A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a Kilkenny postmaster almost a year ago.
Shu Shen apologised to the family of 32-year-old Alan Cunniffe through his lawyers.
Mr Cunniffe's brother, Declan, told the Central Criminal Court the family's world had crumbled the day Alan was shot dead.
Shu Shen took a bus to Kilkenny on 8 December last year. Armed with a modified air pistol and a knife, he walked into the post office at John's Green and got away with more than €13,000 in cash.
Alan Cunniffe, who had taken over as postmaster just two days previously, ran after him. When he tried to grab the bag of cash, Shu Shen shot him in the stomach. Mr Cunniffe died in hospital shortly afterwards.
Mr Cunniffe had four brothers and three sisters. Declan Cunniffe said Alan had paid the ultimate price for trying to protect the family business.
Their family and home were only a shell of what they were, he said. Their father Thomas, died from cancer two and a half years ago, he said, but the unexpected brutal circumstances of Alan's death were beyond belief.
Most people hear about these things on the television he said but these types of things were becoming more and more commonplace in our society.
Alan, we miss you, he said.
Mr Justice Paul Carney sentenced Shu Shen, who is a Chinese national, to life in prison and to 10 years for robbery and possession of a firearm.
