Kirkby stabbing: Son jailed for killing mum who tried to stop fight

James Dempsey was found guilty of manslaughter at Liverpool Crown Court

A man who stabbed his mother to death as she tried to stop him fighting with another man has been jailed.

Karen Dempsey, 55, died after her son James Dempsey stabbed her in the heart as she tried to break up the fight at Brambles pub in Kirkby on 22 August.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the 32-year-old said "mum, I'm sorry", hugged her and then fled the scene.

He was cleared of murder but was jailed for 19 years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter.

During the trial, Peter Glenser, KC, prosecuting, said Dempsey, of Brechin Road, Kirkby, also stabbed Brian Flynn, who had earlier glassed him in the pub over a £2,000 drug debt.

The court heard Dempsey had not realised the seriousness of his mother's injury.

He told the court that after stabbing her "she just grabbed me and said 'Jamie you stabbed me'".

"I said 'mum, I'm sorry'.

"She said 'you're just a divvy lad, it would happen to you'."

He added: "I gave her a hug and she said to leave. She told me to leave and get away from there."

Karen Dempsey was described as a "beautiful, vivacious and compassionate woman"

But the court heard Ms Dempsey, who was known as a "community champion", collapsed shortly after the attack and died just over an hour after arriving at hospital.

He told the court he regretted stabbing his mother, who he described as his "rock" and "best friend", "more than anything in the world".

"I loved her more than anything," he said, adding she was "absolutely brilliant".

Dempsey was also convicted of possession of a knife and unlawful wounding.

Sentencing him, Judge Denis Watson, KC, said: "If you had thought for a moment about your mum's wish to stop you, you would have realised that if you took the fight to him, she would try to intervene."

He said that as Dempsey tried to stab Mr Flynn yet again, "it seems you were off balance, you missed him but your momentum turned 90 degrees or more and your knife plunged into your mother's chest".

Paying tribute, Ms Dempsey's family previously described her as a "beautiful, vivacious and compassionate woman".

They said she was "dedicated to her work" and "a fantastic advocate for social justice" who made a real difference to people's lives across Kirkby.