A 53 year old man who admitted killing his partner Helen Donegan and dumping her body in the boot of a car, has been jailed for 7 years.
The mother of one, who’s immediate family live in Kildysart in West Clare, died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Bernard Curran of The Weir, Lucan, Dublin pleaded guilty to the 30 year old’s manslaughter at their apartment in Celbridge, Co Kildare in May 2010.
The Central Criminal Court heard the car mechanic shot his partner accidentally, as she tried to stop him from taking his own life. It took detectives seven weeks to find her body.
Referring to the cover-up, Mr Justice Paul Carney said it was difficult to imagine a more callous treatment of the victim’s family.
Speaking after the sentencing Ms Donegan’s aunt Caroline O’Connor, describes how they looked after Helen’s killer in the seven weeks before detectives found her body:
