Man sentenced to life for murder of Dublin mum Jennifer Poole

He pleaded guilty earlier this month.

A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his partner last year. Gavin Murphy attacked and stabbed Jennifer Poole to death at her home in Melville Drive in Finglas on 17 April 2021. The 24-year-old mum-of-two was stabbed seven times and pronounced dead later in hospital. Mr. Murphy pleaded guilty to murder earlier this month. The court heard that he and Ms Poole had been in a relationship since the previous May and were having "ongoing difficulties," The Independent reports. He had a history of violence against women and was previously jailed for two years for attacking an ex-partner and her mother with a knife in 2015. On the night of the incident, Ms Poole's young son, who was outside in a car at the time, could hear his mother's cries for help. A friend tried to break down the door during the attack as Ms Poole screamed at her to help, but was unsuccessful. Imposing the life sentence, Mr Justice Paul Burns said that this was "yet another case of a violent attack upon a young woman" by a male partner.