A 67-year-old former army sergeant has been given a mandatory life sentence for the murder of his friend in Co Kerry last year.
Thomas Carroll, from Brookway, Clonmel in Co Tipperary, was found guilty of the murder of 84-year-old Patrick O'Mahony by a jury at the Central Criminal Court in Limerick last week.
The conviction followed a trial, during which jurors heard how the accused and the victim were friends for several decades.
On the last weekend of February 2024, Carroll travelled to visit Mr O'Mahony at his home near Castlemaine in Co Kerry.
They had a disagreement on the evening of Saturday 24 February, which resulted in Mr O'Mahony sustaining a single gunshot wound. He died as a result of shock and haemorrhage.
At this morning’s sentencing hearing, Mr O'Mahony’s grand-daughter, Grace, spoke of how she always called him her "gaga".
She said his life had been taken in the most horrific way imaginable.
Ms O'Mahony said that overnight the entire family was shattered, just three months after the death of her grandmother, Elizabeth.
She described her grandfather as someone who was "funny, loyal, protective, and hard working". He cared fiercely about the people he loved and his loss had impacted deeply on all those who knew him.
Ms O'Mahony said their memories had been tainted by the way he was taken from his family.
She said the only small comfort they could draw was that he was with her grandmother again, greeting her with the phrase "hello darling".
She thanked the jury and the court for their care and attention, as well as gardaí for their work throughout the investigation.
Mr Justice Patrick McGrath said the offence of murder carried a mandatory life sentence. He said the jury had clearly rejected the suggestion that Carroll was so intoxicated on the night of the murder that he did not know what he was doing and did not intend to do what he did.
He said it was "a terribly sad case", which had resulted in the death of a man who was clearly loved by his family and the wider community around Castlemaine in Co Kerry
Mr Justice McGrath said it was clear from the victim impact statement, and evidence heard during the trial, that Mr O'Mahony was loyal, protective and of excellent character.
He said Carroll’s actions were "appalling and abhorrent". He had left Mr O'Mahony lying on his back outside his house on a cold night, before inventing a pack of lies in relation to the events he was responsible for.
Mr Justice McGrath said Carroll had demonstrated a lack of human decency and empathy.
He said he hoped the conclusion of the trial would bring some closure to Mr O'Mahony's family and offered his condolences to them.
The trial heard that Carroll had travelled to Castlemaine to catch up with an "old comrade" and express sympathy following his friend’s recent bereavement.
The men socialised on the night of Friday 23 February and had breakfast in a local pub the next day.
They returned to Mr O’Mahony’s house later that Saturday, after which events took, what the prosecution described as a "foul turn", resulting in the death Mr O'Mahony. Evidence was given in relation to CCTV footage, showing the two men appearing to argue, before Carroll leaned in close to the victim, who was then seen stumbling to the ground.
He had been shot with a 9mm bullet, which left a small entry wound in his chest.
There was no exit wound and, as a result, there was no blood around Mr O'Mahony's body when gardaí were called to the scene on the morning of Sunday 25 February.
Carroll initially suggested his friend had fallen but a post-mortem examination confirmed a single gunshot wound, which entered Mr O’Mahony's body at close contact.
The jury of eight men and four women returned a unanimous guilty verdict.
