I’LL BE HAUNTED BY SANTINA’S MURDER FOR EVER

Heartbroken dad tells of pain as his ex is caged for life

- OLIVIA KELLEHER

THE distraught dad of two-year-old Santina Cawley told of his pain as his girl’s killer was caged for life.

Michael Cawley, right, spoke yesterday after his ex-girlfriend Karen

Harrington was found guilty at Cork Central Criminal Court of murdering his daughter in July 2019.

He said: “I will be haunted by this horror for the remainder of my life. This is beyond words.”

CHILD killer Karen Harrington has been found guilty of the brutal murder of tot Santina Cawley.

Evil Harrington, 38, is now beginning a life sentence behind bars for the cruel killing of the two-year-old.

A jury at the Central Criminal Court in Cork yesterday found it was she who inflicted 53 catastrophic injuries on the little girl.

Harrington, of Lakeland’s Crescent in the city, was on trial for a fortnight over the July 2019 killing. The jury took four hours and 46 minutes to return a unanimous guilty verdict.

At the time of the murder, Harrington was in a relationship with Santina’s dad Michael Cawley.

The trial was told he trusted her and had no concerns about leaving his daughter with her. The injuries – including fractures to her skull, ribs, right arm and left leg and bruising to her entire body – were unsurvivable.

Santina died in her mother Bridget’s arms a few hours after arriving at Cork University Hospital.

She was found critically injured by Mr Cawley in the early hours of July 5 at Harrington’s apartment in Boreenmanna Road in Cork.

She was naked and clumps of her hair were found in the apartment.