Sentencing for manslaughter of mother of two adjourned because of solicitors' strike

Olivia Kelleher

Sentencing of a man who pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a Cork mother of two has been adjourned until October, arising out of difficulties caused by the solicitors' strike.

Joseph Butler (43), who is originally from Midleton, Co Cork, previously pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Paula Canty (31) in Mallow, Co Cork on January 3rd, 2025.

He had previously been charged with the murder of Canty, contrary to common law, at the Belfry, Bridewell Lane in Mallow.

The native of Kinsale, Co Cork died three days before her 32nd birthday.

In April of this year at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork, Donal O’Sullivan, for the Prosecution, said that a plea of manslaughter was acceptable to the State.

At that time he asked that a probation report be prepared in advance of the sentencing hearing. Last month O'Sullivan told the court that the probation report was available and the case was ready to be finalised.

The sentencing hearing was due to take place today at the Central Criminal Court in Cork. However, defence barrister Ray Boland, said that he did not have instructions in the case.

The situation has arisen because of the strike by solicitors over legal aid.

Judge Siobhan Lankford adjourned the case for finalisation on October 5th next.

Meanwhile, Canty was pronounced dead in an upper-storey rented flat in Mallow in January 2025.

A postmortem examination was carried out at Cork University Hospital by Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster.

The investigation was then formally upgraded to a murder probe.

An inquest in July of last year heard that Canty suffered haemorrhage and shock after she sustained a stab wound to the thorax.

Cork Coroner’s Court briefly opened the inquest into the death of a native of Kinsale in the county. Dr Bolster carried out a postmortem on the deceased on the 4th of January, 2025, in the morgue in Cork city.

Mourners at her funeral in St John the Baptist Church in Kinsale, Co Cork on January 11th, 2025 last heard that Paula was creative with a “kind heart” and had a “soft, pleasant nature.”

Fr Robert Young said that no parent should have to suffer the loss of a child.

“To lose a son or daughter is a particular kind of grief. It is not the natural scheme of things that a son or daughter would die before their parent. It is certainly not the natural scheme of things that a parent would have to experience the murder of a son or daughter.”

All those who mourned the deceased were asked to donate to Street Angels, a homeless outreach group in Cork, and to drug and alcohol treatment centre Coolmine.

Her mother Sinead also raised thousands of euro for the Street Angels homeless outreach service following an online appeal.