Mother's murder left irreplaceable void, court hears

The son of murdered Dublin woman Lisa Thompson has said her death has left an "irreplaceable void".

He was speaking as Ms Thompson's killer, 40-year-old Brian McHugh, was given a life sentence on Monday.

McHugh, of Cairn Court in Ballymun, was found guilty last month of murdering the 52-year-old in May 2022.

Ms Thompson was stabbed 11 times in the chest and strangled with a blind cord at her home in Ballymun.

On Monday a court heard victim impact statements from Ms Thompson's family, including from her two children, who were 12 and 13 when their mother was murdered.

Her son said her murder had left a ripple of pain throughout the entire family.

Her daughter told McHugh that he had not just taken their mother's life but had taken her own and her brother's whole world.

She said half of their hearts went with their mother.

Ashley Duckett, Ms Thompson's sister, told the court that Lisa had been in a dark place before her death, but that was not a reflection on how she lived her life.

The trial had heard evidence that Ms Thompson had been dealing prescription drugs from her home and that she had been in a brief relationship with McHugh.

McHugh's DNA was found on the cord and he was seen on CCTV footage in the early hours of the morning on 9 May 2022 approaching Ms Thompson's house.

Outside court, Ms Thompson's friends Susan Browne and Samantha McCormack paid tribute to a woman they described as a wonderful mother and a neighbour with a heart of gold.

Ms Justice Karen O'Connor imposed the mandatory life sentence on McHugh.

She said Ms Thompson's friends and family had conducted themselves with extraordinary dignity, despite the devastating and heartbreaking evidence about her violent death in horrific and brutal circumstances.

The judge said Ms Thompson's love for her children was palpable in the evidence heard throughout the trial.