Mum-of-three who stabbed and killed former lover in Wicklow is jailed

Mr Justice Paul McDermott emphasized that the evidence suggests the victim, Juris Viktorovs, was not a threat, pointing out that Nicola Brennan had no provocation to stab him. He described the incident as one of 'chaos' resulting from excessive drinking, not a 'blameless accident', highlighting the reckless nature of introducing a weapon into a safe environment. The tragic impact of this incident on the victim's family is profound and devastating.

The judge noted that while Brennan exhibited remorse and made substantial efforts toward rehabilitation, this did not excuse the severity of her actions. He remarked that her accounts tended to 'minimise' her responsibility and attributed part of the incident to intoxication and a 'lack of consequential thinking'. The circumstances surrounding the stabbing were seen as both tragic and preventable.

Read at Irish Independent