Sentence of murder couple criticised

Sentence of murder couple criticised

4 July 2012

THE father of a young Newcastle man, murdered in a knife attack last year, has criticised the sentences handed down to the couple involved in his death.

David Kenneway must serve at least 13 years of a life sentence after admitting the murder of 18 year-old Paul Owens. Kenneway’s former partner, 21 year-old Lynsey Cahoon, received a three year suspended sentence for assisting an offender.

Mr. Owens died on February 26 last year after being stabbed by Kenneway during a scuffle on Bryansford Road. Afterwards Cahoon gave police a false deion of the killer and pointed them in the opposite direction to the laneway her partner escaped along. She also washed the knife and some of Kenneway’s clothes.

After the pair were sentenced in Belfast on Thursday, Mr. Sean Owens, said the 13 year minimum sentence handed out to Kenneway for the murder of his son was “not tough enough for the crime committed.”

He also strongly criticised the suspended sentence imposed on Cahoon.

Mr. Justice Stephens told Kenneway, who has 68 previous convictions, that he accepted he had not instigated the fatal altercation.

“You had been subjected to a vicious and sustained assault minutes before this incident occurred, the effects of that assault and its disorientation combined with your intoxication, the speed of events given the short period of time involved in the fatal altercation whilst you were sitting on the low wall and during which you reacted, the presence of some degree of verbal abuse and the spontaneous nature of the attack leads me to conclude that you intended to cause grievous bodily harm rather than to kill,” said the judge.

“The offence was not planned but rather it was committed spontaneously in circumstances where you had been attempting to leave the area without any intention of returning,” he continued.

“You were not looking for Paul Owens but rather you were sitting on this low wall recovering from the assault which had been perpetrated upon you. You were not responsible for this subsequent fatal encounter.

“I consider that your violent actions are typical of reactive/hostile aggression during a conflict rather than being a planned or predatory attack,” said Mr. Justice Stephens.

The judge told Cahoon that but for the “wholly exceptional” features to her case, she would have gone to prison.

He said he accepted she had given police a misleading description and tried to clean some of Kenneway’s clothing and the murder knife out of a “misplaced sense of loyalty” but that since then she had fully co-operated with police and expressed genuine and profound regret.

However, Mr. Sean Owens was particularly critical at the decision on Cahoon. Speaking to the Irish News after the hearing, he branded the sentence a “disgrace.”

He said Cahoon played a “major part” in his son’s death and while she will now be able to “move to Spain and start a new life” his family will have to rebuild their lives.

“Myself and Paul’s entire family are devastated at the outcome. We understand the judge was ruled by guidance on the sentencing of these people

“We know Paul will never be coming home an here in Newcastle he will never be forgotten.