Man (43) to be sentenced for manslaughter of mother of two in Mallow stabbing incident

A 43-year-old man has been remanded in custody for sentence after he pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a young mother of two.

Joseph Butler, of the Belfry, Bridewell Lane, Mallow, had been charged with the murder of 31-year-old Paula Canty at the Belfry, Bridewell Lane, Mallow on January 3rd, 2025.

However, his plea of manslaughter was accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Central Criminal Court in Cork was told.

Det Sgt Mícheál O’Regan of Mallow Garda station outlined the background to the killing after Paula Canty and her partner, Michael John Butler, and his brother, the accused, had been socialising at different houses in Mallow late on January 2nd.

All three had been drinking and returned at separate times to the apartment they shared at the Belfry. Joseph Butler returned home at 1.50am, his brother Michael John Butler at 2.21am, and Paula Canty at 2.31am.