Convicted Laois murderer Robert Corbet dies in Mountjoy Prison

CONVICTED murderer Robert Corbet has died in Mountjoy Prison.

The news broke today, Monday, 25 January, shortly after a body was discovered around 6am.

The Irish Prison Service released a statement confirming that a man had died in custody on the date in question.

“All deaths in custody are investigated by the Irish Prison Service, the Inspector of Prisons and An Garda Síochána, where circumstances warrant. The cause of death is determined by the Coroner’s Office”, the statement read.

The Irish Prison Service later confirmed to the Laois Nationalist that it was Mr Corbet’s body that had been found.

Mr Corbet, originally of Capoley, Sheffield Cross, Portlaoise, was serving a life sentence for the murder of 30-year-old nanny Aoife Phelan, whom he killed in late 2012.

At the time, he pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms. Phelan in his garage. However, he admitted her manslaughter between October 25th and November 7th.

Ms Phelan was a Ballyroan native. Her body was found in a barrel, buried 10 feet below ground behind Mr Corbet’s home.

The jury at his Central Criminal Court trial heard that he had met Ms. Phelan a few months earlier at a nightclub. She later told him that she was pregnant with his child.

He testified that he questioned Ms. Phelan about her claims on the evening of 25 October while they were both in his shed. It led to a violent altercation that resulted in Ms. Phelan’s death.

A post-mortem exam showed that Ms Phelan died of asphyxia due to strangulation, with blunt force trauma a contributory factor. She was not pregnant.

Her mother, Betty, described her as “beautiful and vibrant”. In May 2014, a jury of nine men and three women reached a majority guilty verdict of ten to two. Mr Corbet was sentenced to life in prison.