By Tony O’Reilly-
An evil man who poured a bucket of petrol over his wife and set her on fire has been sentenced 18 years in jail in an evil act of wickedness. Over 90% of Katrina Rainey’s body(pictured) was burned as a result of the monstrous attack.
At an initial hearing last November, Rainey, 61, denied the murder charge, but his defence barrister said then that his client “accepts that his actions caused the death of his wife”.
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As the mother of six lay dying she told emergency services what her husband did to her.
Grieving relatives of the 53-year-old mother-of-six sitting in the public gallery of Court 12 at Belfast Crown Court, listened as Mr Justice O’Hara spoke of several ‘aggravating factors’ in a case he described as “harrowing.”
These included Mrs Rainey’s children being woken from their sleep by their mother’s screams – and the efforts they made to assist their mother. One daughter described Mrs Rainey as being “covered in flames.”
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When fire crews arrived at the scene, they witnessed Mrs Rainey’s children placing wet towels on her as she lay on the ground.
Medics tended to the badly burned woman, who told a doctor that she had been on her way to work when her husband opened the passenger door of her car, threw liquid round her then set her on fire.
Thomas Rainey sat head in his hands as the Judge told him: “I recognise this is a significant prison sentence for a man of 61 but given the horror of what he did to his wife is the least he deserves.”
The court heard how the 53-year-old got into her car to go to work in October 2021. When Rainey of Quarry Road in Knockloughrim opened the passenger’s door of her car, he poured a bucket of petrol over her then set her alight whilst she was trapped in the vehicle by her seat belt.
Despite being rushed to hospital by emergency services who attended the early morning scene, the former midwife died from extensive burns.
Victim’s Dying Account To Cops
Katrina told officers before she died: “I was going to work. I came out of the house and got in the car and turned the ignition on.
“My husband opened the passenger door, he threw something in a bucket over me and then he held on to my fleece so I could not get out of the car then he lit me with a torch or lighter or something.
“I had my seatbelt on and I couldn’t get out of the car but then I tried to get out and I threw myself on the ground and kept hitting the horn and screaming.”
Asked if she knew why her husband had done this, Mrs Rainey told police she wanted her husband out of the house and had been to see a solicitor.
She also said: “I never thought he would do this. My mother said be careful and I’m just so sorry my children have seen this – but I love them so much and thank you everybody that is helping.”
Thomas Johnston Rainey eventually pleaded guilty to murdering his wife at Belfast Crown Court in May after previously denying the charged in November 2022.
His defence has previously told the court that Rainey is “a man who is horrified by what he has done.”
Speaking outside Belfast Crown Court, PSNI Detective Inspector Hazel Morrow said mother-of-six Katrina Rainey 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.
Rainey’s mother Sandra Heasley spoke of the inevitable impact the killing had on her since October 2021, describing her daughter as a “gentle, sincere, beautiful girl that made time for everyone.” She also expressed concern that her grandchildren witnessed their mother’s harrowing death.
Her husband George said he constantly thinks of his late daughter and wakes up in the middle of the night with an image of her lying in a hospital bed.
Mr Heasley also said: “We only had the one daughter and her death has left a void that can never be filled.”
Mrs Rainey’s son Alan also provided a statement and spoke of the loss his mother’s death has had on the family.
Regarding Rainey, Mr Justice O’Hara spoke of his “difficult childhood” and the “serious negative impact” the death of his six-year-old daughter Heather who died in an accident on the farm in July 2002 had on him.
Also noted by the judge were Rainey’s long-standing battle with mental ill health and a complete absence of prior domestic abuse.
As he set out several aggravating factors, Mr Justice O’Hara described the murder as “the ultimate act of domestic violence.”
He added: “It was witnessed by the children who heard the screams and ran out to see something they will never be able to forget – their mother in flames.”
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