A man who hit his girlfriend twice in the face and then slashed the throat of a 32-year-old man who later died in hospital has been jailed for eight years.
Aaron Babbington (31), of no fixed abode, had pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Jason Butler on June 14th, 2023, at Grand Parade in Cork city. Mr Butler died at Cork University Hospital two days after the incident. He was predeceased by his parents and three of his six siblings.
Cork Central Criminal Court heard that on the day of the attack Mr Butler, who was from Castleredmond in Midleton in the county, met Babbington and his girlfriend by a shop on Grand Parade at about 7pm. A person working in the shop said all three were in good form and exchanging banter with each other. The trio were sharing a bottle of vodka and sat down together on a bench at nearby Daunt Square.
Det Sgt Colin Greenway told Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford that about 40 minutes later Babbington became “frustrated and angry” at the attention his girlfriend was paying Mr Butler. Det Sgt Greenway said the “attention was not reciprocated in any way”.
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“An eyewitness passing by heard Aaron Babbington saying he was going to stab him (Mr Butler) and making the comment either ‘you are going to die’ or ‘you are dead’.
“After these threats he hit his girlfriend twice in the face and kicked Jason Butler in the head. He picked up the bottle of vodka, drank its remaining contents, held it by the neck and attempted to smash it against the Argos building. He made nine unsuccessful attempts.
“His girlfriend and Jason Butler got up to try to escape. Unfortunately Mr Butler fell to the ground and was unable to regain his feet and was helpless on the ground when Aaron Babbington returned and smashed the bottle off the concrete bench.
“He then turned to Jason Butler and, with the sharp broken bottle, he bent over him, wrapped his arm around his neck, and pressed the bottle into his neck.”
A victim impact statement was handed into Ms Justice Lankford on behalf of the Butler family. However it was not read out in court.
Babbington apologised to the Butler family via his barrister Tom Creed.
Mr Creed said his client hailed from a dysfunctional family background. He stressed that Babbington wanted to address his addiction issues. “He realises now that his attempt to take the life of another human being has had a serious affect on him. While an unstable environment cannot excuse his behaviour on the day, it is something the court can look at.”
Ms Justice Lankford offered her condolences to the family of the late Mr Butler. She noted that the “entirety of the incident” had been captured on CCTV.
She commended a passerby who intervened “very bravely and very expeditiously” when he saw the attack occur.
Babbington, who was jailed for 10 years with the last two years suspended, has 143 previous convictions mainly for drug possession and public disorder offences.
