A man who strangled his ex-girlfriend's mother was sentenced to life imprisonment today after a jury found him guilty of murder.
Malaysian-born Haw Yong Lamhin (21), with an address at Castle Lawns in Tallaght, Dublin, was convicted of the murder of Mook Ah Mooi (49), who was also Malaysian and lived at the same address.
Lamhin shook his head and slumped forward in his seat after Mr Justice Kevin O'Higgins told him the verdict through an interpreter at the Central Criminal Court.
The court had heard he strangled Ms Mooi with a cord at their home in August last year after she told him her daughter was going to France with another man and she did not want him seeing her any more and he would have to return to Malaysia.
The court heard the pair had previously been on good terms and had been watching a video together at the house earlier on the day of the attack.
Lamhin was pulled out of the River Liffey in central Dublin by Garda Pat Casey later that night after attempting suicide. He confessed to strangling Ms Mooi in a police interview the next day but said he had lost control and was merely trying to stop her screaming during a row.
Lamhin came to Ireland in March last year at the invitation of his girlfriend Fui Ling Pang.
After being initially happy living with Ms Pang, Ms Mooi and several other members of their extended family, he fell into deep despair after Ms Pang dumped him a few weeks before he killed her mother.
Lamhin had pleaded not guilty to Ms Mooi's murder but guilty to manslaughter. However the plea was not accepted by the prosecution.
Defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC sought leave to appeal the conviction but this was refused by the judge.