Irene White, a mum-of-three, was brutally murdered in her own home in 2005 and it would take eight years for any kind of breakthrough in the case – with questions still remaining
It’s been two decades since the brutal murder of Irene White, a case that has been dubbed “Ireland’s most violent murder”, and yet, disturbing questions about her horrific death still linger. On the morning of April 6, 2005, after she had dropped her children off at school, student and bouncer Anthony Lambe arrived at Irene’s home in Dundalk, County Louth.
The 22-year-old proceeded to slash her throat and stab the mum-of-three a total of 34 times. He then left her lifeless body in a pool of blood in the kitchen before fleeing through the back door.
At 12.30pm that same day, Maureen McBride, Irene’s elderly mother, made the horrifying discovery. Her daughter, who was 43, was still wearing orange washing up gloves.
Pat Marry, a former detective, later told the Irish Independent: “I remember looking at crime scene photos of her body covered in blood, with her head propped against the washing machine and the footprint of a runner left by the culprit in her blood.”
A murder investigation was launched and gardaí discovered Irene’s chilling diary entries where she wrote about threats to her life.
However, it would take eight long years for any kind of breakthrough, and below we delve into the unsettling case two decades on.
Who was Irene White?
Irene was a mum who lived in a detached home in Dundalk with her three children who would have been at school when the shocking murder took place.
She also had an estranged husband, Alan White, but they were separated and living apart at the time of her death. Irene’s mum, Maureen, resided in a mobile home in the garden.
As well as caring for her three children, Irene also worked part-time at a security firm.
After discovering her daughter’s body, Maureen died of a broken heart just months later.
Murder probe
Despite Irene being killed in April 2005, there was no breakthrough until 2013, when police received an anonymous call from someone in Australia.
The woman claimed Anthony Lambe confessed to her about killing Irene and she made follow-up calls with clear details about how and why he did it.
Gardaí were familiar with Lambe who had initially been involved in their enquiries. This was after his boss, security company owner Niall Power, said he met him at Dundalk college within two hours of Irene’s killing, to hand over €400 in cash as a wage advance.
However, it was eventually revealed that the money was €2,000 (£1,700), and it was payment for murdering Irene. At the time of her death, due to his drug addiction, he was in severe debt, and he saw the murder as a way to pay off what he owed.
Giving a chilling insight, former detective Pat said: “At one stage Niall Power took Anthony up the Carindale Hotel and said Irene does classes in there and he gave him a knife and said ‘when she comes out you kill her’, and he threw the knife away and said ‘no I’m not doing this’.
“So that was the first failed attempt but he kept at him. Anthony was told ‘you know the plan, and if somebody else does it you are going to be a loose end, and god knows what’s going to happen to you’. He was afraid then, he thought ‘if I don’t do it I’m going to be killed’.”
After his arrest, Lambe reportedly “cried his eyes out” and expressed regret for his actions.
Power, who was a business associate of Irene’s husband Alan, was next in line for arrest. However, before this could occur, he voluntarily arrived at the station and made a statement confirming he had instructed Lambe to murder Irene.
Yet, he claimed he was acting under orders from another individual, positioning himself as the “middle man”. His allegations about a mysterious third party, referred to as the “mastermind”, have never been substantiated.
During discussions with Gardaí, Power alleged that Alan had instructed him to “sort out” wife Irene in the months leading up to her murder.
Alan was initially arrested, but due to lack of evidence implicating him, he was released without charge.
Justice
Lambe received a life sentence for her murder after pleading guilty in 2018. Power is also serving a life sentence for her murder after confessing his involvement.
They are both currently incarcerated in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin.
Alan, who attended the court proceedings, expressed his shock post-trial: “I was shocked about all the information. I’m sure the Gardaí are working on it. I was in shock. It’s quite difficult to hear what goes on in court. But still, we got the result. This day has taken a long time to come. We were waiting for this stage to come.”
In a book co-authored by former detective Pat titled The Ice House Murder, Alan dismissed Power’s claims of him being the mastermind as “mad”, stating: “I don’t know what he’s thinking, saying this.”
Upon learning that the Director of Public Prosecutions had concluded it would be challenging to prove there was a “mastermind”, Kenneth Delassian, married to Irene’s sister Anne, voiced his outrage to the Irish Sun: “I am absolutely vibrating with rage at this decision – there is no justice for Irene.
“We are gobsmacked by this decision and we will certainly explore all avenues with regard to an appeal. I firmly believe the evidence was in front of them and yet they have made this decision not to prosecute.”