THE teenage daughter of a man murdered with a samurai sword yesterday told his jailed killer: “You deserve every second of your life sentence.”
Zoe Baitson, 14, also said her “heart shattered” when she heard her father, Ian, had died at the hands of Dylan Scannell, 31.
At the Central Criminal Court in Cork today, Scannell was sentenced to life for the murder of 33-year-old father-of-two Ian Baitson.
The tattoo artist, of O’Rahilly Street in Cobh, Co Cork, was found guilty of the murder of the popular chef last month following a week long trial.
He had pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Baitson on March 15, 2024 at Eurostar car park on Newtown Road, Cobh but guilty to manslaughter.
The trial heard that thug Scannell had sent Mr 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 texted him back insisting that he only owed him a couple of hundred euro.
On the night of the attack, Ian went to meet Scannell with €185 in his pocket which he planned to give to him.
But he never got the chance — the killer came out of a car and attacked him with a sword.
Following the attack, Scannell threw the sword in to the sea.
Mr Baitson was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery, but he sadly died four days later in Cork University Hospital.
Brave teen Zoe said Scannell had taken her much-loved and precious dad from her forever.
‘MY HEART BROKE’
In her victim impact statement, she told how her dad had turned his life around after a period where drug taking was an issue.
She said: “We got very close after that. I was so happy to have my daddy back to his normal self.
“In March 2024, we 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.”
Zoe said that it was scary to see her father hooked up to multiple machines in the ICU at Cork University Hospital.
‘HAVE NEVER CRIED SO MUCH’
She said: “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 him alive.
“I visited him in ICU every day.
“One day, we got the call that he was not going to recover and they had to take him off life support.
“I have never cried so much in my life.”
Zoe put two teddy bears on her dad’s shoulder as he lay dying in bed — bears that were from her and her baby brother.
She added: “My heart shattered and I never felt so much pain like this. I would never wish this on anyone. You (Scannell) deserve every second of your sentence.”
‘BEACON OF LOVE’
Richard Baitson, Ian’s brother speaking on behalf of himself and his mother Helen, said: “Ian was a beacon of love, strength and joy.”
In the period before he died, Ian had taken up running and intended to participate in the Cork City Marathon.
“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 him alive.”
Zoe Baitson
Richard also said that the murder of his “decent, loving and caring brother” had caused huge trauma to those who loved him.
Killer Scannell, a father of two, wrote a letter which was read in court by his barrister, Tom Creed, SC, in which he stated: “I will have to carry his cross with me for the rest of my days.
“It will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
Ms Justice Eileen Creedon praised the Baitson family for the eloquence of their statements.
