended provided they return to their native Lithuania and Poland when released from jail. The fourth, who is Irish, also had part of his sentence suspended at yesterday’s sitting of the Central Criminal Court.
Rebecca French was found dead in the boot of her burning Opel Corsa on Friday, October 9th, 2009, on the side of the road on the outskirts of Wexford town.
The State believes she was beaten to death after having gone to a party in the house of one of the defendants at Ard na Dara, Clonard, Wexford, on the afternoon she was killed.
Mr Justice Barry White said one or more of the four men before the court were responsible for “brutally and savagely” killing Ms French, but enjoyed a presumption of innocence. All four had pleaded guilty to impeding the investigation. Mr Justice White said the maximum 10-year sentence he could impose was not long enough.
“It seems to me there is little if any room for distinguishing between the four of you,” he told the men. “You showed no respect for Rebecca French after she died. You disposed of her body in a manner not befitting an animal.”
The Lithuanian defendants, Ricardas Dilys (28) and Ruslanas Mineikas (26), of Goodtide Harbour and formerly of Davitt Road South, both Wexford town, were last month put on trial for Ms French’s murder, pleading not guilty. The murder charges were dropped when a legal issue arose which meant their admissions in Garda custody could not be used against them. They then pleaded guilty to the lesser crime for which they were sentenced yesterday.
The other men, Patrick O’Connor (41) of Ard na Dara, Clonard, and Polish man Piotr Pasiak (27), Lower John Street, Wexford, had already pleaded guilty to impeding the investigation.
Mr Justice White noted that Mineikas had said he was sick with guilt during a Garda interview.
He imposed the maximum sentence and suspended the final two years in the case of Mineikas, Dilys and O’Connor, and the final 2½ years in the case of Pasiak, who had no previous convictions. He said the conditions were that the three foreign men volunteer to return to their own countries after their sentences and not return to this jurisdiction.
“The maximum sentence is not half long enough in my view,” Mr Justice White said. “There should be a maximum sentence of 20 years,” he added, describing the behaviour of the defendants as “despicable”.
The judge passed sentence only after hearing the DPP was happy for him to do so. He had adjourned sentencing due to comments in a highly critical victim impact statement read in court last month. The DPP believed no right-minded person would think Mr Justice White had been swayed by the statement, said Mary Ellen Ring, prosecuting.