A ‘pathetic monster’ has been jailed for life after murdering his girlfriend following months of abuse, before looking to ‘shift the blame’ onto her during his trial. Kevin Mannion, 45, stabbed Elinor O'Brien in the groin in a 'rage-filled and violent attack' after the pair rowed in his city centre apartment when she questioned him about seeing other women.
Liverpool Crown Court previously heard Mannion killed 22-year-old Elinor after committing several assaults on her throughout their eight-month relationship. Just two days before murdering her, Mannion, who has previous convictions for violence, stabbed Elinor in the chest.
She had complained to police previously about being a victim of domestic abuse, but was too frightened to name Mannion as the perpetrator. Mannion called 999 just before 12.30pm on August 16 last year after stabbing Elinor at his apartment in the Great Northern Tower, just off Peter Street and Deansgate.
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He initially told officers she had been accidentally 'pierced' by 'something in her belongings' when he had thrown her bags at her during an argument. During his murder trial, he said he had no idea how Elinor had been injured, insisting he found her lying in the hallway outside the flat before getting help. At one stage, he suggested she inflicted the stab wounds herself.
A jury found him unanimously guilty of murder; wounding with intent; and controlling behaviour following the three-week trial. Today (March 9) he remained emotionless as he was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum term of just over 23 years.
As he was led away to the cells flanked by two dock officers, Mannion looked to the public gallery and said: “I’m sorry for what I did, but not what I didn’t do.” A woman replied: “You were supposed to protect her." Another person called him a 'b*****d'.
Bravely reading her victim impact statement before the court, packed full with friends and family, Elinor’s mum Gail Smith said: “She was the most wanted and loved child - I had fallen in love with her.
Of Mannion, she said: “His age troubled me, and her decision to convert to Catholicism just to please him. Unfortunately she did not tell me about how he really treated her. He turned out to be a monster - there are no other words to describe him.
“Elinor often acted as a confident, some might say cocky, young woman, but she was extremely vulnerable and easily impressed by displays of wealth and status.
“These two things made her an easy target for pathetic men like Kevin Mannion. He made her suffer, not just in body, but her self esteem and her sense of worth.”
She thanked medical and hospital staff at the Manchester Royal Infirmary who treated Elinor, as well as the police and Crown Prosecution Service.
Mrs Smith added: “She did not deserve this, her family and friends did not deserve this. There will never be any justice for Ellie, no matter how long Mannion gets. It’s simply justice served. The best hope for during that time in prison is that he does not get to ruin any other woman’s life.”
Judge Neil Flewitt KC, said: “Elinor was a vulnerable young woman. From the age of 16 she was involved in an abusive relationship with another man. I have no doubt she saw you as someone who was able to protect her from future harm - sadly that did not prove to be the case.”
The judge said her death had a ‘devastating effect’ on her family and friends, especially her mum. “Elinor will be missed but never forgotten by all who knew and loved her, especially her mother and siblings,” he said.
“Their grief is your responsibility and I hope over time you will come to acknowledge that fact.”
He said that Elinor was ‘trapped in an abusive relationship’, and though he could not be sure that Mannion intended to kill her, it did little to mitigate. He said Mannion was thinking ‘only of himself’ when he made the phone call to his solicitor in the moments after stabbing Elinor.
Judge Flewitt added: “The benefit of remorse was lost during your conduct during the trial when you seeked to shift blame onto Elinor, suggesting the stab wounds were self-inflicted.
Mannion, of Watson Street, Manchester, was unanimously convicted of murder, wounding with intent and displaying controlling or coercive behaviour following a three week trial at Liverpool Crown Court. He was jailed for life to serve a minimum term of 23 years and nine months.
Senior investigating officer Duncan Thorpe of GMP’s Major Incident Support Unit said: "Firstly, my thoughts are with Elinor’s family and loved ones. No parent or siblings should have to see a loved one die in this way.
"Elinor was subjected to controlling and coercive behaviour throughout her relatively short relationship with Mannion. He assaulted her a number of times and in the early hours of Sunday 14 August 2022 stabbed her in her left breast.
"Two days later, following an argument Mannion threw Elinor out of his apartment and stabbed her in the groin.
"Elinor sadly died as a result of her injuries despite the best efforts of medical staff.
"Mannion is an extremely dangerous individual. His lack of remorse for Elinor and her family is shameful."
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