A TEENAGE GIRL whose father was murdered by a man who nearly severed one of his legs with a samurai sword has told a court that the killer “deserves every second” of his life sentence.

Dylan Scannell (31) of O’Rahilly Street in Cobh, Co Cork, was sentenced to life imprisonment at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork today for the murder of 33-year-old father of two Ian Baitson.

The tattoo artist was found guilty of the murder of the chef last month following a week-long trial.

Jurors heard that Mr Scannell struck Mr Baitson from behind the left knee with a sword at the Eurospar car park on Newtown Road in Cobh on the evening of 15 March, 2024.

The medical evidence was that such was the ferocity of the attack that the sword cut through muscle, artery and bone. Mr Baitson was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. However, he died four days later.

Mr Baitson was killed over a small drugs debt. Poignantly, his life was on an upwards trajectory prior to his death and he had left drug-taking behind him.

In a victim impact statement today his daughter told Dylan Scannell that he had taken her precious father from her.

She said that her father had turned his life around prior to his death after a period of problem drug use.

“We got very close after that. I was so happy to have my Daddy back to his normal self. In March 2024 we all celebrated my younger brother’s birthday. Daddy was so happy. Then a few days later, we got a call saying my father had been attacked. My heart broke.”

She said that it was scary to see her father hooked up to multiple machines at the ICU in Cork University Hospital.

“Sometimes my Daddy’s eyes would open and I thought he was going to be ok but the nurse told me that is just the machines keeping his alive.

“I visited him in ICU everyday, all day. One day we got the call that he was not going to recover and they had to take him off the life support machine. I never cried so much in my life.”

Murder victim Ian Baitson

She said two teddy bears were placed on the shoulder of her father as he lay dying in bed. She said the bears were from her and her brother.

“My heart shattered (when my father died) and I never felt so much pain like this. I would never wish this on anyone. You (Scannell) deserve every second of your sentence.”

Meanwhile, Sarah Geasley, who had a child with her former partner Ian, said that he was a warm and kind man as well as a loving father.

“We had a healthy co-parenting relationship. We tried to ensure that our son had a sense of a family unit. All these things have been taken from myself and my son.”

She said that Ian was stolen from them in a “senseless, cruel and violent manner.” Ms Geasley added that her son celebrated his third birthday four days before the attack.

“He now cries for his Daddy. He asks to hug the teddy bear that is made out of his Daddy’s clothes. He says things like ‘I want to be a chef like my Daddy’, which many kids might say, but hits different when their Daddy is in heaven.”

Ms Geasley stated that one of the hardest things she has ever done is tell her son that his father is in heaven.

“He associates stars in the sky now with his Daddy. At night if and when he sees a bright star he will say ‘Look look Mammy there is Daddy.’ He will never get to see his Daddy be proud of him.”

She added that she is left wondering what to say when the youngster randomly comments “my Daddy put me to bed and then he was gone”.

“Because he is too young to be told his Daddy was murdered, the persistence of (questions on) where he is and questions as to why he isn’t coming back is getting harder to deal with.”

Ian’s brother Richard delivered a victim impact statement on behalf of him and his mother Helen. He said that Ian was a “beacon of love, strength and joy.” He told the court that Ian was a talented son, a devoted father, and a a person who made you feel “seen, heard and valued”.

He said that in the period before he died, Ian’s life was a in a really good place. He had taken up running and intended to participate in the Cork City Marathon.

He added that the murder of his “decent, loving and caring brother” had caused huge trauma to all those who loved him.

Meanwhile, Mr Scannell, who is a father-of-two, expressed remorse for his actions. In a handwritten letter read in court by his barrister, Tom Creed, SC, Mr Scannell said that he would love to take back what he did.

“Ian was my friend and I will have to carry his cross with me for the rest of my days. It was a dark and dangerous time and it will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

Ms Justice Eileen Creedon offered her condolences to the Baitson family following their loss. She also praised them for the eloquence of their victim impact statements.

The evidence at the trial was that Mr Scannell had previously sent Ian Baitson a text where he threatened to chop off his fingers because of a drug debt which he at one point claimed amounted to €2,500.

Mr Baitson had texted him back insisting that he only owed him a couple of hundred euro.

The accused had admitted the manslaughter of Mr Baitson. However, he denied murder.

On the night of the attack, Mr Baitson had €185 in his pocket which he planned to give to Mr Scannell. However, the evidence was that he never got the chance to hand over the money. Instead, Mr Scannell emerged from a car in the car park and attacked him with a sword.

Following the attack Mr Scannell drove to an area near the harbour in Cobh and threw the sword in to the water. The jury recorded a unanimous guilty verdict.