The sentencing of Kelly Noble, who was convicted of the manslaughter of a teenage mother of two outside a supermarket last year, has been adjourned.
Noble (21), also a mother of two, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Emma McLoughlin (19), who was stabbed in the chest in Laytown, Co Meath, on June 2nd, 2006. However, on March 21st this year, a Central Criminal Court jury found her guilty of manslaughter.
Noble, from Seaview in Laytown, was also found guilty of a second charge of unlawfully producing a knife in the course of a dispute or a fight, in a manner likely to intimidate or inflict serious injury.
During the sentencing hearing yesterday, Sgt Séamus Burke told Anthony Sammon SC, prosecuting, that Noble's remorse was "forthcoming" from the time of her arrest.
He agreed that Noble's upbringing in Ballymun by her two heroin-addicted parents had been "fairly horrendous". In 2000, when Noble was 14 years of age, her father was murdered, and her mother, Jacqui Noble, is serving a life sentence for conspiracy in relation to his death.
Noble was taken into foster care, afterwards moving to a council house in Laytown, where she lived after the birth of her two children.
In his submissions to the court, Michael O'Higgins, defending, said that Noble wanted to apologise for the "substantial and devastating loss" suffered by the family of the deceased.
He also urged the judge to take into consideration Noble's early guilty plea of manslaughter.
Ms McLoughlin's family did not wish to speak in court, but Sgt Burke read into evidence victim impact statements on their behalf.
In general, he said, her family had been "traumatised" by the loss. Emma's two children, Jack (2) and Holly (5), are in foster care, as Emma's mother, Margaret, had been too ill since the killing to care for them.
Thomas McLoughlin described how the loss of his daughter had resulted in a "huge hole" in his heart, "a hole which can never be filled". Her mother, Margaret McLoughlin, described the day Emma died as the "worst day" of her life. "Not a day goes by without thinking of her or talking about her. I can never come to terms with the loss," she said.
Her sister, Shona, described Emma as "a lovely sister and good friend, " and said that she missed their "chats and laughs".
Mr Justice Barry White adjourned the sentencing until May 24th.