Injuries to 'beloved' Lisa Thompson by ex like 'horror movie', teen daughter tells court
Alison O’Riordan
The fatal injuries to mother-of-two Lisa Thompson, who was strangled with a blind cord and stabbed to death in her own home by her former lover, have been described by the victim's young daughter as like those "which could only be seen in horror movies".
Ms Thompson's teenage daughter also told the Central Criminal Court on Monday in her victim impact statement that she will never forget repeat offender Brian McHugh's "face or evil eyes" and that his name will "haunt" her for the rest of her life.
She added: "You went in that night and brutally killed her, left her there to die and then robbed her of what she owned...We lost our mam to someone we thought we could trust. Someone that played with us and once laughed and joked with us in the same home you took my mam's life".
"All that me and my brother have left are memories and photos of her. If we want to talk to her we have to visit a patch of grass and just be reminded of what you have done to our mother," she continued.
The testimony was heard as part of three emotional victim impact statements read today to the Central Criminal Court, where Brian McHugh (40) was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murdering 52-year-old Lisa Thompson.
The sentence was backdated to July 11th, 2022, when he went into custody.
In the three statements, delivered to the sentencing court by Ms Thompson's sister Ashley Duckett, she said the family had been in the courtroom for the last month listening to "many things" regarding the deceased.
"Lisa was a mother, daughter, sister and a wonderful auntie. I know she was in a dark place before her death but that is not a reflection on how she lived her life. We shared many happy memories and laughs along the way.
"She was my friend and my go to person for late night chats," said Ms Duckett.
"When I was asked to write this impact statement, I struggled to find the words to express the hurt, pain, anger and emptiness that you have caused my family. Therefore, I thought who better to ask than the two people my sister loved the most; her children".
Evidence has been given in the trial that gardaí searching Ms Thompson's home found thousands of prescription tablets worth nearly €50,000 hidden in her attic and that she and McHugh had a "bit of a fling" in the year before she died.
Earlier, the court heard that McHugh has 50 previous convictions; 20 of which are for theft and burglary, five for robbery, eight for drug offences, two for possession of knives and one for criminal damage.
Ms Thompson's friends were in court today wearing "Justice for Lisa" t-shirts and emblazoned on their backs was: "'Taken away too soon by an evil monster RIP".
On February 27th last, a jury took just over three hours to find McHugh guilty of murdering Ms Thompson. Evidence was heard during the three-week trial that Ms Thompson - who was found with 11 stab wounds to her chest and the blood-stained cord wrapped around her neck - was dealing prescription drugs from her home.
Six of the wounds had penetrated her heart and two went through and through, which the defence submitted in its closing address had "an element of overkill" to it.
McHugh, with an address at Cairn Court, Poppintree, Ballymun in Dublin 11, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Thompson at Sandyhill Gardens, Ballymun in Dublin 11 on May 9th, 2022.
A forensic scientist told the trial that the blind cord contained McHugh's DNA, while the prosecution argued that he could be seen on CCTV footage near Ms Thompson's home on the night of the killing.
When asked to account for the presence of his DNA on the cord, McHugh told gardai that he had been "in and out" of Ms Thompson's house "for the last three years".
The jury had also heard that DNA recovered from jewellery found in the defendant's home also matched that of Ms Thompson.
Following the three statements, Ms Justice Karen O'Connor said Ms Duckett had represented her sister "beautifully" and with dignity. The judge said Ms Duckett had allowed her sister to have the final voice in the trial through these three statements.
Extending her condolences to the Thompson family and her many friends on the loss of their "beloved Lisa", Ms Justice O'Connor said they had displayed "extraordinary dignity despite hearing such devastation and heartbreaking evidence" about the deceased's "violent death". She said Ms Thompson's death had occurred in "such horrific and brutal circumstances".
The judge noted that losing a parent "lives" with children "through their lives", adding: "I'm sure they will be supported, minded and loved by Ms Thompson's loved ones". Ms Thompson's children, the court heard, were 12 and 13 years of age when their mother was murdered.
Ms Justice O'Connor went on to say that "words cannot describe what" the deceased's children are going through. "There is a painful road ahead of you. I wish you all the best for the future".
