A 26-year-old Dublin man has been found guilty of the murder of his sister after a row at their home in December 2001 and given a life sentence.
At the Central Criminal Court yesterday after less than half-an-hour of deliberations a jury returned a unanimous verdict to find David Bell, formerly of St Teresa's Gardens, Dublin, guilty of the murder of Ms Lisa Bell (22) on December 16th, 2001.
Leave to appeal the sentence was requested by Mr Blaise O'Carroll SC, defending, but refused by Mr Justice Abbott.
Bell, who sat quietly with his head bowed for most of the nine-day trial, looked calmly towards the judge as the verdict was announced.
In a statement made to gardaí in the week before Christmas 2001 he had admitted attacking his sister with a Stanley knife and slashing her throat.
The best friend of the deceased, Ms Niamh Ní Dhalaigh, wept as the verdict was announced. Mr Pat Bell, the father of David and Lisa Bell, and one of their brothers was also present in court for the verdict yesterday, as was the Sinn Féin TD Mr Aengus O'Snodaigh.
Mr O'Snodaigh and Mr Bell were the first to find Ms Bell's body hidden in a sleeping bag in her bedroom wardrobe on the evening of her death.
During the nine-day trial the court heard evidence that Ms Bell and her brother had been getting on well living together with her two-year-old son, Aaron, at St Teresa's Gardens until she became aware that he was back on heroin. Ms Bell was working nightshifts with An Post at the time.
Ms Ní Dhalaigh told the court during the trial how Bell had sold a Fisher Price garage meant as a Christmas present for his nephew , as well as Ms Bell's jewellery, TV and video to fund his heroin addiction.
They began to row about this and were heard arguing by neighbours in the week before her death.
Ms Bell returned home after work at 6.30 a.m. on the morning of her death. The court heard that after a row with her brother she told him to leave the flat and went to bed. Bell said in his statement that he was "fed up" listening to his sister and decided to "frighten her with the Stanley knife".
"We started shouting and she screamed when she saw the knife. I knew what I was doing. She was sitting up in bed just before I slashed her. I slashed her on the throat two or three times in the bed. I covered her with a pillow so I wouldn't have to look at her face," Bell said.