A 34-year-old Dublin man has been handed a life sentence for murdering his ex-girlfriend in her home in Arklow, Co Wicklow just before Christmas 2019.
Nadine Lott died in hospital three days after Daniel Murtagh, of Melrose Grove, Bawnogue, Clondalkin, attacked her after she came home from a family night out.
He claimed he didn’t mean to kill her and blamed the amount of drugs and alcohol he’d taken that night for what happened.
At today’s sentence hearing, Nadine’s mother delivered a very powerful victim impact statement.
In front of a sea of friends and family wearing black face masks with Nadine’s name emblazoned in bright pink across the front, Claire Lott spoke of her love for her eldest daughter – the popular one was how she described her. Caring and funny too. A hard-working problem solver.
She spoke of the horror and carnage she witnessed when she entered Nadine’s home in the early hours of Dec 14th 2019 after receiving the dreaded call.
She didn't mention Daniel Murtagh by name, but she described what he did as “monstrous, evil and the devil’s work”. She described every minute of her life since Nadine was taken from her as struggle – a never-ending nightmare.
Reporting by Frank Greaney
