Judge to hear evidence on whether young killer can be sent to prison

Justice Eileen Creedon will hear medical evidence at the Central Criminal Court regarding whether a young man with a serious brain condition can be imprisoned, three years after his conviction for manslaughter. The offender, now aged 20 and subject to a legal anonymity order, was found guilty of the fatal stabbing of Dovydas Jenkas, aged 17, in Castlebar, County Mayo, in December 2015. He had been acquitted of murder. The court previously heard that Mr Jenkas, from Mount Street in Claremorris, sustained a single stab wound. The judge has indicated the victim's family requires closure and that the defendant should prepare for a custodial sentence. Since conviction, the offender has undergone treatment for his brain condition, including a surgical procedure in 2018. Sentencing has been repeatedly deferred pending medical assessment and court monitoring.