Cork man jailed for ten years for killing Paula Canty

A judge has sentenced 43-year-old Joseph Butler to 12 years in prison with the final two years suspended for the manslaughter of Paula Canty, the Irish Examiner, Irish Times, and thejournal.ie reported. Butler stabbed the 31-year-old mother of two at an apartment in the Belfry, Bridewell Lane, in Mallow, County Cork, on January 3, 2025. [1][2][3]

Butler was initially charged with murder, but the Director of Public Prosecutions accepted his guilty plea to manslaughter, according to the Irish Examiner, Irish Times, and thejournal.ie. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Canty died from a single knife wound to the chest. [1][2][3][10]

The Irish Examiner reported that Butler plunged a knife more than 11 centimetres into her chest. The Irish Times noted the blade went more than 11 centimetres deep, while thejournal.ie reported the depth as 11.5 centimetres. The judge stated that Butler demonstrated callousness by leaving the apartment after stabbing Canty and leaving her to die on the floor, the Irish Times and thejournal.ie reported. [1][2][3]

The judge described Canty as a vulnerable person who was much smaller and physically weaker than Butler, according to the Irish Examiner. The judge added that while some of Butler's previous convictions were historical, they showed a history of violence. [1]