A 33-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering a father-of-three by shooting him with a shotgun in the chest before reloading and shooting him in the head.
Seán Ducque was also given a three-year sentence for the robbery of a homeless man later that night and a 12-year sentence for the armed robbery a few hours earlier of a taxi driver, who has had to give up his career.
Ducque, of no fixed abode, had admitted killing Kieran Farrelly, 33, on 26 October 2014 at Killarney Court, Killarney Street in Dublin.
However, the father-of-one said that the deceased had provoked him by threatening to punch his head in.
He pleaded not guilty to murder and went on trial at the Central Criminal Court last month.
The jury did not accept his defence and convicted him.
He had previously pleaded guilty to robbing taxi driver David Wyer of a mobile phone, a set of car keys and approximately €150 in cash, and having a firearm with intent to commit robbery on 26 October 2014 at Terrace Place in the city.
He also admitted robbing Hugh Gildea of a mobile phone, wrist watch and approximately €520 in cash on 27 October 2014 at Mabbot Lane in the city.
Dominic McGinn SC, prosecuting, told his sentencing hearing Ducque had got into Mr Wyer's taxi around 7.15pm that day and asked to be taken to Terrace Place. When they arrived, he produced a sawnoff shotgun and said: "Right pal, you know what this is".
Mr Wyer gave him the contents of his wallet, but Ducque also demanded his phone and keys. On the way out, he opened the shotgun to show his victim that it was loaded.
"Just in case you think it's not real," he said.
Mr Dwyer pleaded with him to leave him his keys so that he would not be immobile. He said he'd leave them at the end of the road.
Mr Wyer went to the end of the road but could not see the keys. There were some children on the street and he made contact with the emergency services through them.
Gardaí viewed video footage of the incident from an internal camera in the vehicle and a number of them recognised Ducque.
Sgt Enda O'Sullivan explained that this was about an hour after midnight, by which time he had murdered Mr Farrelly with the same gun. Among the items found at the murder scene was the key to Mr Wyer's taxi.
The court had already heard that another person had asked Ducque to give Mr Farrelly 'a hiding'.
The accused had then lured him to Killarney Court on the pretence that he would sell him a mobile phone.
He shot him first in the chest and then reloaded his weapon and shot him at close range in the head. The court heard that Mr Farrelly had pleaded for his life between shots.
Ducque's next crime of the night was the robbery of Hugh Gildea on Mabbot Lane shortly before 6am.
Mr Gildea was sleeping in the alleyway and was woken by a male and female assaulting him in an effort to rob him. Ducque was hitting him in the face and the female was going through his pockets. CCTV footage showed that the robbery lasted about 23 minutes.
A man staying in a nearby hostel called the gardaí, who arrived to find him shaken, upset and clearly injured. He was able to point out the culprits, who were still at the end of the lane.
Gardaí found €375 rolled up in his underwear and Mr Gildea's phone was found with his belongings. He was also wearing two watches on his left wrist, one of which was Mr Gildea's.
The accused had documentation on him, identifying him as Ducque and therefore the culprit from the armed robbery of Mr Wyer. Local officers arrived and confirmed this.
It was decided that he should not be arrested without the support of the armed unit.
This was done and Mr Gildea's blood was found on Ducque's clothes.
