A WOMAN who stabbed her partner to death during an alcohol-fuelled row has been told that her violent actions have deprived two children of their father.
Mr Justice Treacy told Angeline Sara Jane Mitchell on Tuesday "you will never be able to repair the damage you have caused" as he jailed her for five years.
The 44-year old, from Lindsay Court in Belfast, stabbed Anthony Robin to death in his Fitzroy Avenue flat in south Belfast in the early hours of May 11, 2009.
She denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. Mitchell was tried by a jury of murdering Mr Robin, who at the time of his death was a 44-year old father-of-two.
Mitchell was found not guilty by the jury of murder earlier this month, and on Tuesday was sentenced on a charge of manslaughter - with five years in prison and the remaining five years on licence.
Mr Justice Treacy spoke of Mitchell's "long history of mental health difficulties" and revealed that several experts agreed that at the time of Mr Robin's killing, Mitchell was suffering from "an abnormality of mind - Alcohol Dependence Syndrome."
During yesterday's sentencing at Belfast Crown Court, Mr Justice Treacy said that at the time of his death, Mr Robin and Mitchell "lived together intermittently" and that their relationship was "turbulent, volatile and blighted by the excessive consumption of alcohol."
Prior to the fatal stabbing, Mr Robin and Mitchell became embroiled in a heated exchange on the landing of the flat following an earlier incident involving one of Mr Robin's sons.
The couple returned to Mr Robin's flat accompanied by his then 16-year old son - who witnessed his father being stabbed to death on the stairs outside the living room.
Mr Robin was stabbed five times, with a wound to the left side of his chest proving fatal.
Mr Justice Treacy commented on the fact that the now 24-year old son gave evidence at the trial where he had to recall the "horror that unfolded before his young eyes as he watched his father being stabbed to death."
The court heard about the devastating impact Mr Robin's death has had on the family circle - particularly his sister and mother.
In a Victim Impact Statement, the deceased's sister Kim Robin described her brother as a loving father whose death has deprived his two sons of their father's guidance and support.
Ms Robin revealed her mother has "suffered enormously" from her son's death, both physically and emotionally, and is now "merely a shadow of her former self in every way."
Turning to Mitchell, Mr Justice Treacy told her she carried out a "violent attack...You took Mr Robin's life and deprived his children of their father."
The judge also told Mitchell that he accepted that during her time spent in custody, she has been a model prisoner who has turned her life around. Due to time she has already served, Mitchell was not returned to custody.
