Two brothers who stabbed a father of six to death in front of some of his children have both been given a life sentence for murder.
Warren Dumbrell (34) and Jeffrey Dumbrell (28), from Emmet Place, Inchicore, were unanimously found guilty of the murder of Christopher Cawley (36).
Mr Cawley died in front of the block of flats where he lived at Tyrone Place, Inchicore, on October 29th, 2006.
The jury of eight women and four men, sitting at the Central Criminal Court in Cloverhill, took six hours and eight minutes to find the men guilty. Warren Dumbrell was found not guilty of threatening to kill Janet Cawley, Mr Cawley's wife.
The mandatory sentence was imposed by Mr Justice Paul Carney. The court was told that Warren Dumbrell had 26 and his brother eight previous convictions. Both had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Cawley.
In her victim impact statement, Mrs Cawley said that all her children, who are aged between four and 16, had been traumatised by their father's death. "The children see no future without Christy," she said.
Mairead, the eldest daughter, dropped out of school while Janice (14), who also witnessed her father being murdered, was put on anti-depressants. Christopher (12) and Jordan (10) needed home tuition, Lorcan (7), who witnessed his father's death, did not speak for three months and Ryan (4), the youngest constantly asks when his father is coming home and when he is going to ring him. "If he sees a man like Christy, he thinks
it is him," she said.
Mrs Cawley said she too was on anti-depressants and had not worked since her husband was killed. She revealed that her husband had bought her an engagement ring on the day before he died and a box of make-up on the day that he died. "I haven't opened it before. I will now," she told the court.
Afterwards she said she was pleased with the verdict, but it would be difficult for her children to live with what happened.