The foster carer for two children of Edmundas Dauksa, who stabbed his former partner 19 times in front of their six-year-old daughter, has said it was "unspeakably horrific" for the "little innocent child" to watch her mother being "brutally murdered".
"The scene has left her sad and afraid, sleepless nights, always questioning why daddy did this to her mammy. A child should grow up and have a happy and a loving childhood, surrounded with love and smiles from their parents. However, this is not what Ingrida Maciokaite's daughter is experiencing due to the fact of what she last saw of her parents," the full-time foster carer told the Central Criminal Court
“Her children, whom she cherished with all her heart, were robbed of their mother. Her son will never remember her but unfortunately for her daughter, such memories will always and forever stay with her.”
The testimony was heard as part of a victim impact statement read to the Central Criminal Court, where 51-year-old Dauksa was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murdering Ms Maciokaite, the mother of his two children, days after their daughter was placed in her custody by a court.
On May 7th, Dauksa, with an address at Castletown Road in Dundalk, Co Louth was convicted by unanimous verdict of murdering Ms Maciokaite (31) at Bridgewater Mews, Linenhall Street, Dundalk, Co Louth on September 18th, 2018. He had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter.
The foster carer’s victim impact statement was read to the court by prosecution counsel Conor Devally SC.
She said “the unfortunate death of our beloved Ingrida” had caused their family an enormous amount of heartache and it “was by far the most horrific day” for every member of their family. “Each and every one of us were incredibly heartbroken and in great denial, followed by shock and disbelief,” she said.
She said Ms Maciokaite was loved and adored by “every single person” who knew and met her. “She was a gentle and soft-spoken young woman, who had her whole life ahead of her. Her main priority was to have both of her children by her side and bring the most joy and the happiest memories possible to their childhood.”
Following the statement, defence counsel Michael Bowman SC said his client wanted to express his remorse and deep regret for the sadness he had caused.
‘Unusual arrangement’
Mr Justice Paul McDermott then sentenced Dauksa to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murder. The sentence was backdated to September 18th, 2018, when he went into custody.
The trial heard that the accused was a married man but had developed a relationship with Ms Maciokaite and they had two children together.
An “unusual arrangement” was in place whereby their daughter lived with the accused and his wife and Ms Maciokaite would see the child on occasion. The girl was very much part of the accused’s family “in every sense of the word” and the defendant lavished affection on her “to an enormous extent”.
However, Ms Maciokaite wanted more access to her daughter and asked her solicitor to have the child produced before the District Court on September 14th, 2018, where the judge placed her in the custody of her mother.
Evidence was given during the trial that the fishmonger was unrepresented during District Court proceedings that the court heard had lasted for just over four minutes.
The Lithuanian national became “a broken man” when his daughter was “taken” from him but an arrangement was made that Ms Maciokaite would bring the child to the accused’s house on September 18th. However, the deceased decided not to bring the child to the house, which upset the accused and he went to confront his former partner in the courtyard of her home that afternoon.
Ms Maciokaite’s cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the chest and back with contributory stab wounds to the face and neck.
Chief State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan testified that there were 10 separate stab wounds to the front of the deceased's body and nine to the rear. The most serious stab wound had been inflicted to the heart and three or four stab wounds had entered the lungs, she said.