Man who doused wife in petrol and set her alight jailed for minimum 18 years

Thomas Rainey murdered his wife Katrina in October 2021.
Thomas Rainey has been jailed for a minimum of 18 years for the murder of his wife Katrina in October 2021 (Liam McBurney/PA)
PA Archive
Claudia Savage5 July 2023

A man who threw a bucket of petrol over his wife and set her on fire inside a car has been sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in prison.

Thomas Rainey, 61, of Quarry Road in Knockloughrim, Co Londonderry, had pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife, Katrina Rainey, in October 2021.

Sentencing Rainey at Belfast Crown Court on Wednesday, Mr Justice O’Hara said: “This is a significant prison sentence for a man of 61 but, given the horror of what he did to his wife, it is the least he deserves.”

Speaking outside court, PSNI Detective Inspector Hazel Morrow said Mrs Rainet, a mother-of-six, died a “horrific death”.

“Mrs Rainey was in the car, with her seatbelt on, about to leave for work that morning. Thomas Rainey opened the passenger door; he threw flammable liquid over his wife; and set her alight,” she said.

“On arrival at the scene, officers, along with other emergency services, found Katrina outside the burnt vehicle, having sustained severe and extensive burns to her body. She was taken to hospital but, sadly, later died from her injuries.”

Ms Miller said Ms Rainey was a “caring and loving mother”, adding her and her children and wider family circle, have experienced “unimaginable grief and anguish”.

“They are still trying to come to terms with losing their loved one in such horrific circumstances,” she said.

“Today, thanks to our dedicated investigation team and working in partnership with our colleagues in the Public Prosecution Service, the defendant has been held accountable for his actions. Actions that were deliberate and shocking; and which have left a family shattered.

“While today’s sentencing signifies the end of the judicial process, I know that Katrina’s family will be walking away with the heaviest of hearts. My thoughts remain firmly with them.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT