A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a teenager who had been in care of the Health Service Executive in Dublin seven years ago.
Richard Dekker from Dublin 15 was convicted last month of the murder of Daniel McAnaspie at Tolka Valley Park, Blanchardstown on 26 February 2010.
A second man, 28-year-old Trevor Noone has already pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of the 17-year-old.
Both of Daniel's parents had died and he was living in Donabate when he was allowed out on the afternoon of 25 February 2010.
He had a mobile phone and was supposed to be picked up later that evening, but his carers were unable to contact him and reported him missing to gardaí.
Daniel had been out socialising in Blanchardstown that evening and met a number of people including Richard Dekker and went drinking.
Two of his friends tried to persuade him to leave with them at around 4am the following morning but he insisted on staying and that was the last time they saw him alive
Two months later his badly decomposed remains were found in a deep drain on a farmer's land in Rathfeigh in Co Meath. He had been stabbed to death.
Richard Dekker was arrested and admitted he was with Daniel before he was killed.
Daniel had been persuaded to go to an isolated area along the River Tolka at 4am on 26 February and Dekker was there when he claimed another man brought half a garden shears with him.
Dekker described in detail to the gardaí how that man killed Daniel with the shears. He told them the teenager begged for his life and that he also pleaded with the other man to stop, but that he then got scared that he would use the blade on him.
Dekker also showed gardaí where this happened and insisted he did not know it was going to.
In a victim impact statement today, Daniel's sister said he was only a child who did not deserve to be murdered.
They say the family are still haunted by how frightened he must have been and the way his body was dumped in a cold and heartless way.
Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy sentenced Richard Dekker to the mandatory term of life in prison.
Trevor Noone was also charged with the murder but the 28-year-old pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
His sentence hearing is due to begin later this month.
