Limerick man avoids jail over role in fatal dog sex case

A Limerick man who facilitated a meeting which in turn resulted in the death of the woman who had sex with his dog has avoided a prison sentence.

According to The Limerick Leader, the woman in question, then 43, died shortly after intercourse with the dog in Patrickswell in 2008 and after a three-year investigation it was confirmed that her death occurred due to an adverse reaction suffered after having sex with the animal.

Sean McDonnell, originally from the area but who now lives in England, pleaded guilty to buggery with a German shepherd, but was handed a three-year suspended sentence by Judge Carroll Moran.

According to the report in the Limerick Leader, Moran felt that McDonnell would not benefit from a custodial sentence, having already been severely punished through adverse publicity as a result of this case.

McDonnell lost his job as a bus driver and is now separated by his family having felt the need to move out the area and the country because of the negative publicity the case generated.

McDonnell’s case was helped by mitigating factors such as the fact that the deceased went to the meeting of her own free will and was not coerced by McDonnell and that there was no way he could have anticipated her death.

McDonnell has been placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for five years and took an oath in court to confirm that he was to continue to receive counselling in the UK.

If you want more of the gory details of what really is an incredibly tragic story, you can read the full report in The Limerick Leader here.